KPK Sports Directorate’s Move to Outsource Events: Ensuring Transparency or Repeating Past Mistakes?

KPK Sports Directorate’s Move to Outsource Events: Ensuring Transparency or Repeating Past Mistakes?

Musarrat Ullah Jan

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate plans to outsource the opening and closing ceremonies of various sports events for the year 2024-25 through private firms. Recently, a pre-bidding meeting was held, attended by representatives of over 14 major companies.

This initiative aims to ensure transparency and accountability under the KP Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (KPPRA) rules.

This is not the first time the Sports Directorate has engaged private firms for event management. A similar move was made in 2022, where a joint venture with a production house and other non-governmental entities handled the events.

The contractors provided production services, accommodation for athletes, and transportation. However, at the time, the contract was awarded to a specific firm without an open tender, raising concerns about fairness.

This year, to improve transparency, the bidding process has been initiated under KPPRA rules, and major firms have been invited to participate.

The meeting, held in the committee room of Peshawar Sports Complex, was attended by officials from various departments, including the female Additional Director General, Rasheeda Ghaznavi. However,

the contractors who handled the events last year raised the most objections, questioning the changes in the contract terms this time around.

Contractors primarily objected to the specific requirements regarding warehousing, staffing, employee salaries, and production house details. Furthermore, the directorate set conditions for vehicle experience and hotel arrangements for athletes to ensure smooth operations during future events.

Contractors were also required to disclose employee numbers and salaries, which some felt could create tax issues for them. The contractors requested the directorate to ease some of these terms, to which the administration promised further discussions in upcoming meetings.

If the Provincial Sports Directorate wants to ensure transparency in this multi-million-rupee project, it must also address issues related to political favoritism in awarding contracts and providing adequate facilities and equipment to athletes.

Previously, complaints were raised about the quality of accommodation for athletes, citing issues with cleanliness and services at the hotels. Additionally, equipment provided to athletes, such as shoes and kits, often arrived just a day before the events and did not meet the promised standards.

In the past, the directorate has faced criticism for accepting subpar supplies due to time constraints, as replacements would be difficult to arrange at the last minute.

Furthermore, political influence has led to contractors being appointed to oversee production, resulting in substantial payments without matching the quality of work.

This has been a recurring issue, and the current administration must avoid making the same mistakes by distancing itself from problematic contractors.