US urges Bangladesh to disclose government procurement information

The United States has recommended that Bangladesh make information on government procurement contracts publicly available.

It has also urged the country to prepare budget documents in line with internationally recognised standards to improve financial transparency and to ensure that the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the country’s supreme audit institution, enjoys independence in accordance with international standards.

The observations and recommendations were made in the “2026 Fiscal Transparency Report: Bangladesh”, recently published by the US Department of State.

According to the report, the interim government made significant progress in financial transparency by publishing the year-end financial statements within a reasonable timeframe.

While continuing to follow the previous government’s budget formulation and implementation procedures, it also initiated several important reforms aimed at improving fiscal transparency.

The US Department of State said the interim government published its executive budget proposal and approved budget online.

Although the documents did not fully comply with international standards, the budget information was generally reliable. Information on the government’s debt obligations was also publicly accessible.

The report also noted that the budget documents provided a reasonably comprehensive picture of the government’s planned revenues and expenditures, including revenue generated from natural resources.

However, the United States also identified several shortcomings in Bangladesh’s fiscal transparency.

The report said the budget did not provide separate accounts of the operating expenses of executive offices. Similarly, a complete picture of the government’s revenues and expenditures could not be obtained from the budget in all cases.

The US Department of State further said Bangladesh’s supreme audit institution, the CAG, has not achieved the level of independence required under international standards. This has limited its ability to properly scrutinise government accounts, according to the report.

Regarding government procurement, the United States acknowledged that Bangladesh has an electronic government procurement (e-GP) system in place, but said there is scope to further improve access to the system and the availability of procurement information.

The US Department of State also made several specific recommendations to Bangladesh to improve financial transparency.

These include publicly disclosing basic information on contracts related to the extraction of natural resources, ensuring that actual revenues and expenditures are consistent with the approved budget, and providing the supreme audit institution with adequate funding and the necessary autonomy.

The United States also urged Bangladesh to ensure that the CAG can audit the entire annual budget in a timely manner and without undue interference.