Development projects: Planning Commission: Contract management legal specialist to be hired

ISLAMABAD: The Planning Commission has said that a contract management legal specialist would be hired for development projects to help in avoiding arbitration issues and also save national funds.

The Planning Commission has said that the project above Rs3 billion would have an independent project director to be hired from market on competitive basis.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission (DCPC) Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan expressed these views, while chairing the workshop on implementation strategy to implement simplifications of development processes/procedures for improving project management already approved by the ECNEC, here on Thursday.

The representatives of federal ministries, divisions, provincial governments, and departments attended the workshop.

While highlighting legal and financial matters, the projects would also be hired a contract management legal specialist, which would help in avoiding arbitration issues, and also save national funds.

The representatives shared their suggestions/views to implement the approved recommendations of the ECNEC on simplification of development processes for project management, and further improve development processes.

Mohammad Jehanzeb said that the main ministries/departments would develop sectoral development vision, and policy consistent with the national priorities/vision.

He stressed that feasibility of any project should include technical and economic guidelines including option analysis.

He said that we have to adopt modern practices by hiring qualified international consultants as money spent on good consultant was money saved on the project. He emphasised on improving development model.

He further said that rather than procedures, we have to focus on results, and procedures have to be simplified to improve project management.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020