Latest news with #PublicProcurementRegulatoryAuthority
Business Recorder
18-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PPRA approves new set of rules
ISLAMABAD: The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has approved new set of Public Procurement Rules 2025 including procedure for blacklisting of parties, methods of procurement, bids validity, sources told Business Recorder. Sharing the details, PPRA initiated a consultation process with concerned ministries and relevant procuring agencies on 5th June 2024, and consolidated their recommendations on improvement of procurement framework. The Prime Minister, while chairing meetings on tendering/procurement on August 23, 2024, followed by a review on 21st November 2024, expressed concerns about the adequacy of the PPRA institutional and legal framework. In this context, following directives were issued by the Prime Minister: (i) PPRA shall review its regulatory framework on an urgent basis to determine whether it is in accordance with the international best practices of transparency, economy, efficiency, and facilitates ease of doing business or not ;(ii) procurement rules shall be reviewed by adopting the best international practices and principles of transparency and fairness, ensuring that there should be no conflict of interest at any level, e.g., composition of procurement committee, bid evaluation process, complaint Redressal Committee, etc; (iii) While drafting new rules, PPRA shall ensure that a Complaint Redressal Committee/Grievance Committee and Inspection Committee are completely independent of the influence of the Procuring Agency and Procurement Committee; (iv) while drafting new rules, PPRA shall ensure a system of pre-shipment inspection by independent assessors at the cost of the procuring agency, for all significant and/or international procurements; and (v) PPRA shall create checks in ePADS and ensure that Procuring Agencies have conducted Third Party Evaluation in the spirit of directions conveyed vide PMO's. The directive stipulates, 'Third Party Evaluation/validation of development projects' shall be mandatory for all projects above RS 70 million. In compliance with the PM's directives, PPRA with the support from the World Bank Pakistan engaged a consultant, Peter Trepte, an international procurement lawyer, to undertake a comprehensive review of the PPRA's legal and institutional framework, including the PPRA Ordinance 2002, and the Rules 2004. Following extensive consultations with the Federal PPRA management, the World Bank experts, Provincial PPRAs, and key stakeholders from procuring agencies, the international consultant identified strengths, weaknesses, and missing elements in the existing regulatory framework of PPRA and presented a preliminary report during the 82nd meeting of the PPRA Board, held on September 27, 2024. The following were the main recommendations for regulatory reforms: (i) the Ordinance should be amended to include additional functions for PPRA; (ii) Rules should be revised in their entirety (using MAPS and the UNCITRAL Model as guidance) - retaining the positive elements of the current rules but expanding on them to provide more details and filling the identified gaps. Critical elements of this exercise will be (a) the mandatory creation of a procurement cell (appropriate to the level of procurement spend) in each procuring agency, together with an evaluation committee and Procurement Oversight Committee, all with detailed responsibilities; (b) revision of grievance redressal committee; (c) revision of appellate body and its procedures; and (d) centralization of blacklisting procedure; and (iii) PPRA should be restructured according to the amendments made, under-staffing will need to be adequate, and appropriate tools provided. The PPRA Board broadly agreed with the recommendations of the consultant and asked for preparation of a draft new set of rules outlining the entire spectrum of activities to be performed in the procurement process, including TPE, TPV, and the establishment of Procurement Cell along with well-defined roles & responsibilities within the procuring agencies as well as at the regulatory level. The international consultant, in consultation with local consultant Shan Gul, former Advocate General Punjab, submitted the initial draft of the Public Procurement Rules 2025 on 30th December 2024. The draft was examined by the PPRA team and was also disseminated to stakeholders, including procuring agencies. It was made publicly available via the PPRA website on January 17, 2025 for feedback. Comments and observations received from procuring entities, bidders, suppliers, and the general public were thoroughly examined and duly incorporated after detailed deliberations. An improved version of PP Rules 2025 was placed before the 88th, 89th, 90th and 91st consecutive meetings of the PPRA Board, held on January 21st, 23rd, 27th, and 28th, 2025, respectively. The Board members examined the existing rules of 2004 and the proposed amendments, discussed details, and finalized a draft new set of PP Rules 2025. The Board directed PPRA to share it again with the international and national consultant(s), and the feedback received from these quarters be incorporated, and a fresh set of rules be presented for a final review and approval by the Board. The updated draft (New Set of Public Procurement Rules, 2025) was submitted to the international consultant on 31st January 2025 for evaluation and feedback. The input received from the international consultant was shared with the local legal consultant Usama Siddique on February 6, 2025 for review. Subsequently, the draft was also referred to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on February 14, 2025 for guidance on financial thresholds in case of TPE and TPV, as procuring agencies had expressed serious reservations on low thresholds for TPV/TPE. According to procuring agencies, inclusion of TPV/TPE in the bid evaluation process, that too with low financial thresholds will result in delayed procurement at an extra cost. The procuring agencies also expressed concerns on the involvement of bid evaluators and members of grievance redressal and inspection committees from outside the domain of procuring agencies, as that would complicate the procurement process. In order to address these issues, a consultative meeting was held at the PMO on April 10, 2025 in the presence of the Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Economic Affairs Division, where some strategic guidelines were suggested to enhance effectiveness of procurement rules and to institutionalize capacity building of procuring agencies through a well-defined competency framework to be developed by PPRA. Another meeting on the subject was again held on May 19, 2025 in the PMO chaired by Minister for EAD, to deliberate upon the financial thresholds of TPV/TPE and issues like independence of grievance redressal and inspection mechanism, rationalization of blacklisting mechanism and definition of mis-procurement. The guidance, so provided by the PMO was incorporated in the new set of draft Public Procurement Rules, 2025. The revised draft of Public Procurement Rules 2025 was placed before the Board for approval in its 96th and 97th meetings held on June 19 and 20, 2025 respectively, where MD (PPRA) once again presented the salient features of the draft Public Procurement Rules 2025 in comparison with PP Rules 2004 and proposed amendments in line with the outcomes of the discussion with all stakeholders. The Board also examined afresh each provision of the draft Public Procurement Rules 2025, the proposed amendments, and deliberated on all aspects of regulatory framework. The Board endorsed the proposed amendments and revisions to the definitions of key terms, including bid, blacklisting, competitive bidding, cross-debarment, ePADS, e-procurement, force account, GRC, and standard bidding documents etc. Further, the Board reviewed and endorsed the proposed adjustments concerning the responsibilities related with Procurement Cells, Bid Evaluation Committees, TPV/TPE, GRC & inspection committees, procurement methods, procurement of second-hand goods, entry into force of the procurement contract, and settlement of disputes, their mechanisms, and timelines. After detailed discussion, the PPRA Board finalized and endorsed new set of Public Procurement Rules 2025, and decided that, pursuant to Section 26 of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002, the new set of Public Procurement Rules 2025 should be forwarded to the Cabinet Division for further processing and submission to the Federal Cabinet for final approval. The PPRA Board acknowledged the efforts and hard work of the PPRA Management and appreciated the strategic guidance provided by the PMO in finalizing the new set of Public Procurement Rules, 2025. The Board also appreciated the technical support extended by the World Bank in this regard. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
05-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Federal govt institutions: PPRA certifies 408 master trainers
ISLAMABAD: In a major initiative towards public procurement reform, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Pakistan has successfully trained and certified 408 master trainers from federal government institutions under the prime minister's vision for good governance, efficiency, and transparency. Over the past one year, PPRA conducted 15 specialised training sessions to advance e-procurement adoption and strengthen compliance with procurement regulations. A ceremony was held at PPRA Headquarters, where PPRA Managing Director Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi awarded certificates to the participants. The certified trainers will now lead training sessions on the e-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System (EPADS) within their respective organisations, promoting a standardized and digital procurement approach across Pakistan. Addressing the participants, Qureshi emphasised the importance of capacity building, highlighting that for the first time in PPRA's history, a structured and comprehensive training initiative has been launched to institutionalise e-procurement. He further announced that PPRA is finalising an accreditation framework to enhance capacity building and human resource development. He urged master trainers to play an active role in procurement processes within their institutions, encouraging them to build capacity of their colleagues in effective EPADS utilisation, which is set to revolutionise public procurement in Pakistan. The certificate distribution ceremony was attended by senior PPRA officials, including Atiq Sultan Raja, senior specialist – Capacity Building; Abdul Majeed, senior specialist – Monitoring and Evaluation; Farukh Bashir, director – Training; and other officers. Aligned with the prime minister's vision, procurement cells are being established across federal ministries, divisions, attached departments, autonomous bodies, and state-owned entities. The PPRA is implementing a comprehensive training programme to ensure the effective implementation of EPADS and compliance with the Public Procurement Regulatory Framework. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
31-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PPRA holds consultative meeting on draft rules
ISLAMABAD: In a bid to obtain constructive feedback and recommendations on Draft Public Procurement Rules, 2025, Pakistan's Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) organised a consultative meeting on Friday, bringing together suppliers and vendors. The consultation was part of an ongoing effort to ensure inclusivity, transparency, efficiency, and global best practices in Pakistan's Public Procurement Framework. The Managing Director PPRA, Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi, chaired the meeting which was attended by representatives from the Pakistan Council of Architecture and Town Planners, the Construction Association of Pakistan, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Islamabad Industrial Association, and All Pakistan Security Agencies Association. Senior officers from PPRA were also present on the occasion. PPRAMD Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi provided an in-depth overview of the newly developed procurement rules, highlighting that the rules foster efficiency transparency, and accountability through the establishment of procurement cells in government institutions, the introduction of third-party evaluations and grievance redressal mechanisms, redesigned procurement process flow, innovative procurement methods, integrated contract management, cross-department and national blacklisting system. He highlighted that in line with vision of prime minister of Pakistan to ensure transparency, efficiency and accountability in public procurement, the e-Pak Acquisition & Disposal System (EPADS) is fully implemented in federal procuring agencies and provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, catering to the needs of around 10,000 procuring entities and more than 30,000 registered suppliers. It is providing end to end solutions, beginning from procurement planning to payment substantially reducing human involvement. 'A system without integrity is meaningless,' Qureshi remarked and informed participants that comprehensive security audit of the modern e-procurement system had been conducted, confirming its operations as secure and fully compliant with regulatory standards. He informed that PPRA has already launched a full-fledged and robust training programme to ensure capacity building of public sector professionals, suppliers, and vendors that would help to enhance efficiency and decrease the ratio of mis-procurements, encouraging the participants to avail the opportunities of training on PPRA regulations and EPADS operation. During the discussion, the participants provided valuable input on key aspects of the regulatory framework including bid evaluation criteria, e-procurement mechanism and allied challenges, and implementation of EPADS, suggesting that the new regulations must serve the interest of both public sector organisations and private sector suppliers. MD PPRA encouraged the participants to submit written recommendations that will be duly incorporated in the final draft of the Public Procurement Rules 2025. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PPRA implements advanced e-PADS system
ISLAMABAD: The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has successfully implemented an advanced e-procurement system, enabling registration of more than 28,000 suppliers including 400 foreign firms, Managing Director PPRA Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi informed on Wednesday. He stated that PPRA, following a robust framework and international standards, has introduced the e-Pak Acquisition & Disposal System (e-PADS), which has automated the entire procurement process. 'Thousands of vendors have already been registered on this modern e-procurement platform, including foreign companies which can now register within 24 hours after verification by the Federal Board of Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan,' Qureshi added. The MD PPRA said that suppliers can participate in public procurement from their mobile phones or laptops, and obstacles such as visiting the office and paying for tender documents have been removed. All the tasks— from procurement planning, tender submission, and bid analysis to awarding contracts— are now performed through a safe, innovative, and user-friendly online platform, he added. He elucidated that e-PADS is a foolproof automated system that entirely restricts human intervention, even no individual including MD PPRA could interfere in its operations. 'Regular security audits are conducted and access to records is made possible through the log system in case of complaints. This inbuilt security system and reduction of human interference is further promoting transparency and accountability,' he observed. He explained that in the wake of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, procurement being a provincial subject, provinces can enact their own procurement bodies and regulation frameworks. Despite the fact, all provinces including Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are using PPRA's e-PADS while Balochistan will adopt the platform in the coming month. He apprised that internet facilities have been improved in remote areas of the country, enabling supplier's accessibility to PPRA's e-procurement system. If any issues arise, vendors can seek assistance from provincial and federal PPRA through its helplines, which operates from 8am to midnight, and can visit offices in person to resolve any complex situation, he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
20-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Third-party validation of Chromebooks purchase sought
Listen to article The government has instructed an independent third-party validation of the procurement process for refurbished Chromebooks by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training. The government has amended the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules to allow the Ministry of Education to procure refurbished Chromebooks. "An independent third-party validation must be incorporated into the procurement process, in consultation with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of procurement," a source said quoting a decision taken by the federal cabinet in a recent meeting. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training had requested the PPRA to allow it the purchase of 200,000 refurbished Chromebooks for students of schools and colleges under the Federal Directorate of Education in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) from the open market as these were available at lower prices. The ministry explained that various steps were being taken to renovate schools and colleges in ICT, including both infrastructure and technical upgrades, in order to provide quality education. These steps included the upgrading of existing IT labs in ICT schools and colleges by providing latest gadgets, laptops, smart screens and Chromebooks. The ministry noted that providing new laptops and Chromebooks was a costly solution as some laptops cost over Rs200,000 and new Chromebooks were priced above Rs100,000. This would place a heavy burden on the national exchequer. On the other hand, the refurbished Chromebooks, which had been specifically designed for educational purposes, were available locally at much cheaper and more affordable rates, around Rs50,000 to Rs55,000. The ministry assured the PPRA board that due procurement process would be followed in true spirit. It was noted that the PPRA board, in its 83rd meeting held on October 31, 2024, considered the ministry's request. After reviewing the justification provided by the ministry and following detailed deliberations, the board unanimously resolved to grant exemption from the General Conditions of the Contract, Clause 18 of the Standard Bidding Document for the Procurement of General Goods under Section 21 of the PPRA Ordinance 2002 to the Ministry of Federal Education for the procurement of 200,000 refurbished Chromebooks in different tranches – through open competitive bidding. The ministry was directed to develop generic specifications to ensure wider competition, in addition to other features such as performance, battery life, quality and design, and to insert a warranty clause in the contract document. Section 21 of the PPRA Ordinance stipulates that the authority may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, recommend to the federal government that the procurement of an object or a class of objects in the national interest be exempted from the operation of this ordinance or any rule or regulation made thereunder, or any other law regulating public procurement. Upon such recommendations, the federal government shall exempt the aforesaid objects or class of objects from the operation of laws, rules and regulations made thereunder. In light of the above, the recommendation of the PPRA to grant exemption from the General Conditions of the Contract, Clause 18 of the Standard Bidding Document for Procurement of General Goods for the procurement of refurbished Chromebooks (in different tranches) was presented to the federal cabinet for approval. During ensuing discussion, the minister observed that the Ministry of Federal Education must ensure that the Public Procurement Rules 2004 were transparently followed in the procurement of Chromebooks. These Chromebooks must meet the highest standards and quality. Additionally, an independent third-party validation must be incorporated into the procurement process, in consultation with the Ministry of IT and Telecom, to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of procurement. The cabinet decided that the Ministry of Federal Education shall ensure that the Public Procurement Rules were transparently followed in the procurement of refurbished Chromebooks, which must be of highest standard and quality in their category.
