The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has rejected reports suggesting failures or inefficiencies in its digital procurement platform, stating that the system remains fully functional nationwide.
In its official response, PPRA said the e-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System (EPADS) continues to operate across Pakistan despite recent cancellations being cited in media reports. The authority maintained that such claims misinterpret procurement procedures and the legal framework governing public purchasing.
PPRA described digitisation as a core governance reform designed to improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public procurement. It said EPADS is currently active across the federal government and three provincial governments, with 10,235 procuring agencies and around 50,000 suppliers registered, including 732 international vendors.
According to the authority, the system processed 526,239 procurement transactions worth Rs. 1.408 trillion during the 2024–25 fiscal year. It also highlighted integration with institutions such as the FBR, NADRA, SECP, PEC, FABS, and DRAP, along with oversight access provided to bodies including the Auditor General of Pakistan, NAB, and the Competition Commission of Pakistan. PPRA said this level of activity and institutional linkage demonstrates that the platform is fully operational.
The authority further noted that EPADS 2.0 has already been introduced in federal departments, where 14,511 vendors and 1,578 procuring agencies are registered, with thousands of procurement processes currently underway at different stages, from planning to award.
A nationwide rollout of EPADS 2.0 is planned for July 2026, followed by integration of Open Contracting Data Standards and monitoring tools in September 2026, and donor-funded procurement workflows in October 2026.
Responding to concerns about rising procurement cancellations, PPRA said such actions are permitted under Rule 33 of the Public Procurement Rules 2004, which allows procuring agencies to reject all bids before acceptance. It added that cancellations may occur due to budget constraints, withdrawal of schemes, administrative requirements, non-responsive bids, or limited competition.
PPRA clarified that EPADS only records these decisions in real time for transparency and audit purposes, and said linking cancellations to system failure is incorrect.
The authority also highlighted ongoing institutional reforms, including recruitment of procurement specialists through competitive processes under approved service rules and capacity-building initiatives conducted in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization in Turin.
It said these reforms have strengthened governance, monitoring, and the overall capacity of digital procurement systems.
