Upcoming Horse and Cattle Show: PHA tender notice ‘violates’ rules

LAHORE:Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has allegedly issued tenders for event management category in the upcoming Horse and Cattle Show to choose a ‘selected vendor’.Horse and Cattle Show is one of the traditional events of the provincial capital and it is the first time that the PHA is organising this event.

As per the documents available with The News, the PHA issued tenders for the event management of the Horse and Cattle Show on December 6, 2024. The tender stated, “Sealed Bids for the provision of event management services (horse & cattle show 2025) are invited from bidders which are prequalified from the DG Public Relation Department in the Event Management Category and registered with relevant Registration Authorities and Tax Departments/Authorities (Income Tax, Sales Tax & Punjab Sales Tax etc). The bids shall be received as per single stage two envelope procedures through EPADS only.”

In this tender, the PHA has restricted open participation of the event management companies and considered only those which were already prequalified from the Director General Public Relation Department in the Event Management Category.

It is pertinent to mention that the Provincial Secretary Information and Culture already allowed the government departments/agencies/authorities to call open tender for event management category.

The secretary had issued a notification dated 25, October, 2024 NO.SO(P&C)5-28/2014(P-(II), which stated, “In partial modification of this department’s notification of even number dated 17.10.2024, the existing entry against Column No.7 (Event Management), shall be deemed to have been omitted.” Owner of a private event management company seeking anonymity told The News that the PHA can’t restrict any event management company for participation in the tender, which was against the spirit of transparency.

He alleged that the move raised eyebrows as the PHA deprived dozens of companies, which are already properly registered with the taxation system. He claimed he and many other event management companies are considering approaching the CM to complain against this unfair treatment. The News contacted Secretary Information Tahir Raza Hamdani who confirmed that the category of event management was omitted from the list and any government department that applied the previous rule of only selecting prequalified companies of event management with DGPR in tenders was doing a wrong thing.The News told him what PHA has done in the tender of horse and cattle show, he stated that this was a wrong act and event management didn’t come in the category of PR/Marketing. To a question, he said the ministry of information can’t stop the departments from violating the policy regarding pre-qualifications of companies. He said some departments only select prequalified companies to save time. He said that any aggrieved person/company have different legal forums for redressal of their complaint(s). During the last three days, The News tried to repeatedly contact PHA Additional DG Zeeshan Ranjha and director coordination but they didn’t respond. The News contacted PHA’s PRO who said she would send the queries to the ADG but no reply was received till filling of this report.