SSGC’s Subsidiary Allowed to Import LPG Without Bidding 

The federal government has allowed a subsidiary of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) without inviting bids. According to a report in Express Tribune, the federal government has waived Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules to pave way for SSGC LPG, a 100 percent owned subsidiary of SSGC, for direct LPG imports without seeking any bids from suppliers. The federal cabinet was informed in a recent meeting that PPRA had forwarded recommendations for exempting SSGC from Rules 9, 13, 35 and 40 of the Public Procurement Rules 2004. The waiver was for procurement of spot LPG cargoes for the winter months. Back in June, following PPRA board’s recommendation, the government had exempted SSGC LPG from Rules 35 and 40 for the purchase of spot LPG cargoes, around 20,000 tonnes per month, from April 2023 to September 2023. In October, the PPRA board, recommended to the government, under Section 21 of the PPRA Ordinance 2002, to give exemption to SSGC LPG from November 2023 to March 2024 with the aim to procure 20,000 tonnes of spot cargoes, around four to five cargoes per month, with the stipulation to relax the period between the release of evaluation report and the award of contract. The board also decided to recommend partial exemption from the applicability of Rule 9. After considering a summary submitted by the Cabinet Division, the cabinet approved the proposal.