Dhaka: The Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) convened a workshop today at its conference room in BPPA Bhaban, located within the Planning Commission campus, to discuss proposed revisions to the Public Procurement Rules, 2008. The session focused on the upcoming Public Procurement Rules, 2025. SM Moin Uddin Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Secretary of BPPA, presided over the event.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the workshop featured the presence of Md Kamal Uddin, Secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), as the chief guest. The gathering included 30 women tenderers as part of a series of BPPA workshops conducted over the last two months with various public procurement stakeholders across the country. These workshops, managed by the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programmes (BCCP), have already engaged stakeholders in two districts and two upazilas.
Shah Eyamin-Ul Islam, Director of BPPA, delivered a detailed presentation on the proposed PPR, 2025, during the workshop. He emphasized that participants in most workshops have suggested the introduction of a fresh PPR due to the significant number of proposed revisions to the 2008 rules, making a new PPR, 2025 both prudent and necessary.
The women tenderers present voiced several demands, such as the expedited release of their tender security, further reductions in tender document fees, easing of banking service obstacles, and simplification of VAT and tax processes. The BPPA CEO assured them that these issues would be raised with the Bangladesh Bank (BB) and the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Meanwhile, the IMED Secretary pledged to address the challenges faced by women tenderers in public procurement participation.
BPPA has proactively engaged women tenderers to understand and resolve their concerns, as stated by the BPPA CEO. To encourage women, new tenderers, and small enterprises in public procurement, an allocation of 20 percent of the operational budget has been proposed in the revised PPR, specifically dedicated to these groups.
The BPPA is also committed to addressing delays in the release of tender security, further reducing document fees, and enhancing e-GP help desk services. The CEO emphasized the importance of submitting written complaints regarding violations of tender requirements, assuring participants that BPPA would consider these complaints and take appropriate action. He also encouraged the use of the grievance redress system (GRS) available on the BPPA website for addressing concerns.
Following the publication of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 on May 4, 2025, BPPA has been working towards amending the PPR, 2008. The amended Public Procurement Act, 2006 is set to take effect with the introduction of the new Public Procurement Rules, 2025.