The United States has recommended that Bangladesh make information on government procurement contracts available to the public. Washington also urged the country to prepare budget documents using internationally recognized standards and to give the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the country’s supreme audit institution, independence consistent with international norms.
The recommendations appear in the US State Department’s 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report: Bangladesh, released on August 11. The report said the interim government made significant progress by publishing its year-end financial statements on time and had begun reforms to improve fiscal transparency.
It said the interim government published its executive budget proposal and approved budget online. Although the documents did not fully follow internationally recognized standards, the information was considered generally reliable. Government debt obligations were public, and the budget gave a reasonably complete picture of planned revenue and spending, including revenue from natural resources. The report also identified gaps: detailed operating expenses for executive offices and a complete picture of total government revenue and expenditure were not provided.
The report said the CAG had not secured the independence required by international standards and faced limits in reviewing government accounts. Bangladesh has introduced electronic government procurement, or e-GP, but public access and the ease of obtaining information could be improved.
The United States recommended publishing basic information about natural-resource extraction contracts and licenses, opening public procurement contract information, and aligning actual revenue and expenditure as closely as possible with the approved budget. It also recommended giving the CAG adequate resources and ensuring that it can access the full year’s implemented budget directly and on time. Audit reports should be published promptly and include key findings, recommendations and explanations, the report said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report