ISLAMABAD: The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has approved hiring of 26 specialists/ experts but showing reluctance to comply with directives of the prime minister to remove the PPRA’s incompetent officials and non-performers, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.
At a recent meeting of the PPRA Board, headed by the finance secretary, the MD PPRA briefed the board that in compliance with the prime minister’s directives of November 27, 2024, particularly, related to hiring of specialists/ experts, the compliance has been initiated by advertising the hiring of specialists/ experts as part of procurement reference process in PPRA.
The advertisement was posted on the PPRA’s website on November 25, 2024. It appeared in the print media on November 27, 2024. A total of 26 positions have been advertised, which include 21 officers and five staff members. The proposed HR plan of PPRA, as part of organisational restructuring was approved in principle by the PPRA Board in its 84th meeting. However, the board had recommended that this should be presented to the prime minister.
PM directs PPRA to remove non-performers
Accordingly, the same was presented to the prime minister on November 27, 2024, and subsequently, directives were issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. Similarly, approval for hiring 13 IT experts, to be placed in PMU (EPADs) was accorded by PPRA Board in its 84th meeting held on November 11, 2024.
Accordingly, an advertisement for recruitment in EPADS was published on November 20, 2024, with the closing date of December 8, 2024. The MD PPRA further informed the Board that the management is aggressively following the timelines to comply with the PM directives.
The MD PPRA further apprised the Board that although Board had accorded in principle approval for the advertised posts in PPRA, the qualification and eligibility criteria were developed in consultation with World Bank consultants and incorporated in the advertisement. He further clarified that recruitment of specialists/ experts was not being made against the regular vacant positions and there is a provision in PPRA service regulation to hire services of consultants, experts/ specialists.
The new recruitments will be made on a contract basis for a period of two years and shall be extendable on the basis of satisfactory performance under the performance agreement. He also assured the Board that the hiring process shall be made very transparent and will be supervised by PPRA Board members.
One of the members stated that in accordance with the prime minister’s directive, impression was created that existing employees of PPRA shall be placed under a surplus pool.
The MD PPRA clarified that the prime minister had directed to remove non-performers and incompetent staff from their current positions and park in the surplus pool. It was further clarified that there are legal issues regarding placement of the PPRA officers under the surplus pool maintained by the Establishment Division. Legal opinion is also being sought from the Ministry of Law for further clarification on the subject.
Another Board member also opined that newly-hired positions should be kept separate from the regular positions, and should not be construed as replacement against the regular vacant positions, since the nomenclature is entirely different from those provided in the existing PPRA’s service regulations. It was also suggested by one of the board members that specialists/ experts so recruited should not be later adjusted against the regular vacant positions.
The authority may advertise regular positions separately, after amending the service regulations if required, and these experts/ specialists may apply against those positions accordingly.
The MD PPRA also apprised the board regarding the prime minister’s directives which include establishment of procurement units/ cells in all ministries/ organisations. It was proposed to forward guidelines for establishment of procurement unit/ cell to the Cabinet Division for facilitation of procuring agencies.
After detailed deliberations, the PPRA Board, unanimously, approved the recruitment of 26 positions of specialists/ experts to be recruited in the PPRA, on contract basis. The board directed the PPRA management to send guidelines for the establishment of the procurement Unit/ Cell to the Cabinet Division for facilitation of procuring agencies.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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