ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken major steps to ensure transparency in procurements made under the FBR Transformation Plan (2026-27) and placed safeguards for bidders under the Grievance Redressal Committee.
One of the major steps is to provide safeguards to the bidders under the FBR’s Transformation Plan. The committees reconstituted by the FBR are the Procurement Committee, Technical/Financial Evalua-tion Committee, Physical Inspection Committee and Grievance Redressal Committee.
In this regard, the FBR has reconstituted and extended its procurement committees for fiscal year 2026-27, giving them authority over procurements linked to the FBR Transformation Plan as well as other purchases assigned by the competent authority.
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According to an FBR notification issued on Monday, the committees will oversee key stages of the procurement process, including validation of procurement needs, preparation of tender documents, technical and financial evaluation of bids, award of contracts, physical verification of delivered goods and services, and redressal of grievances filed by bidders.
The committees are required to perform their functions in accordance with the Public Procurement Rules, 2004, as amended from time to time.
Under the revised arrangement, the main Procurement Committee will be headed by Member (Administration/ HR), while Member (Audit/CRM), Member (Customs Operations), Chief (Administration & Finance) and Secretary (Administration) will form part of the committee. The chair may also nominate additional co-opted members.
Significantly, the committee has been empowered to approve procurement activity both before the bidding process and after preparation of the bid evaluation report. It will validate whether procurement is actually required, approve the bid evaluation report and decide on award of the contract to a qualified bidder. A two-thirds presence of members will constitute the quorum.
To support the main committee, the FBR has also constituted a Technical/Financial Evaluation Committee, chaired by Member (IR-Operations). Its membership includes Member (Customs Policy), Chief (Tax Reforms), senior officials dealing with management and human resources in Inland Revenue and Customs, Chief (Finance & Coordination)-Customs, Secretary (Expenditure)-IR and the chief executive officer of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL).
The technical and financial committee has been assigned a broad role in designing and executing procurements. It will formulate tender documents and ensure that evaluation criteria are proportionate to the nature, market conditions, complexity, risk, value and objectives of a particular procurement. It will also determine the market approach, selection method, procurement magnitude, specifications and customised procurement documents.
The committee will receive, open and evaluate bids and proposals under the prescribed procedures.
Financial proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Rules 35 and 36 of the Public Procurement Rules and regulations issued by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
The FBR has also laid down safeguards regarding interaction with bidders. Where additional information or clarification is required from bidders or prospective consultants, coordination will be provided by the procurement specialist, but no change in the price or substance of a bid can be sought, offered or permitted.
Similarly, a bid or proposal declared non-responsive cannot subsequently be made responsive by altering its contents or through information extraneous to the original bid, proposal or procurement documents.
The notification also specifically addresses conflict of interest. Any incidence of conflict involving bidders, consultants, prospective parties or evaluators must immediately be reported in writing. A team member found to have a conflicting interest will be replaced by another member. A two-thirds quorum will also apply to the evaluation committee.
Separately, the FBR has constituted a Physical Inspection Committee, headed by Chief (IR-Operations), to verify goods, equipment and services delivered under procurement contracts.
The committee will inspect whether delivered goods and equipment conform to the stipulated specifications and will apply similar checks to service-related procurements. It will also ensure that supplied goods are stored, supplied and retained in accordance with standard operating procedures and that prescribed quantities have been delivered.
A Grievance Redressal Committee has also been established, with Member (IR-Legal) serving as chair/convener. Its membership includes Member (IR-Policy), Member (Legal & Accounting Customs), Director General (IT & DT), relevant management/HR secretaries and an expert from the relevant field to be nominated by the chair.
The grievance committee will hear aggrieved parties and bidders, analyse their complaints and make recommendations for final decisions under the applicable rules. It has specifically been authorised to deliberate and decide complaints lodged by bidders against technical and financial evaluation reports.
The committee will prepare a formal report setting out its decisions and providing justification for acceptance or rejection of grievances. It may also co-opt members possessing relevant technical expertise when required.
The new committee structure will remain applicable to procurements undertaken by the FBR in connection with its Transformation Plan during FY2026-27, while the competent authority may also assign other procurement matters to these committees from time to time.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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