'More citizens will be included in public purchase for transparency'

The government will include more citizens in public procurement to ensure transparency and accountability in the process, Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin, secretary to the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), said today.

Through the citizen platform, anyone can file complaint if the person finds any tenderer using substandard material in the construction of any government-funded infrastructure, Mohiuddin said.

He spoke at a workshop on "Design a platform for citizens' feedback in public procurement'' organised by the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) at its office in Dhaka.

Around 90 per cent or $40 billion of the total allocation in the annual development programme is spent for purchasing goods and services, said Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, director general of the CPTU.

Moreover, a small portion is also spent for public procurement from the operating cost of the budget of the government, he said.

Masud Akhter Khan, director of CPTU, moderated the workshop, which was attended by a group of government officials and media personnel.