KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has awarded a three-year contract of software, programming, data based billing, printing, distribution and other allied responsibilities to an unregistered and inexperienced firm in contravention of the entity’s bylaws, officials of the Information Technology Department of KMC have revealed. It is interesting that the KMC City Council in its last week’s meeting also approved contract to Sprint worth Rs 147.84 million. The Sprint Express Private Limited firm is basically a courier service-based entity and service provider of billing-distribution. It is not even registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board. It is pertinent to mention here that this firm had been given bills distribution work by Millennium Systems and Consultants Private Limited (MSCL), a company that had been providing such services to KMC till relinquishing its responsibility from KMC in around March 2017. Millennium had also served Karachi Water and Sewerage Board in this capacity. It had provided all required IT allied services to both civic entities. The MSCL on the recommendation of Khalid Mahmood Sheikh, adviser Finance KMC had handed over the bills distribution job to Sprint. Sprint has now taken over full charge of IT allied assignments of KMC on the directives of Khalid Mahmood. The eligibility of such firms under KMC contract management rules should cover more than 70 percent of pre-qualifications’ laid down responsibilities and manifestation on practical ground, but Sprint has no such qualifications either. The recent IT contract was also against Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority laid down rules in this regard. The IT responsibilities need experience and professional approach spanning over years but Sprint has been lacking at all levels, KMC IT officials maintained. Rahmat Hussain Siddiqui, Chairman MUCT, Kiran Masood member and Arshad Vahra, Deputy Mayor are among the responsible of awarding the contract. Raza Haider Abbas, senior Director vide letter Dir/MUCT/KMC/5417/2017 July 2017 has endorsed ways and means of payment to Sprint. “It is not our responsibility to check and scrutinise credentials of such firms in awarding contract. The responsibility lies on Engineering Department KMC”, he informed. Khalid Hussain Rajput, General Manager MSCL has requested KMC to ensure outstanding of around Rs 10 million of the company at an early date. But KMC has given no response in this respect. Nisar Ahmad, Director MSCL has attributed leaving KMC to poor professional practice of the civic entity and wrong doings of the concerned department. “We cannot work under such ambiguities” he remarked. Published in Daily Times, August 16th 2017.