A project to bring 19 government licensing agencies under a single window for faster approvals has failed its planned takeoff although nine years have already elapsed into dilemmas, says an official evaluation report.

Alleged noncooperation of government agencies and a lack of coordination between software and hardware developments and procurement have impeded execution of the National Board of Revenue (NBR)'s port-and customs-modernisation project.

The project debacle is evident in the in-depth evaluation report of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).

The report has detected some loopholes, irregularities and faulty works in the Tk5.85-billion 'Bangladesh regional connectivity proejct-1: Strengthening of National Single Window and Customs Modernisation'.

The project was undertaken in April 2017 for simplifying the customs procedure and upgrading port facilities.

The original project duration was 3.0 years from July 2017 to June 2020. After its second revision, the project timeline was extended up to December 2026.

The NBR has spent nine years for integration of the19 licensing authorities under single window but failed to complete the works, the IMED in-depth evaluation report reads.

"The core purpose of the National Single Window is to integrate 19 certificate,-licence,- and permit-issuing agencies (CLPIAs). However, procedural delays, technical-readiness disparities, and lack of active cooperation among these agencies significantly slowed the integration process," it says.

According to the IMED, the project was initiated in July 2017 without completing a full feasibility study.

A cross-border electronic-trade data-exchange feasibility study was finally conducted in 2023, six years after the project start, the report adds.

Significant delays occurred at the absolute start of the project as it took 10 months after the official launch just to appoint a Project Director, and a full year passed before the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) was set up, wasting crucial early momentum, the IMED has said in the report.

Although the fund allocation was available in the fiscal year (FY) 2025-26, the actual spending was only 6.72 per cent as of May 2026.

To bring all the agencies under a single window and delays in making the software useable for the port users have already eaten up 9 years. "The project has yet to finish."

Under the project, the NBR split the procurement in 40 packages while it has completed only 21 while 10 others are ongoing.

Tenders had been floated but contracts are not signed yet for two packages, and steps have yet to be taken for 7 procurements although the project life is destined to expire this coming December, the IMED despairs.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG) has given some objections on the project for irregular expenditure of US$ 3.098 million incurred without acceptance of all paid module deliverables, anomalies in expenditure for vehicles and fuels, computer software and consultant procurement, changes of the key personnel in breach of government directives.

Even though the project timeline has been repeatedly extended up to December 2026, the cumulative financial progress stood at only 25.81 per cent as of May 2026.Financial planning services

Out of the nine modules of the Bangladesh Single Window (BSW) platform, only six have gone live, the IMED report has stated.

The Foreign-Aided Projects Audit Directorate (FAPAD) has raised 19 audit objections across 12 different procurement packages. The audit concluded that standard guidelines of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) and Public Procurement Rules (PPR) were not properly followed.

According to the IMED, the procurement of critical software and hardware was heavily dependent on each other. Delays in finalising software specifications completely stalled the hardware procurement, creating a bottleneck. 

According to the project objectives, the customs-and port-modernisation system is legally mandated to digitally loop in 19 concerned to completely eliminate physical, paper-based customs clearance.

Among the frontline agencies are BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), and Chief Controller of Imports & Exports (CCI&E), BSTI, Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), and the Department of Environment (DoE), Agricultural & Departments of Livestock (DLS), Fisheries (DoF), Civil Aviation (CAAB), and Land Port Authority (BLPA).

"Different agencies possess vastly mismatched digital architectures, and their slow technical alignment has stalled complete deployment," the IMED report has said.

The FE could not reach the project-implementing authority for comment despite repeated attempts. 

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