FBR Bids for Cotton Bale Video Analytics Vendor Authorization 2026

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Revenue Division, Government of Pakistan, invites fresh national competitive bids for the second round of authorization of additional vendors to install and maintain video analytics systems for cotton bale counting in textile spinning facilities. Reference: 9(9)TDU/IR/2026.

This additional vendor-authorization exercise is being conducted under Chapter XIV-BA of the Sales Tax Rules, 2006. Vendors authorized through the initial 2025 selection retain their existing authorizations. This procurement is neither a re-bidding following rejection of all bids under Rule 47 of the Public Procurement Rules, 2026, nor a renewal or extension of previously issued authorizations.

The procurement will be administered under the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Ordinance, 2002, and the Public Procurement Rules, 2026, including Rules 26, 27(a), 28(a), 34, 41 and 42, as applicable. The notice and complete bidding documents will be published on EPADS and the PPRA and FBR websites under Rule 18. Where the procurement value exceeds PKR 5 million, publication in at least one English and one Urdu national daily of wide circulation will also be arranged. The 15-calendar-day response period runs from publication on EPADS under Rule 19. Corrections or extensions will also be communicated through EPADS.

Scope of supply and services: Multiple vendors will be authorized to deploy complete computer vision-based cotton bale monitoring systems at textile spinning units. The scope includes cameras, local computing and video storage, high-accuracy analytics software, FBR monitoring-hub integration, secure remote access, training, testing and maintenance for three years. Equipment and software specifications in Section V are performance-based; indicative configurations may be replaced with demonstrably equivalent or superior alternatives.

Eligibility: Bidders must be legally eligible, registered with applicable tax and registration authorities, appear on the Active Taxpayers List where applicable, and satisfy the eligibility, financial-capacity and technical-documentation requirements in the Bid Data Sheet (BDS). Joint ventures and consortia are permitted subject to the BDS, lead-member authorization, and joint and several liability. Eligibility will be assessed through documentary evidence without discriminatory restrictions.

Procurement method and authorization model: This is a fresh, non-exclusive, multi-vendor authorization of additional vendors under Chapter XIV-BA of the Sales Tax Rules, 2006. National competitive bidding will follow the single-stage, one-envelope procedure under Rules 27(a) and 28(a) of the Public Procurement Rules, 2026. All mandatory eligibility, technical and proof-of-concept (POC) documents must be submitted through EPADS in one bid. Indicative component or service prices may be included for information only.

The Procurement Evaluation Committee will examine eligibility and substantial responsiveness. The Technical Evaluation Committee will apply the published 70-mark technical matrix. Every eligible and substantially responsive bidder scoring at least 49 out of 70 will be invited to the same FBR-designated, Technical Evaluation Committee-supervised POC without prior approval, shortlisting or endorsement by the Approval Committee. After certification of the POC results, the Procurement Evaluation Committee will finalize and forward the complete qualifying record for statutory vendor authorization.

The Approval Committee has no role in technical evaluation, qualification, selection for POC, administration of POC or assessment of POC results; its function arises only at the authorization stage. Indicative prices will not be marked, compared, ranked or used to qualify, disqualify or deny authorization. There will be no lowest-price award and no separate financial evaluation stage.

Bid security: Each bid must include security of PKR 1,000,000 in the prescribed form, provided that the Procuring Agency has documented its procurement valuation and verified before publication that this amount complies with Rule 36 of the Public Procurement Rules, 2026. Where the statutory ceiling does not permit PKR 1,000,000, the published notice and BDS will be corrected before inviting bids. Bid security must remain valid for at least 28 days beyond the 120-day bid-validity period. An unsuccessful good-faith POC, standing alone, will not trigger forfeiture. The separate authorization guarantee under Rule 150Z(8)-(9) will be furnished only by a qualifying vendor before issuance of authorization.

Pre-bid consultation: One or more pre-bid consultation meetings may be convened at the dates and times notified in the new 2026 EPADS procurement notice. Pre-bid presentations and consultations will not permit post-publication discriminatory changes. Material amendments will be issued to all bidders through a formal addendum on EPADS in accordance with Rule 34(7) and other applicable provisions.

Submission deadline and procedure: Bidders must submit a single electronic bid through EPADS by 20 November 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time, on the fifteenth calendar day counted from publication of the procurement notice on EPADS. The notice will state the actual calendar publication and closing dates. If the computed deadline falls on a public holiday or EPADS is unavailable, the procedure and rescheduling provisions in Rule 40 will apply. Any other extension will be notified on EPADS under Rule 39.

The bid must include eligibility documents, the complete technical proposal, qualification evidence, the POC undertaking, appropriate security, and any optional indicative, non-scoring component or service schedule. Prices will not determine authorization, and there will be no separate financial-envelope opening.

Bid opening: Bids will be opened on EPADS on the published closing date at 11:30 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time, at least 30 minutes after submission closes, in accordance with Rule 40 of the Public Procurement Rules, 2026. The Procurement Evaluation Committee will record the opening and preliminary responsiveness proceedings. The Technical Evaluation Committee will independently score technical proposals and conduct the prescribed POC for every qualifying bidder. The Approval Committee will have no role in deciding who participates in the POC or whether the POC has been passed. No financial ranking, price-based exclusion or separate financial opening is prescribed.

Acceptance or rejection: FBR may reject individual bids only on the published eligibility, substantial-responsiveness and evaluation grounds. Rejection of all bids, cancellation of procurement, publication of evaluation reports and grievance redressal will follow Rules 45, 46, 48 and 65, respectively, of the Public Procurement Rules, 2026. Bidders will not be disqualified through unannounced criteria. The 2025 first-round authorizations are not cancelled, extended or renewed by this second-round tender.

Contact: Farrukh Amir Sial, Secretary (Administration), Room 506, Fifth Floor, Federal Board of Revenue Headquarters, Islamabad. Email: [email protected]. Telephone: 051-9203679.

FBR assistance: Helpline: 051-111-772-772. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.fbr.gov.pk. Publication reference: PID (I) 4143/26.