[chottala.com] Open Letter to Honorable Prime Minister to Reconstitute NGO Selection Criteria for UNICEF Supported BEHTRUWC Project.

Ma'am Prime Minister, As we are making your kind notice that Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has been implementing BEHTRUWC project at various city corporations of the country and accordingly BNFE invites EOI from NGOs through newspapers on last February 24, 2009 at Daily Star. We have clear concern about the selecting the NGOs which is mentioned below for your consideration and action please;    We have seen that "Have programme on vocational/livelihood skill training in a minimum of 2-3 divisional cities for at last 05 years" We have express our worried to this point, because by this clause last 07 years DNFE become down as BNFE and most the contract maintained unfair business. Few selected NGOs who have closed contact with PIMU and also ruling government parties have got priority and make syndicates and monopoly in NGO sector. BEHTRUWC is a campaign to eradicates illiteracy and ensure CRC in the society.. But under the above-mentioned clause few big & business NGOs based in Dhaka got priority to select as partner NGO, handle and control the entire fund and that will be encourage the syndicates & monopoly business. Last 07 years a few NGOs got contract from UNICEF supported BEHTRUWC Project, naturally others NGOs will disqualify through this point. We are also demanding to introduce NGOs should not be limited with in 2-3 in one city, it must be 10-15 per cities. In last Awami League Resume under this project 30-35 NGOs were recruited in city. But now it concentrates in 2-5 NGOs only and they are doing monopoly the whole fund. If we give opportunity to more NGOs there will be a positive competition for better performance. In the advertisement, it is mandatory to have set up at divisional cities, but existing working NGOs have no set up, some of them are finishing their duration. If we give opportunity to local NGOs, these types of situation must not be arisen. What we have seen last 07 years, inactivate the NGOs apex body ADAB, a few big NGOs represent NGOs in subvention committee and site by sites they are also contesting the bidding and holding most of the Government Funds. As a result same person bidder and granted money. This was happen by bureaucrats and they formulate NGOs representative nominated by the President of the Committee, but others will nominated by themselves. By these few NGOs who have good contact with ruling Government and bureaucrats are holding most of the fund. If ADAB should represent as apex body of NGOs this will not be happen. The criteria, marking and others procedures were fixed up to select their pre-selected NGOs from Dhaka and ensured their rights in procurement policies, as a result none NGOs were able to qualify. Bidding is just for eye wash. To protect this, NGO selection criteria, marking and procedure policies should be fixed through consultation with NGOs and ADAB should be in this process for ensure small NGOs rights, more emphasis should be given to local initiatives, where the project be implemented.       Last 07 years many NGOs become corporate houses and some of them become magnet in NGOs. So there is creation a major discrimination in NGO sector. Now the criteria and proceedings are fixed to create bar to participate in the bidding process of right based and progressive NGOs, those NGOs who are deprived in last 7 years. It should be stop, through changing NGO recruitment policies and created level playing field in NGOs sector in Bangladesh. Now NGOs are recruited through Public Procurement Act 2008, which is also applicable for all others business firm also. The process is corruption, profit and business oriented. Now some of the NGOs are become skilled on this process who are mostly involved in profit oriented. So, we are demanding separate procurement policies for social sector. To breaking the monopoly and syndication of NGOs, it should be changing recruit 2-3 NGOs and it 15-20 NGOs per city under this project.    ADAB raised the issues to ADB, World Bank and MoPME and appeal to reconstitutes this clause and NGOs must be selected through open biding process and capacity, skill and have past working experience with the community & have set up in the working locations will be given preference. Local initiatives must gives priority and more then 15-20 NGOs should have opportunity to work with in 01 City corporation and local NGOs must included in the package.       The MoPME claimed as sometime desired by the donor and some times Project Proposal (PP) approved by the ECNEC. It was well reputed the 1st phase of BEHTRUWC 1st phase has lots of mismanagement and irregularities to recruits NGOs.. All the NGOs selected in 1st phase from Dhaka for all over Bangladesh due to easy for transecting unfair money.   If 3-50 NGO will be selected in per city corporation other NGOs will deprived & few NGOs will influence the whole project activities, making unfair business, there will be no checks and balance for quality of works, none will be created movement for eradication of illiteracy and these were happened in last 6 years in NGO sector, NGO monopoly business groups was holding maximum fund and maintained unfair business and a few ill-motivated Government officials benefited from the process and NGOs are treated as business and some times blaming for corruption. If non local NGOs will select, they will not quit their set up after end of the project and there will big question for sustainability and follow up of the project activities. If any NGO invest money for getting contract or providing bank guarantee, band draft etc, they have must be trying to gain profit. But through the clause the Government trying to NGOs becomes commercial firms, which is unexpected.     ADAB has also demanding the present NGO procurement procedure is not suitable  for NGOs and have opportunity to misuses of power, corruption involvement and monopoly by few business NGOs holding maximum funds. Same public procurement regulation act 2008 not be applicable for NGOs and at the same time to business people, and it demanded to develop separate procurement policy for NGOs and social sector.   The present NGO selection process can easily maintain unfair business for selecting NGOs, involved a-large amount of money handling for NGO selection. If they select more NGOs it is difficult to continue unfair business, so rather size number is a few is good to do so.   As you may aware, last 4-party resume ADB, World Band and other donors were suspended fund for ex-DNFE project for corruption in NGO selection and DNFE become down BNFE but they are still following bad practices of last Government.   Due to absence of ADAB as NGO apex body was blocked & restrained to act as coordinating body for NGOs by the last 4-party alliance government resume and its allies big business NGOs, they can easily continue their monopoly business smoothly.   You have seen in other projects i.e NNP project of MoHFW, they have invited EOI and showing NGOs selection procedure maintaining transparent and credibility. After end of the selection process, we have seen the existing NGOs who were selected in last 4-party ruling government resume are selected. The VGD programme under MoWCA, CDMP under MoFDM, and PLCHED project under MoPME supported by ADB and World Bank, GFATAM Malaria Control Programme under WHO and health ministry etc maintained same system to select as NGOs.   There are so many potentials NGOs have capacity and past working experience to carryout the said project activities. They are not awarded due to not afford the unfair business.. NGO selection now maintaining Public Procurement Act 2008, which is treated NGOs as business party and NGOs will select through analyzing asset, fund and liaison basis. As a result many local and small NGOs become helpless, not able to support local community. If any project implement by the local NGOs and through local people, the result will sustain and cost will minimize and they have social responsibility & obligation to the local people. At present what we have to seen to selecting NGOs for Government projects in Bangladesh; §         NGOs based in Dhaka or have set up Dhaka §         NGOs have large amount of micro credit fund §         NGO have multistoried building, asset, modern equipment & communication facilities §         NGOs have good contact & liaison with ruling government parties §         NGOs have capacity to handling cash money or have partnership with PKSF, banks etc §         NGOs have liaison with government officials, who making unfair business. §         NGO have to willingness to provide large amount of Bank draft/DD/bank guarantee which is create barrier to small NGOs §         A few big NGOs making syndicates and control whole NGO oriented GoB projects. §         Same NGOs are selecting in many projects at a time in many places and it maintaining a chain that is easy to transecting money & continue unfair business. §         No real NGO representative in project selection committees, §         Corporate NGOs awarded & promoted, instead of humanitarian or right based and progressive NGOs   So this is our appeal to save our NGO sector and please give direction to; -          reconstitute the NGO selection criteria under BEHTRUWC under BNFE -          develop separate procurement policy for NGO, stop NGO selection by PPR-2008 -          activate ADAB as NGO coordinating body who protect rights of local NGOs   Otherwise all local humanitarian initiatives & philanthropy will fall down and there will be big social uncertainty, unrest will hamper the whole social and human progress of the nation.    Yours sincerely,     S M Nazer Hossain Chairperson, ADAB Chittagong Chapter & EC Member, ADAB Central Executive Committee Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh(ADAB) Chittagong Chapter House # 11 Road # 01, Block-B Chandgaon R/A, Chittagong-4212 Tel: 880-31-670302, 01713-110054 (chair) E-mail: adab.chittagong@yahoo.com

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