Sustainable procurement practice in LGED: a case study on Construction of Important Bridges on Rural Roads (CIBRR) Project, LGED

Abstract

Sustainable procurement (SP) is a procurement method that focuses on the principles of sustainable development. This includes promoting a healthy society, operating within environmental boundaries, and incorporating economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability while ensuring good governance. Public procurement focuses on the allocation of public funds by government entities for the sake of national development. The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is a prominent public sector organization in Bangladesh responsible for planning and executing programs to develop local, rural, urban, and small-scale water resources infrastructure. LGED also handles the procurement of goods, works, and services on a large scale. A case study is being performed with LGED officials to assess the existing state of sustainable procurement practices in Construction of Important Bridges on Rural Roads Project under LGED. The study focuses on three key components of sustainability. The case study suggests that authorities possess a reasonable comprehension of sustainability issues, albeit with limited readiness to incorporate it into their procurement process. The project’s procurement systems adhere to the sustainability provisions outlined in PPR-2008. Furthermore, this procurement system lacks a way to assess the environmental proficiency of contractors. The procurement process should incorporate sustainability criteria through the implementation of a comprehensive sustainable procurement policy, supported by a sustainable procurement champion and a public procurement framework. Comprehensive training on sustainable procurement is essential for all stakeholders, including procuring entities, suppliers, and beneficiaries, to enhance their understanding and ability to adopt sustainable procurement practices.