What is Public Procurement? Briefly explain different procurement methods mentioned in The Public Procurement Act, 2063.

Public procurement is government purchase of goods, works and services with public money transparently and competitively under Public Procurement Act, 2063.

Methods:

1. Open competition (Bolpatra) — National/international bidding above threshold; widest competition for large works (irrigation canal).
2. Sealed quotation (Silbandi) — Mid-value; invite ≥3 suppliers, lowest compliant wins (lab computers).
3. Direct purchase (Sojhai Kharid) — Small value below threshold from market with bill.
4. User/community committee — Local works via beneficiary group (field channel repair).
5. Force account (Amanat) — Office itself executes when no bidder (emergency repair).
6. Framework/cjatalogue (for e-bidding) — Rate-contract for recurring items (fertilizer, stationery).

Principle: value for money + transparency — e-bidding portal (bolpatra.gov.np) with digital signature under ETA 2063.