Women entrepreneurs and tenderers at a workshop on September 19, 2024, demanded more training for them on the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system introduced by the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA).
BPPA has been providing one-day training to tenders on e-GP. The women tenderers demanded that the duration of the training should be longer. BPPA has responded positively to their demand.
BPPA conducted the workshop in its conference room at BPPA Bhaban on the campus of the Bangladesh Planning Commission in Dhaka. The workshop was aimed at encouraging women's participation in public procurement processes, reads a press release.
The workshop was part of the communication program of BPPA for discussions on BPPA's functions and the progress of e-GP.
About 40 women entrepreneurs, who are already registered in the e-GP system, participated in the workshop. This workshop is expected to play a significant role in creating new opportunities for women through e-GP and the public procurement process. The workshop was conducted under the DIMAPP project, which is being implemented by BPPA. Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) managed the workshop.
At the beginning of the workshop, a welcome speech was delivered by the Director of BPPA Ms Laboni Chakma. This was followed by a detailed presentation made by the Director of BPPA Md Sakhawat Hossain on BPPA functions, sustainable public procurement, e-GP progress and women’s participation in public procurement.
Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin, secretary, of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Ministry of Planning, was present as the Chief Guest in the workshop. Chairperson of the workshop and BPPA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mirza Ashfaqur Rahman, gave the closing remarks. BPPA officials were also present at the event.
After the presentation, participants took part in an open discussion where they shared their experiences, challenges, and potentials of e-GP and public procurement. They also gave suggestions regarding the easiness of women’s participation in public procurement. The Secretary, IMED, responded by saying that these would be taken into consideration while making amendments to the procurement act, rules, and e-GP Guidelines.
The CEO of BPPA said that women across the world constitute only 40 per cent of global entrepreneurs. In Thailand, it is 26 per cent of its total entrepreneurs, in India it is 22 per cent and in Bangladesh, it is only 7.3 per cent. In e-GP system of BPPA, the number of registered women tenderers is 4,205. The total number of tenderers now registered in the e-GP system is 1,16,119.
Previously, BPPA also organised similar workshops aimed at increasing women's participation in public procurement, during which the IMED Secretary advised highlighting success stories of women tenderers. In continuation, BPPA has gathered several success stories.
The active participation of women on the e-GP platform aligns with the country's economic progress, and this workshop was part of that effort. BPPA introduced e-GP in 2011, which has been widely accepted by both procuring entities and tenderers for its simplicity, speed, and reliability.
