Cabinet approves draft law to turn CPTU into directorate

The cabinet has approved the draft of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority Act, 2023 to turn Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) into a directorate.

After implementation of the law, a public procurement authority would be formed and a three-year term board of directors would run the authority led by the planning minister as chairman.

After the cabinet meeting on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said currently, the CPTU works as a unit under the Ministry of Planning. Providing proper technical support has become difficult for the unit due to a growth in government purchases.

The draft law proposes an expansion of capacity and work areas in a bid to boost technical assistance in purchase operations, reports bdnews24.com.

At this moment, the CPTU formulates laws and rules for government purchases while providing technical support. “These aspects of the unit would remain intact in the directorate,” Mahbub said.

According to the draft act, the proposed Public Procurement Authority would regulate government purchase processes, ensure that all government procurement laws are followed, and be responsible for inspections, adjustment, management and supervision.

Initially, the proposed directorate would get a headquarters in Dhaka. Its offices would be expanded outside of Dhaka if needed.