ISLAMABAD: Chairman CDA Mohammad Usman has ordered that the civic agency will not operate on a quotation system, and any violation in this regard would not be tolerated.
This move came in a bid to stop scams that use quotations as cover, and directives were issued amid a CDA investigation into a multi-billion rupee scam that used the quotation system.
Previously, the agency directorates use to bypass the tender process in the garb of emergency funding to issue funds up to Rs. 500,000 for various tasks in the capital.
According to sources, the CDA chief instructed all directorates to adhere to the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and stated that there was no provision for performing development work through quotations in PPRA rules.
The official details also revealed that at least Rs. 10 billion was spent on construction work through the quotation system, despite conflicting reports regarding the scope of the construction work done under the quotation system.
The Chairman, while responding to a question, stated that the audit of work completed via quotation was underway, and that the civic body would move forward in light of the audit report.
It is to note here that, earlier, CDA ordered an audit of 3 directorates in alleged wrongdoings, and a three-member committee of engineers was tasked to probe, led by DG Services Mohammad Nawaz, Director Maintenance Mashooq Ali Sheikh, and Director Planning and Development Ramesh Kumar.
Furthermore, in a letter dated January 27, 2021, CDA had already ordered that the practice of conducting work through quotations be stopped right away to ensure transparency and follow the standard procedure.
