False promises may land Federal Board of Revenue FBR) in French court to face Kuwait-based software supplier, Agility, owner of Pakistan Automated Customs Computerised System (PaCCS), for settlement of dues, including six years of service to Pakistan Customs.
There is a strong feeling that FBR is playing smart with Agility regarding the purchase of PaCCS as it is prolonging decision, on one pretext or the other, on the future of the system. According to knowledgeable sources, officials at Pakistan Customs and inside FBR are delaying the process, intentionally, as they covertly want to replace the automated system with another system of their own.
"FBR officials are just deceiving Agility to gain time and continue the system for some more time and, in the meantime, feeding Agility officials that FBR will purchase the system when experts determine present value of the system", sources said.
As a matter of fact, FBR officials do not want to continue with the system because of vested interests, and its corruption-free module. PaCCS has been built on international standards to promote trade and automate Customs procedures across the country. The system has an end-to-end automated solution, covering all customs functions.
Due to the very nature of Customs work, the system transcends its boundaries from Customs procedures to other relevant organisations concerned with clearance of international cargo, and various operators involved in the logistic supply chain, such as banks, carriers, and warehouse operators, etc. PaCCS is an integrated system, having in-built capability to eliminate chances of corruption to zero level.
Since this corruption-free capability of the system is not acceptable to some officials, they mislead FBR officials. Agility had decided not to pursue its case in the French court on the request of FBR Chairman but it appears that the case will be re-opened by Agility in case FBR failed to purchase its automated system.
Subsequent to delay in purchase of PaCCS, FBR has launched another system at Port Qasim recently. The users, however, by and large have expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of this system as it causes a lot of problems in the clearance of their consignments. Users are not yet able to read security risks and terms and conditions on the domain (http://www.weboc.gov.pk/). Other links of the domain are also reportedly not working properly.
This is the third time when Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd (PRAL) was launched at Port Qasim aimed at automation of Pakistan Customs and a replicate to One Customs. The users who shifted from One Customs, which is a manual system to Web Based One Custom (WEBOC) said that they were not able to understand as to from where "paperless" comes in play in WEBOC. Essentially, it is the same manual system with fancy screens, which have been obviously copied all from PaCCS.
Sources said that since March last year, FBR had wished for a successful launch of this system spurred by PRAL's false claims of its technological competency but fell flat after its miserable failure, thus facing hundreds of containers pile-ups, not to mention the disgrace of trade community. One would like to know the names of officials in FBR who stand behind this decision and would be willing to face responsibility when the fiasco occurs.
Agility's arbitration application is already registered in French court. It had, earlier, informed FBR that the case will remain registered till such time as the dispute is resolved. During the last week of February, Agility had decided to shut down PaCCS because of FBR's cold response on its implementation, and five of the technical staff employed by Agility had quit their offices.
Before moving the French court, Agility had given February 28 as deadline to negotiate on PaCCS, but the FBR did not respond, even after the deadline had passed. Instead, another request was made for continuation of PaCCS till March 31. It is now the second week of June, and FBR's dilly dallying tactics are continuing, not realising that they may be gaining time but losing opportunity, sources said.
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