Pakistan rolls out new public procurement rules as IMF talks on $1.2 bn aid begin
The Pakistani government issued the Public Procurement Rules 2026, keeping some exemptions for state-owned firms, while an IMF delegation met finance officials to discuss a $1.2 billion programme.
Ahead of a high-level IMF mission to negotiate a $1.2 billion disbursement, Pakistan’s federal government notified the Public Procurement Rules 2026, a framework that seeks greater competition while preserving direct-contracting routes for state-owned entities. The rules require all federal procurements to use the E-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System (EPADS) and introduce dedicated procurement cells, third-party validation and blacklisting provisions to curb conflicts of interest.
Exceptions allow agencies to limit bids to national firms or to award contracts directly to state-owned enterprises in urgent or public-interest cases. The IMF delegation, headed by Iva Petrova, met finance officials, the Federal Board of Revenue and provincial finance secretaries to review the sovereign-wealth-fund law, which is overdue on a structural benchmark for governance reforms covering assets worth about $8 billion.
The amendments, covering companies such as OGDCL, PPL and the National Bank of Pakistan, still need parliamentary approval. PPRA Managing Director Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi highlighted the new rules’ focus on efficiency, SME inclusion and environmental considerations.
Why it matters
The rules reshape how Pakistan spends public money and affect IMF loan conditions tied to governance reforms.
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