Comparing the Cost and Time of Tender Opening Committee Report Preparation for Manual and E-Procurement Tenders in the Roads and Highways Department of Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s public procurement system has been traditional, i.e., a manual tendering system, under the legislative guidance of PPA-2006 and PPR-2008. Manual tendering has long been a source of concern for public procurement agencies regarding tender opening related to cost and time. To resolve this challenge and make the dream of a Digital Bangladesh a reality, the Government of Bangladesh launched the e-Procurement system in 2011 under the flagship of e-GP Guidelines. Following the successful pilot testing conducted under the umbrella of the CPTU, all public PEs are attempting to implement electronic procurement tenders. This study aims to examine the cost and time involved in preparing Tender Opening Committee (TOC) Reports for manual and e-procurement tenders in Bangladesh’s Roads and Highways Department. A mixed-method was used to collect data from the population of 11 RHD zones, including KII and primarily survey questionnaires. The independent samples t-test was used to compare data and hypothesis tests from two groups using SPSS software. The results indicated that e-Procurement tendering, tender opening preparation costs and time were more efficient than manual tendering. Academicians, students, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers will benefit from the study’s conclusions. Additionally, the government will be urged to improve policies such as the PPA 2006, the PPR 2008, and the 2011 e-GP Guideline.