Chittagong port: Contract documents not to be published due to legal constraints

APM will pay Tk 2.5 billion (250 crore) as signing money and will invest a total of around Tk 67 billion (6,700 crore) during the construction phase. For every container handled over the duration of the contract, Bangladesh will receive a fixed fee. The more containers handled, the higher the revenue. Even if no containers are handled, Bangladesh will still receive fees based on a guaranteed minimum volume.

Such agreements exist in many countries around the world. Not only in Bangladesh but in any jurisdiction, governments do not disclose the full PPP contract document due to legal restrictions. According to public procurement rules and PPP guidelines, publishing the full document is not considered safe, as it may influence future bidding processes.

Furthermore, the contract contains commercially sensitive information and operational strategies that are protected under confidentiality provisions. Institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also refrain from publishing complete contract documents.