Procurement management software launched

Punjab Agriculture Department has launched the first of its kind the Procurement Management Information System to ensure transparency.

Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khursid also was the as chief guest of the launching ceremony held at a local hotel on Tuesday. He said the Procurement Management Information System (PMIS) will improve performance, fairness, accountability and better service delivery in public procurement. This ICT-based platform is fully compliant with the Punjab Procurement Rules. It will also provide real-time monitoring and progress report of all procurement operations, he said, adding it would reduce procurement cycle time and associated administrative costs.

The agriculture secretary said the new system would strengthen the internal control and reduce risks. The new system will also serve as a guideline for other departments for ensuring transparency. He also appreciated team who developed the software. The public procurement regime in Punjab came into force in 2009 for improving procurement governance in the province. Despite best efforts, the enforcement of Public Procurement Rules remained a challenge. On evaluation of the audit reports and the objection raised by PPRA on day-to-day procurements by procuring entities, a set of repetitive violations could be identified. These frequent mistakes were mainly due to capacity gaps and lack of understanding of Public Procurement Rules among officials, which resulted in non-compliance, audit paras, and allegations of misappropriation on procuring entities.