Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has intensified efforts to enhance transparency in government transactions by directing the implementation of an electronic procurement (e-procurement) system across Pakistan. In a decisive move, he has also ordered third-party validation for all development projects with budgets exceeding two billion rupees, aiming to ensure accountability and efficiency in public spending.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, during a meeting focused on the e-Pak acquisition and disposal system, Prime Minister Sharif expressed dissatisfaction with the delayed implementation of the e-procurement project, which began in 2017 with funding from the World Bank. He has now set a stringent deadline, demanding the project’s completion within one month. The system, which involves a cost of 45 million dollars, has already been implemented in 37 ministries and over three hundred federal procuring agencies, and memorandums of understanding have been signed with the governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized that the system for redressal of procurement complaints should operate independently of the procuring agencies, suggesting necessary amendments to the current rules to facilitate this change. This directive underscores the government’s commitment to rectifying grievances transparently and efficiently, thus fostering a more accountable governance framework.