CEF holds workshop on public procurement 

Citizen Engagement Forum (CEF) has arranged a virtual workshop on citizen involvement in the implementation of public procurement agreements in the Patuakhali district. 

"The more citizens participate in public procurement, the more development will be possible," said Abu Hena Morshed Zaman, secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Planning Ministry. 

He was speaking as the chief guest at the workshop held Thursday, reads a press release. 

Morshed Zaman further said, "Citizens should be given a chance to speak. We have to think about how to develop the country through mutual talks. Only then this movement for development will spread across the country with the joint efforts of all." He said, "This workshop is to discuss the quality of work. Our goal is to solve problems by negotiating for the development of the country." 

Calling on all stakeholders, including citizens, local government representatives and contractors, to come under one umbrella, he said, "There is interest in this from the highest level of government as well." 

The speakers said that the strategy to be formulated by the government for the implementation of citizen involvement in public procurement is not the responsibility of anyone but of all.

In order to ensure the participation of all in the public procurement activities and to bring perfection, a civic monitoring team has been formed in the upazilas with the people around the worksite. 

Their responsibility is to monitor the progress of the work and to report any irregularities to the local government officials in charge. This group is known as the "Citizen Monitoring Group".

Speakers also said that the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division under the Ministry of Planning is working on the involvement of local citizens in the implementation of public procurement in 48 upazilas of the country in phases under the Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP).