Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Oct 20, 2025 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) has underscored the need for enhancing capacity in public procurement at the ministerial level and strengthening the skills of high-ranked policy-level officials.

The emphasis was laid during a workshop at BPPA held today with national procurement trainers on adjusting training curricula with the newly effective Public Procurement Rules (PPR), 2025.

Shirajun Noor Chowdhury, the newly-appointed Secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), while addressing the event as the Chief Guest, stated that empowering ministries in public procurement would, in turn, strengthen departments and directorates. 

“If secretaries themselves are well-versed in procurement matters, it will naturally enhance the understanding of their officers,” he noted.

The IMED Secretary observed that there still exists a lack of clarity on procurement matters within ministries. “If these gaps can be addressed, it will significantly accelerate project implementation,” he added.

The two-phase workshop brought together 26 out of total 73 national procurement trainers, in the first session today, said a press release.

The remaining participants will attend the second session scheduled for October 26, 2025.

Shah Eyamin-Ul Islam, Director of BPPA and National Procurement Trainer, presented a detailed overview of the new and amended provisions under PPR 2025. National procurement trainers shared their insights and recommendations on various rules.

Among the participants were Shish Haider Chowdhury, Secretary, ICT Division;  Md Faruque Hossain, former Secretary and ex-Director General of former CPTU;  Amulya Kumar Debnath, former Director General of former CPTU; Masud Akhter Khan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education; and Md. Aknur Rahman PhD, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.

The BPPA Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, S. M. Moin Uddin Ahmed, said under PPR 2025, national procurement trainers have been formally recognized, and a provision has been made for establishing an Institute of Public Procurement (IPP) under BPPA in the country. 

He also noted that each ministry and agency would have a dedicated procurement unit as stipulated in the PPR, 2025.

The Chief Executive Officer of BPPA stated BPPA has decided to organize a workshop for Secretaries to raise awareness and strengthen understanding of public procurement issues at the highest administrative level.

It may be mentioned that the amended Public Procurement Act, 2006, and the new Public Procurement Rules, 2025, came into effect simultaneously on September 28, 2025. 

The workshop also aimed to ensure that national procurement trainers disseminate uniform and consistent messages about PPR, 2025 in trainings across the country. In addition, their feedbacks are being incorporated into updates of the ongoing public procurement training modules.