ISLAMABAD - The Capital Development Authority (CDA) constituted a three member committee on Monday to look into the concerns about the tendering process of the Park Enclave Housing Scheme project. Pakistan Today learnt that the committee was formed following the questions raised by the Transparency International (TI), the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
A CDA official, seeking anonymity, said the CDA committee comprised of Director General Planning, Director General Works and Deputy Director Works-1 to review the Park Enclave project tendering process. The CDA had pre-qualified four construction firms for the development of the housing scheme. A notification in this regard was also issued.
The authority plans to start work on the project from February 16th. The committee will, therefore, prepare its report before construction starts. The financial bids will also start from February 7th.
The time that the committee takes to prepare the report may result in the construction work being delayed. However, the official said if the committee’s report was negative; the CDA will develop the Park Enclave roads and other infrastructure with its own Machinery Pool Organisation. He stated that the first meeting of the committee members will be held on Tuesday in which the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) representatives will also participate.
Earlier, contractors had applied for the prequalification of the Park Enclave. On failing to do so, the Transparency International (TI) wrote a letter to the CDA and raised concerns about the tendering process of the project and about engaging NESPAK in scrutinising the tender bids. The letter alleged that the CDA and NESPAK had made a cartel for awarding the contract to MAAKSON Ltd. The TI also asked the CDA to form a committee to look into the contractors’ complaints, but the authority did not bother to do so. When the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took up the matter, the CDA was compelled to form a committee to investigate the tenders.
The CDA official said the contractors who objected about the tendering process had already been awarded mega projects by the CDA and were now trying to sabotage the Park Enclave project despite the fact that it is the only project in which all the contracts had been awarded on merit.
The official added that the involvement of a few influential people in the project was also threatening it.
He said the appointment of Abdul Aziz Qureshi as a CDA chief by replacing Tahir also raised many questions. He stated that the CDA wanted to remove all the hurdles put up by the contractors as it could generate billions of rupees by developing the Park Enclave housing scheme.
When CDA Planning and Design Department member Abdul Aziz Qureshi was asked whether the committee’s report could cause a delay in the construction schedule, Aziz said he was on leave and could not comment on the issue. However, the civic agency’s spokesman Ramzan Sajid said the development of the housing scheme would not be delayed and the financial bids’ process will also start within the next few days.