TIB report: July Museum purchase and work order process to two organizations questionable

Staff Correspondent

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over the decision to spend around Tk 1.11 billion through direct procurement to turn Ganabhaban into a ‘July Museum’.

The organization said that the way the work was done under the direct procurement method, ‘bypassing’ existing laws and policies, is not consistent with the interim government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. TIB expressed its concern in a press release yesterday.

Terming the procurement process without a tender questionable, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, “The initiative to turn the Prime Minister’s residence, Ganabhaban, into a July Museum to showcase the memories of the coup, the memorial to the victims, and various events of the Awami League government has risked being called into question.”

Generally, there is a provision for government procurement through direct procurement in emergencies, sudden disasters, specialized goods or services, or special situations where it is necessary to provide goods or services quickly. But the government’s explanation is that the decision has been made to award the work through direct procurement to quickly complete the process of converting the museum, the TIB report states.

The decision for the project was taken in December last year. There was time to follow the proper procedures, including inviting tenders for open competition as per the procurement policy. However, after seven months and three weeks before the stipulated deadline, TIB expressed concern that sections 76(1) and 76(2) of the Government Procurement Rules were ‘bypassed’ by choosing the direct procurement method.

Iftekharuzzaman said, the construction of the July Museum is not a specialized procurement. In this, the work of about 111 crore taka in the electrical and mechanical (EM) and construction sectors has been directly given to two different organizations. The question is, why should the direct procurement method be followed for this regular procurement?

He further asked, on what basis were the people who were given the work order for this work set? On what grounds were they selected; what is the basis for determining the price of the work order? How will the value for money of the money spent be ensured in this case?

Transparency International Bangladesh has raised the question of whether the process of issuing work orders in this way without proper answers to these questions is ‘collusive’ and ‘biased’.