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Public Procurement forms a significant part of any country’s spending by the Government. In the South Asia region, public procurement spending patterns ranging from US $ 300 B of India to US $ 3 B of Bangladesh account for about 15-20% of GDP of the country. To ensure efficient and economic use of these resources, significant reforms on procurement regulations, institutions and systems are being witnessed in many countries in the region. Public procurement reforms are long term initiatives and need the involvement of policy makers, judiciary and the civil society.
However, initiatives that focus on building capacities of officials involved in procurement management can be addressed in relatively shorter time with higher efficiencies and skill up-gradation of the staff involved. Making affordable and quality learning opportunities for procurement practitioners as well as students who want to pursue a career in public procurement is a challenge, particularly in the South Asia region where it is estimated that about 10 million public servants engage in some activities in public procurement as part of their official responsibilities. World Bank’s endeavour with this course is to enable anyone interested in public procurement to become aware of various aspects of procurement.
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