EGP System Shutdown Disrupts Government Procurement in Nepal
Summary
The shutdown of Nepal’s Electronic Government Procurement system has stalled public tenders, delayed development work, and forced offices back to paper-based bidding. Officials cite security risks, while contractors and local governments demand an immediate fix and clear directives.
Key Points
- The Electronic Government Procurement (EGP) system has been shut down indefinitely for two weeks, disrupting procurement across Nepal.
- The Public Procurement Monitoring Office says the suspension is due to high security risks and plans to replace it with a new system within a month.
- Construction entrepreneurs and local governments say the return to hardcopy bidding is increasing delays, costs, and administrative burden.
- The outage has raised fresh criticism of Nepal’s digital governance and server security preparedness.
