The first-ever National Procurement Strategy (NPS) has been finalized for approval to strengthen public procurement system at the federal and provincial levels and will be accorded approval on Tuesday. The Advisory Group on Public Procurement (AGPP) discussed in detail the NPS on Monday at a two-day meeting organized by Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) in collaboration with Assessment and Strengthening Programme-Rural Support Programmes Network (ASP-RSPN). Managing Director, PPRA, Nazrat Bashir presided over the first day session, Deputy Chief Mission USAID Catherine Moore, representatives of PPRA Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashir, Gilgit-Baltistan and stakeholders also participating in the meeting. Nazrat said that the vision of the National Procurement Strategy to strengthen public procurement systems at the federal and provincial level and promote transparency at all levels. She said that it also facilitate national economic development through ensuring value for money in public procurement. Nazrat Bashir said that to develop a framework for public procurement achieves harmonization of procurement laws and procedures improve and update laws, rules and procedures and making use of technology to facilitate transparency and fairness. Director General, PPRA, Alam Zeb Khan said the AGPP will also consider procurement related degrees in the educational institutions of the country. He said that all the stake-holders and partners including four provinces, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan agreed on the National Procurement Strategy to develop framework for public procurement. All the concerned departments including Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, Industries and Production Division, Parliamentary Affair Division, Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony Division, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), Defence Production Division, Planning and Development Division, Defence Division, Sindh PPRA, government of Balochistan, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan has sent their recommendations to the Federal PPRA.
