Decision to Immediately Advance Pending Procurements for Implementation of Zero-Day Procurement Policy

The government has announced the implementation of the Zero-Day Procurement Policy, yet some agencies have not completed procurement processes even in the first month of the current fiscal year. In Monday’s secretariat meeting, concerned ministries and agencies with programs and projects where procurement has not yet started were directed to immediately move forward with public procurement. The meeting also mandated that all ministries and agencies must submit monthly progress reports on implementation to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers by the 27th of each month.

September 18, Kathmandu – The government had declared the adoption of the Zero-Day Procurement Policy in the policy and programs for the fiscal year 2079/80 (Nepali calendar). However, despite the first month of the fiscal year having ended, some agencies have yet to complete procurement processes. This is corroborated by data from the first month of budget implementation. In this context, Monday’s secretariat meeting decided that ministries and agencies associated with programs and projects where procurement has not started must immediately proceed with public procurement.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the meeting also reviewed the progress of implementation on decisions made in previous secretariat meetings. All ministries and agencies were instructed to prioritize these decisions and submit monthly progress reports on implementation to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers by the 27th of each month without fail. The meeting additionally reviewed the annual progress of ministry-wise and agency-wise work plans and milestones for the fiscal year 2078/79.

The secretariat meeting further decided that all ministries and agencies must ensure that planned activities and milestones for the ongoing fiscal year are completed within scheduled timeframes. Ministries were also instructed to revise concept papers regarding immediate areas for improvement that require citizen permissions and implement those revisions swiftly, while regularly submitting updates on progress to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.