MoU signed: PPRA, AU to cooperate in areas of procurement, contract management

ISLAMABAD: The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air University (AU) to cooperate in the areas of procurement and contract management, with a focus on capacity building of public procurement professionals.

The MoU was signed by Atique Sultan Raja, Senior Specialist (Training & Capacity Building), PPRA, and Air Commodore Fawad Zahir (retd), Director, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), Air University.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi, Managing Director, PPRA, and Air Commodore Zaheer Mirza (Retd), Director, Centre for Professional Development, AU, along with senior officials from both institutions.

Under the partnership, both PPRA and AU agreed to launch a five-day certificate in procurement and contract management, a four-month professional diploma offered through evening or weekend classes, and to include procurement as a subject within degree programs, subject to completion of formalities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Managing Director PPRA, Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi, emphasized that capacity building of procurement professionals remains a key pillar of PPRA’s reform agenda, and the collaboration with AU is a step forward in realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of developing a professional and skilled procurement workforce across Pakistan.

Qureshi highlighted that the rollout of e-procurement systems and the establishment of mandatory procurement cells in government institutions have increased the demand for trained professionals. These cells will be staffed by procurement experts, subject specialists, and contract managers, trained and equipped to manage large-scale and complex procurement processes, he added. Mr. Qureshi underscored the need for accredited procurement experts to address issues such as leakage, mismanagement, and mis-procurement.

Qureshi highlighted PPRA’s partnerships with leading academic institutions, including NUST, IBA, and LUMS to train officials and vendors, hoping that the partnership with AU would evolve from a diploma to a full-fledged degree programme in procurement and contract management.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025