ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue has reconstituted its procurement committees and established new oversight bodies to ensure transparency in procurements under its Transformation Plan for fiscal year 2026-27, according to a notification issued Monday.
The FBR has reconstituted four committees: the Procurement Committee, the Technical/Financial Evaluation Committee, the Physical Inspection Committee and the Grievance Redressal Committee. The committees will oversee key stages of procurement, including validation of procurement needs, preparation of tender documents, technical and financial evaluation of bids, award of contracts, physical verification of delivered goods and services, and redressal of grievances filed by bidders.
All committees are required to perform their functions in accordance with the Public Procurement Rules, 2004, as amended from time to time.
The main Procurement Committee will be headed by Member (Administration/HR), with Member (Audit/CRM), Member (Customs Operations), Chief (Administration & Finance) and Secretary (Administration) as members. The chair may also nominate additional co-opted members. The committee has been empowered to approve procurement activity both before the bidding process and after preparation of the bid evaluation report. It will validate whether procurement is actually required, approve the bid evaluation report and decide on contract awards to qualified bidders. A two-thirds presence of members will constitute the quorum.
A Technical/Financial Evaluation Committee, chaired by Member (IR-Operations), will support the main committee. Its members include Member (Customs Policy), Chief (Tax Reforms), senior officials dealing with management and human resources in Inland Revenue and Customs, Chief (Finance & Coordination)-Customs, Secretary (Expenditure)-IR and the chief executive officer of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited.
The technical and financial committee will formulate tender documents and ensure evaluation criteria are proportionate to the nature, market conditions, complexity, risk, value and objectives of a particular procurement. It will also determine the market approach, selection method, procurement magnitude, specifications and customised procurement documents, and will receive, open and evaluate bids and proposals under prescribed procedures. Financial proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Rules 35 and 36 of the Public Procurement Rules and regulations issued by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority.
The FBR has also laid down safeguards regarding interaction with bidders. Where additional information or clarification is required, coordination will be provided by the procurement specialist, but no change in the price or substance of a bid can be sought, offered or permitted. A bid or proposal declared non-responsive cannot subsequently be made responsive by altering its contents or through information extraneous to the original bid, proposal or procurement documents.
The notification specifically addresses conflict of interest. Any incidence of conflict involving bidders, consultants, prospective parties or evaluators must immediately be reported in writing. A team member found to have a conflicting interest will be replaced. A two-thirds quorum will also apply to the evaluation committee.
A Physical Inspection Committee, headed by Chief (IR-Operations), will verify goods, equipment and services delivered under procurement contracts. It will inspect whether delivered goods and equipment conform to stipulated specifications and will apply similar checks to service-related procurements. It will also ensure that supplied goods are stored, supplied and retained in accordance with standard operating procedures and that prescribed quantities have been delivered.
A Grievance Redressal Committee has been established with Member (IR-Legal) serving as chair/convener. Its membership includes Member (IR-Policy), Member (Legal & Accounting Customs), Director General (IT & DT), relevant management/HR secretaries and an expert from the relevant field to be nominated by the chair. The committee will hear aggrieved parties and bidders, analyse their complaints and make recommendations for final decisions under applicable rules. It has specifically been authorised to deliberate and decide complaints lodged by bidders against technical and financial evaluation reports. The committee will prepare a formal report setting out its decisions and providing justification for acceptance or rejection of grievances, and may co-opt members with relevant technical expertise when required.
The new committee structure will remain applicable to procurements undertaken by the FBR in connection with its Transformation Plan during FY2026-27. The competent authority may also assign other procurement matters to these committees from time to time.
