Sangsad Bhaban, Nov 9, (V7N) – Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury placed a bill in the Jatiya Sangsad seeking amendment to the public procurement law, saying the revision would ensure greater accountability and competitiveness in the government buying system.
Chowdhury told the House the proposed law sought to protect local industries, create greater competition in public procurement, expand provisions for procurement contracts and modernise procedures under the open tendering method.
The parliamentary standing committee concerned earlier scrutinised the Public Procurement (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2026 within two working days after the House referred it for examination.
The minister said the draft law also proposes provisions for ratio-based evaluation of goods, works and physical services under procurement, known internationally as the "Rated Criteria" concept, to promote sustainable procurement.
He said the proposed amendment included special provisions for new, micro and small, women and disadvantaged bidders to ensure their participation in government procurement. Besides, the bill proposed application of the limited tendering method to ensure balanced distribution of resources, clarifying provisions related to professional misconduct, and keeping an alternative procurement arrangement in cases of urgent purchase requirements.
The past interim government earlier promulgated the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, mainly removing the price cap in tender evaluation, and put it into effect in September last year.
Opposition lawmaker Mohammad Nazibur Rahman of Pabna-1 questioned what situation had prompted the interim government to get the ordinance promulgated by the president bypassing parliament when a law already existed.
Chowdhury said there was nothing to be worried about as the bill would be passed through the parliamentary process and the promulgation of the ordinance is part of a constitutional process.
Since its enactment in 2006, the Public Procurement Act, which serves as the principal legal framework for government procurement, has been amended six times so far.
The draft of the Public Procurement (2nd Amendment) Act, 2026 was earlier published on the websites of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) and the Planning Ministry's Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) to elicit public opinion. On November 2, the approval — both in principle and final — came at the 26th Cabinet meeting of the current government, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
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