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
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