BUILD calls for gender-responsive public procurement policy

Women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh face different barriers including the lack of technological skills and policy supports.

They also have a lack of sensitization, procedural complexity, knowledge gap on the bidding process, financial incapability, and some other limitations.

Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) CEO Ferdaus Ara Begum came up with the observations during a programme titled 3rd virtual policy dialogue on "Gender-Responsive Public Procurement in Bangladesh: Interview Findings” on Wednesday.

She called for a gender-responsive public procurement policy, including in public procurement, said a press release.

However, women entrepreneurs are not aware of the scopes they have in the public procurement domain, she said.

“There may be some relaxation in public procurement policy, such as amplification of tender time and reduction of security deposit etc. But the payment procedure in the sub-contract must be delineated in the PPR regulation. There should be a guideline for monitoring of payment to subcontractors in the PPR,” she suggested.

She also recommended that financial criterion could be relaxed for women-owned businesses (WOB) for increasing their participation in the JVs.

BUILD in association with the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of and the International Trade Centre (ITC) organised the programme, said the release.

Director (Joint Secretary) of CPTU Masud Akhter Khan, said that the main authority of dealing with the public procurement issue in Bangladesh CPTU had been working very closely with World Bank and ITC to increase the capacity of WoB.

He stressed to take initiative to define the definition of ‘women-owned business’ and the urged commerce ministry and women and children affairs ministry to take initiative in this regard.

Commerce Ministry Joint Secretary Abdur Rahim Khan, Children and Women Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary Iqbal Ahmed, Programme Manager of International Trade Centre Judith Fessehaie, and Senior Vice President of BASIS Farhana Rahman were present, among others in the event.