Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered on Monday an investigation into Transparency International Pakistan’s (TIP) complaint regarding violations of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). As per a statement, the PM took notice of the complaint and instruced that a transparent investigations should be conducted. “If the complaint is proven during the investigation, action should be taken against those responsible,” the PM was quoted as saying. On Sunday, TIP approached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) 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.