- Senator Mandviwalla cites exclusion in vehicle tender process.
- The legislator asks AGPR to stop payments and cancel orders.
- Letter urges immediate suspension amid fears of mismanagement.
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Finance and Revenue Senator Saleem Mandviwalla has urged Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to immediately suspend the procurement of 1,010 vehicles for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
In a letter dated January 22, Senator Mandviwalla highlighted apprehensions regarding the procurement process, noting that the timing and scale of this acquisition raised “considerable doubts about the transparency and integrity of the process” which require additional examination.
The letter comes a day after the Senate body asked the board to stop the purchases as it criticized the FBR’s decision to purchase 1,010 vehicles for operational purposes at an estimated cost of Rs 6 billion.
The tax authority issued a letter of intent on January 13 for the purchases of Rs 6 billion. The first phase will see 500 vehicles delivered, with an advance payment of Rs3 billion already made.
The vehicle delivery schedule is planned in phases, starting with 75 units in January, followed by 200 in February and 225 in March. The second phase will include 250 vehicles in April and the final 260 in May.
The vehicles will carry the FBR logo for official identification, and each unit will be equipped with a tracking system, with service costs covered for the first year.
Mandviwalla mentioned in the letter that the committee members, in a recent meeting, highlighted the deliberate exclusion of competitors in the tender process, raising suspicions of mismanagement and intention to mala fide.
The procurement, estimated on scope and spend, has been criticized for compromising the principles of transparency and fairness – fundamental tenets of government procurement policies.
The letter demanded that the purchase order issued to the General Revenue of Pakistan (AGPR) be canceled and payment be stopped.
Furthermore, the letter calls on the Ministry of Finance to request the FBR to suspend the process, noting that circumventing financial integrity in the current economic circumstances would be a serious abandonment of duty.
A copy of the letter was forwarded to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for further consideration.
