ISLAMABAD Oct 14 (ABC): The newly appointed Chairman of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Sardar Shahid Ahmad Laghari has ordered an inquiry into alleged nepotism and embezzlement in award of a tender worth Rs 50 million for procurement of certain non-food items for emergency response.
According to the documents available with this scribe, a three-member committee has been constituted by the PRCS chairman to probe the matter. The committee has been asked to furnish its report within 15 days after a comprehensive investigation into the matter. The documents read that the inquiry was ordered after Chairman’s Office received multiple complaints regarding proceedings of the award of tender as well as non-payments to vendors.
Earlier, it was reported in media that the PRCS had awarded a contract worth around Rs 50 million to a vendor who quoted the highest price and even failed to pass the initial technical specification laboratory test mandatory for procurement of different items.
As per the media report published in The News on June 29,2022, a case of procurement of non-food items under EQ-DREF 2021 was advertised in newspapers on 24th of November, 2021 to buy standard family tents, kitchen sets, tarpaulin sheets and fleece blankets. The documents show that the procurement committee, as per the laid-down procedures, conducted the laboratory tests of the samples provided by the vendors. A company cleared all lab tests and quoted Rs47,970 per tent, another failed in the lab tests and quoted a price of Rs70,632 per tent.
However, the procurement committee, in its meeting held on April 8, 2022, recommended that the contract for procurement of tents and blankets should be awarded to the company giving the highest bid. On 26th of May, 2022, the HR acting deputy director initiated a note reading “Work order of supply of blanket and tents should be awarded to …. and due to confidentiality of endorsed comments, the extracts should be issued to the department concerned.” Acting Secretary General Dr Adeel approved the case of around 50 million rupees. He — as per the PRCS constitution — was not authorised to sanction a project exceeding Rs150,000. The news report had quoted sources in the PRCS as saying that the highest bidder was already informed about the budget per kit and was asked to quote the same rate.