Elimination of wood specification (Sheesham/ Keekar) for Supply of Furniture and Fixtures to govt depts 

Reform ID  B108
Ticker  Requirement of Wood Specification (Sheesham / Keekar) for Furniture and Fixture Eliminated 
Reform Description  Before: Government departments used to specify furniture and fixture made of Sheesham / Keekar wood in their procurement tenders. 

After: The requirement for furniture made of Sheesham/ Keekar wood was eliminated. Now, furniture businesses can bid with alternatives of Sheesham / Keekar wood. 

Sector  Furniture  
Beneficiaries  Furniture Manufacturers  
Jurisdiction/ Location  Balochistan 
Department  Services and General Administration Department 
Date of Implementation  03-01-2022 
Details  Difficulty  Government departments in their tenders to purchase furniture and fixtures generally require that the furniture shall be made of solid Sheesham or Keekar wood. Sheesham and Keekar trees are getting scarce because of deforesting and tree diseases thus making them costly rendering businesses uncompetitive to participate in bids. This requirement on part of the government departments is further contributing to the uprooting of these trees.  
Analysis  After research and consultation, it was found that this requirement is a customary practice and there are good alternatives to Sheesham/ Keekar wood which are equally durable and reliable including imported woods and laminated boards etc. Therefore, specifying wood type is not in line with essence of PPRA rules.  
Solution  The customary practice to require furniture manufacturing businesses to only provide furniture and fixture made of Sheesham / Keekar wood has been eliminated and departments have be directed to not to specify wood type rather mention quality and other requirements to enable healthy competition. 
Evidence  https://business.gov.pk/elimination-of-wood-specification-sheesham-keekar-for-supply-of-furniture-and-fixtures-to-govt-depts/

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