RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The medicine procurement system will automatically calculate the lowest bid and the award system will give contracts to successful vendors according to the parameters under the procurement rules and it will also eliminate the chances of malpractices and ensure transparency.

Dr Umar Saif, founding Vice Chancellor of ITU, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Advisor to the CM, said this while reviewing the progress of the system here on Tuesday.

He said the automation of the medicine procurement system aimed to address problems in the manual method by creating a structured workflow based e-Procurement system as the paper-based system lacked traceability and faced time delays in approvals and hampered audit activities.

Earlier, medicine procurement in the province of the Punjab was done manually, with a yearly budget of approximately Rs5 to Rs6 billion, which moved through various departments based on specific conditions. The new devised automated system manages submission of bids and prequalification of vendors. The system is designed to facilitate demand for medicines by various healthcare facilities. Procurement professionals validate it. The system besides promotes transparency and the data can also be used for policy decisions in the future.