ISLAMABAD: The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has proposed to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to introduce IT-based solution for electronic monitoring with ‘track and trace system’ for tobacco products, sugar, fertilisers, cement, beverages, petroleum and cellular phone sectors which will enhance revenue by over Rs1,000 billion.

In a letter to FBR chairman Javed Ghani, TIP chairperson retired Justice Nasira Iqbal stated on Friday that the TI Pakistan was submitting a detailed proposal that will enable the FBR to avoid current disputes on the present tender in which many violations of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s rules had been observed.

The TI Pakistan has advised the FBR to discharge the tenders, re-invite them based on additional beverages and petroleum sectors as well as the cellular phone sector and invite the tenders for 6.5bn stamps to cover 15bn stamps on March 15 and award the contract by April 20, 2021.

The tenders should be invited on the 2019 evaluation criteria, which were agreed by all bidders, or technical requirements, as given in technical criteria of 2019 request for proposal may be used and instead of marks/scores, use compliant and non-compliant.

Fixed cost of Rs700 per 1,000 stamps should be charged from users by bidders and the bidders will offer royalty to the FBR on Rs700 — in percentage or rupees. Financial bids of technically passed bidders should be opened and lowest quoted price bid should be awarded the contract.

The tenders would be for 10 years and after nine years the contractors should start working with the FBR personnel and hand over all manufacturing and other facilities to the FBR to be completed by the end of 10th year.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2021