Transparent public procurement is the backbone of good governance, development, and service delivery. It enables states to translate policies into tangible outcomes in the form of development projects, such as roads, schools, hospitals, powerhouses, and other public goods. The Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) reported in 2021 that global public procurement spending reached approximately US$13 trillion per year. According to the World Bank 2022 report, public procurement expenditure in developing countries accounts for about 15-20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The data reveals the considerable economic scale of global government procurement, making it a crucial domain for transparency, accountability, and efficiency. Despite the economic significance, Pakistan’s public procurement has been marred by inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and the absence of rigorous oversight mechanisms. The introduction and rollout of the e-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System (EPADS) by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) in line with the Prime Minister’s ‘Digital Pakistan Vision’ was a crucial initiative to overhaul the public procurement sector and align it with global best practices, advancing good governance while restoring stakeholder confidence.
Manual procurement in Pakistan, which heavily relied on a paper-based environment and discretionary official control, was slow, opaque, and prone to manipulation, resulting in nepotism, exclusion of SMEs, loss of records, corruption, cost & time overruns, and erosion of public trust, while also discouraging international investors and development partners.
EPADS resolved these issues by digitising the entire procurement cycle from planning and tendering to bid submission, evaluation, and award of contracts. All procurement-related documents and submissions are now accessible online, which creates a level playing field for all. EPADS has practically transformed the procurement domain into a transparent system, with rules, timeframes, and results visible to all stakeholders, removing all barriers.
According to EPADS data, approximately 10,000 procuring agencies and 43,000 suppliers, including 600 foreign firms, have registered on the platform since its launch in the federal government and three provinces, including Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the 2024-25 fiscal year alone, 526,271 transactions worth Rs 1,408.58 billion were processed through this system. Integration with national data centres such as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), institution like the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), the Financial Accounting and Budgeting System (FABS), the Provincial Revenue Authorities (PRAs), and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) enable data checks and verification of suppliers and vendors identity, tax status, licensing, and beneficial ownership to reduce the potential of misrepresentation and fraudulent practices.
Additionally, PPRA has provided real-time dashboards to oversight bodies such as the Office of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), and the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) for a more streamlined access to procurement records for greater accountability. With the integration of national institutions and real-time dashboards for oversight bodies, EPADS has transformed procurement into a system where each transaction is recorded electronically, creating verifiable records that facilitate oversight and audit. The automation minimizes opportunities for manipulation and ensures that decisions are based on rules rather than personal discretion. The procurement data can be evaluated to identify rule violations, detect patterns, and guide policy reforms. Vendors, in particular SMEs, can participate without having to submit physical documents, thus increasing competition and reducing entry barriers. The system strengthened accountability at every stage, safeguarding public trust through transparency and promoting ease of doing business at the same time.
It is evident from EPADS data that the platform reduced collusive practices and enhanced competition. Now, an average of five to ten bidders participate in open competitive bidding, compared to two to three bidders in manual procurement. The platform further helped to record expenditure incurred through petty purchases and small expenditure through Request for Quotations (RFQs), previously outside the system. EPADS provided a system-based, efficient grievance redressal mechanism, restricted the participation of blacklisted firms, identified delays in procurement processes, and improved compliance with rules.
To further build on these achievements, PPRA has introduced an upgraded version of EPADS 2.0 in January 2026, developed in-house as a more user-friendly, smart, and dynamic platform. The upgraded system will soon be rolled out in provinces, including Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. To make EPADS more transparent, efficient, accountable, and aligned with global benchmarks, monitoring and analytical reporting will commence at the close of the fiscal year, and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) funded procurements are planned to be processed through EPADS during this year. The establishment of an Online Procurement Academy and the adoption of Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS) are also planned for the latter half of this year.
PPRA is driving reforms beyond e-procurement, adopting a holistic approach that focuses on regulatory reforms, capacity building, and institutional restructuring to create an enabling environment for EPADS and drive overall improvement in the procurement landscape.
Pakistan is not alone in the e-procurement reform journey. Research reports suggest that e-procurement platforms such as KONEPS (Korea) and Bangladesh’s e-GP system have created a positive economic impact. Korea’s KONEPS is acknowledged as a world-class system, and it claims to have achieved annual savings of about $8 billion, reducing administrative burdens for the private sector. World Bank Results Brief (2023) reported that Bangladesh’s e-GP system, which is a component of its “Digital Bangladesh” initiative, has improved efficiency and transparency, increasing GDP by $1.4 to 1.6 billion per year. In 2023, procurement lead time (from invitation to contract signing) for all e-GP tenders decreased from 100 days to 53 days. Use of e-GP has led to about 7 percent savings in procurement costs compared to manual paper-based procurement.
The launch of EPADS marks a similar turning point in Pakistan’s governance structure, that is addressing long-standing challenges of accountability, efficiency, and transparency. With e-procurement, Pakistan complies with international standards for investment, good governance, and transparent procurement in this age of technology. With the growing expectations of transparency and rule-based systems from international investors and development partners, EPADS demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to fairness. Public procurement has developed into an instrument for economic growth, reform, and public trust, moving beyond its previous bureaucratic confines. With EPADS, Pakistan takes a bold step to ensure that every rupee spent delivers maximum value, every contract awarded is just, and every procurement decision strengthens the foundation of rule-based and accountable public administration.
Justin Tv