Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of a complaint forwarded by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) against the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) regarding the violations of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.
According to a statement issued by the PM House in Islamabad on Monday, PM Shehbaz Sharif has directed the relevant authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the complaints concerning irregularities in SNGPL’s tendering process.
The prime minister further instructed that if the allegations were substantiated during the inquiry, strict action must be taken against those found responsible.
The TIP has approached the PM Office against SNGPL over alleged non-compliance with PPRA instructions in a tender for the procurement of air intake gas elements and pre-filter socks.
In a letter addressed to all concerned authorities, including the Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Tauqeer Shah, and the Managing Director of SNGPL, TIP stated that, in addition to other issues on which the PPRA Review Board has already declared the procurement a “mis-procurement,” it has also identified several further violations that require clarification by SNGPL.
TIP raised the following concerns: (i) why SNGPL restricted the tender by advertising it only to foreign bidders; (ii) how the complainant was declared non-responsive under clause 3.2(b), which pertains only to information required from foreign bidders regarding their whereabouts and five-year experience; (iii) the complainant had submitted test reports for the paper used in manufacturing the filter, which included the manufacturer’s identification number.
Since the filter is made from that paper by the bidder, Pakistani manufacturers had provided their relevant details—therefore, TIP questioned on what basis the bidder was declared non-responsive; and (iv) despite the PPRA Review Board already declaring the procurement as mis-procurement under Rule 50, why the tender has not been cancelled so far.
