A four-member delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dhaka office, visited the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) on 17 August 2025 to discuss its Merit Point Criteria (MPC) in procurement with BPPA.

The session was chaired by Mr. S.M. Moin Uddin Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of BPPA and Additional Secretary. Officials from BPPA attended the briefing, which focused on the application and benefits of MPC in ADB-funded projects.

The Merit Point Criteria is a tender evaluation method used by ADB in some important sectors to assess proposals based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. Unlike traditional lowest-price evaluations, MPC emphasizes value for money by considering elements such as technical competence, relevant experience, and quality of proposals.

MPC is applied in conjunction with ADB’s Standard Bidding Documents for the Procurement of Works, especially in projects financed through ADB loans or grants. This approach ensures that selected bids are not only cost-effective but also aligned with the development objectives of the project.

Ms. Lila D. Mallory, Senior Procurement Specialist, and Mr. Mohhamad Zulyaminayn, Principal Procurement Officer of ADB, led the technical discussion.

They highlighted the practical application of MPC and its advantages, and mentioned that ADB plans to conduct similar briefings for key stakeholders—including officials from procurement executing agencies and prospective tenderers involved in international tenders—to promote better understanding and adoption of MPC in future procurement processes.