Transparency: Punjab corrects tender for feasibility

Punjab government says the EOI has been correctly uploaded on the PPRA website

The Punjab government has corrected the notice for the Expression of Interest (EOI) to meet the laid down rules and regulations following Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) complaint. The office of the executive engineer of the Small Dams Organisation, Irrigation Department, Government of Punjab, in its letter written to the chairman of Transparency International Pakistan said the EOI has been correctly uploaded on the PPRA website, according to a document provided by the TIP. TIP had pointed out violation of Punjab Procurement Rules 2014 in the notice for the invitation of the feasibility study of raising Rawal Dam. The Punjab government has published corrigendum in various newspapers regarding the EOI for the feasibility study of the raising of Rawal Dam and the feasibility studies for Qutub Bandi Dam and Thatah Dam.

TIP position concerning a law firm

Meanwhile, seperately, TIP has also clarified its earlier stance and explained that its allegations against the Privatization Commission had been misunderstood and mis-interpreted with respect to the law firm of HaidermotaBNR & Co. It has instead specifically stated in a letter to HaidermotaBNR that TIP “has nothing against HaidermotaBNR & Co.”

The background to the clarification is that TIP had through its letter dated 1 August 2014 accused the Privatization Commission of violating PPRA Rules. The letter had included a specific allegation that HaidermotaBNR should have been disqualified since it had submitted multiple bids with different entities.

HaidermotaBNR had subsequently clarified to TIP that it had never bid for, nor been awarded, a single privatization mandate by the Privatization Commission. Instead, the firm had explained that bids had been placed by different entities, primarily investment banks, wanting to be appointed as Financial Advisors for privatization mandates. Those investment banks had then indicated that they would sub-contract part of the work to law firms such as HaidermotaBNR. Finally, the firm had noted that in many cases the Privatization Commission had expressly clarified that sub-contractors could be involved in more than one bid.