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Collusion still key in winning
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was “unsatisfactory” in terms of their institutional capacity, dealing with e-GP process, e-GP Management, and ensuring transparency, accountability and effectiveness, said the report.
Particularly, the situation was “worrisome” with regards to dealing with e-GP management and ensuring transparency, accountability and effectiveness, it said.
The e-GP portal of Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) was launched on June 2, 2011 to ensure transparency and efficiency in public procurement.
As many as 47 ministries, 27 divisions, 1,362 public agencies, and 61,417 tender bidders have got registered under the e-GP system as of April last year, said TIB.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the goal of introducing e-GP could have been achieved effectively if the political leaders stayed away from getting involved in public procurement.
The key challenge to implementing e-GP in the country is use of political influence and the problem needs to be addressed politically, he told the press conference.
Besides, there is collusion between local influential people and also there is a kind of syndicate, added Iftekharuzzaman.
The report said no officials of the procuring entities disclosed information on their assets to their high ups despite a law stipulates that they have to submit statements of assets to their senior officials in every five years.
The TIB study found that works of public procurement of the four government institutions were under control of local political leaders.
In some areas, political leaders, especially local lawmakers, decide who will submit tenders for a particular project, the report said.
It states that officials at some procurement offices take bribes for awarding contracts.
The study found collusion between contractors, political leaders and officials of offices concerned in some areas, selling or subcontracting contracts illegally, and securing contracts by using others’ certificates and licences.
Also, contractors were forced to pay extra money to political leaders in project areas, said the report.
It said there were some limitations in implementing e-GP at both institutional and central level (CPTU). There is absence of a central database with information of all contractors, said the TIB.
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The graft watchdog recommended preparing an online database on contractors to include their up-to-date information.
Besides, contractors should be categorised which will be helpful for the selection process.
The CPTU should have an integrated automated tender evaluation system which would be used by all government procurement entities, said the report.
The TIB said all information and decisions related to a tender process should be disclosed to the contractors concerned.
Information on income and assets of the officials of the procuring entities and their family members must be submitted to their high ups and the information should be disclosed at the end of each year, it said.

21 more die
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of a total of 13,360 tests in the same 24 hours, while the overall positivity rate stands at 19.36 percent.
With the new cases, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 3,42,671 -- the 15th highest number of confirmed cases in the world, according to the reference website worldometers.info.
As 2,375 people were added to the recovery list in those 24 hours, the total number of recoveries rose to 2,47,969.
This is more than 72 percent of all confirmed cases, according to the DGHS.
Five of the dead yesterday were female and 16 were male. One of them died at home while the other died in different hospitals.
The ages of the dead ranged from 21 to over 60, with more than half of them being older end of the scale, according to the DGHS.
Of the dead, 10 were from Dhaka, four from Khulna, five from Chattogram and one each from from Sylhet and Rajshahi divisions.
As of yesterday noon, 3,110 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment in general wards and 301 were in ICUs of Covid-19 designated hospitals across the country.