Irregularities in tenders issued for procurement of govt school furniture

Seemingly violating PPRA rules, tenders being awarded to vendors with relatively higher prices

KARACHI: Serious irregularities have surfaced in the tenders prepared by the committee set up to procure school furniture and various other items in the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department (SELD).

According to SELD documentation, tenders for the procurement of school furniture have been awarded to vendors who set their prices three to four per cent higher than other vendors. Moreover, the order for around 200,000 desks for primary and secondary schools has already been placed with three vendors in Punjab at higher than standard prices.

Per sources, no specifications pertaining to the required standards and dimensions of the desks have been issued to the selected vendors. Rather, what they have been given is a handmade drawing as a sample, with no instructions on whether to choose gas or electric welding in the making of the desks’ iron framework.

Moreover, the applications sought for the furniture’s specifications have also been kept open. Owing to this, it is feared that chosen vendors may deliver substandard desks to public schools.

However, according to a committee member who spoke to The Express Tribune on conditions of anonymity, the Sindh government has included two reputable names in the procurement committee this year. “The committee includes [Institute of Business Administration Sukkur vice-chancellor] Dr Nisar Siddiqui and Mohiuddin Haider. With the two of them on board, any irregularities in the tenders is impossible,” he commented.

In reference to the minutes of the procurement committee meeting convened at the Sindh Secretariat on January 15, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, when asked about tenders being issued to select vendors despite higher prices, the committee member said that the price quotes of quality materials tend to be higher.

“However, I cannot comment on the standard of furniture provided in 2015 or predict the quality of the furniture being provided this year,” he added.

In the previous tender issued for the procurement of desks in public schools in 2015, the prices were fixed between Rs7,000 to Rs9,000 per desk. However, this year, the prices have been fixed at Rs18,000 to Rs25,000 per desk.

According to an education department document, the cost of Lot 7 is set at Rs 845,511,000. This means that a dual desk for a primary school costs around Rs17,854.70 without GST, whereas a secondary school desk would cost around Rs18,709.40.

The same document also mentioned that the price set by the bidder after inclusion of profit and income tax is suitable. Furthermore, it justified the high price quotes by stating that they are inclusive of transportation charges and insurance for the provision of furniture in interior Sindh.

The cost of Lot 1, meanwhile, is Rs834,720,000, according to which the cost of a dual desk for a primary school is Rs 17,778 while for secondary schools, each desk is priced at Rs 18,120, exclusive of GST. The tender also bears the signature of the school education additional secretary Muhammad Nadeem, who is also a member of the procurement committee.

On being contacted over the matter, Dr Siddiqui, the head of the procurement committee, said that the issuance of furniture tenders was being handled with complete transparency, leaving no room for any intended irregularities.

“We review each matter to make sure that there are no inconsistencies in the process and all propaganda being spread about the irregularities is courtesy of spiteful vendors who have failed to procure the tender,” he stated. “Rest assured we are working in full compliance with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.”

In reference to the minutes of the meeting, Siddiqui confirmed that the document was only issued after his signatures. However, when probed about the relevant vendors providing higher prices, Siddiqui said that he had yet not reviewed the minutes and could only comment on them after review.

Although sources reveal that the tenders are being issued in violation of court orders, Siddiqui maintained that he had no knowledge about this.

At the same time, however, he also confirmed that as per PPRA rules, tenders should be awarded to vendors offering the lowest rates, provided the furniture fulfils quality standards and does not break down after six months.

“The claims of not providing proper instructions to the vendors about the specifications of the desks are also false. We have in fact issued them all the requirements in writing,” he told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2020.