GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN

ESTABLISHMENT DIVISION
(Management Services Wing)
*****
GUIDELINES FOR APPOINTMENT OF CONSULTANTS

Consequent upon the findings of various Committee appointed during 2001

to examine the appointments of consultants and deliberations of the Conference held on 13
November 2001, under the Chairmanship of the COS to the Chief Executive, the competent
authority was pleased to direct, inter alia, that guidelines regulating the appointment of
consultants in all Ministries/Divisions and organizations under their administrative control,
be framed/circulated on the approved lines, for compliance by all the Ministries/Divisions/
Organizations. Accordingly, a set of guidelines, in the succeeding paragraphs, is circulated
for strict compliance, to ensure that the best persons are transparently and competitively
appointed in a cost-effective manner, only when a consciously and formally identified need
for consultants exists.

DETERMINTION OF NEED FOR CONSULTANTS

2. Need identification is a pre-requisite for any organization planning to obtain

services of consultants, who are normally required to tender advice, being
experts/specialists, on specific (generally technical) issues/projects to:-

a) Address on uncommon problem;

b) Provide technical supervision; or
c) Introduce innovative practices/solutions

Consultancies would generally fall into two broad categories:-

i) Project consultancy to provide technical support/supervision by

filling vacuum of technical expertise, specific to the project and
funded out of development funds; and

ii) General/Management Consultancy to provide expert advice,

unavailable in-house, to introduce innovative solutions to
Financial/Human Resources Management/Technical Issues or to act
as agents of change for status-quo oriented permanent employees and
commonly paid for out of non-development budget.

A consultancy would, therefore, always be assignment specific and time bound and should
be preferred only when it is considered value effective to hire services of a consultant
compared to developing in-house expertise.

3. As a first step, the client organization is required to ascertain as to whether or

not the required expertise is available within the organization/government. In case the
expertise is available in-house, reasons for not undertaking the assignment internally may be
spelled out and detailed justification, including the following, may be given for hiring the
consultant:
i) Terms of reference/specific tasks to be accomplished by the
consultant.
ii) Details of the outputs required of the consultant
iii) Anticipated benefits from the proposed assignment
iv) Professional expertise and experience required for the task to
be undertaken.
v) Approximate time required for completion of the job.

vi) Cost estimates.

The above information shall be placed for concept clearance before:-

a) A Committee headed by the Secretary of the Ministry/Division

concerned and including representative of Finance Division,
Establishment Division and the Planning Division for non-
development budget funded consultancy; or

b) The appropriate approval forum for development budget related

consultancies.

PROCEDURE FOR HIRING OF CONSULTANTS

4. After concept clearance has been received, the following procedure will be
pursued by the client Ministry/Division/Department/Organization:

i) Consultancy should be widely advertised indicating the requirements

mentioned at para-3 above.

ii) Advertisement of the consultancy will indicate the range of

compensation package, including various facilities, depending on the
nature of work involved. The applicants will be short listed and
prioritized by an in-house Committee of the client organization.

iii) For General/Non-Development Budget funded consultancies, a

Selection Board, headed by the Secretary of the Ministry/Division
concerned and including a representative each of Establishment
division and Finance Division, will recommend a panel of at least
three candidates in order of merit for consideration of the appointing
authority. The Selection Board should also recommend the
compensation package for the consultants placed on the panel.

iv) For development budget/project related consultancies a Competent

Selection Board of the client organization, including a representative
 of the Planning & Development Division shall recommend a panel of
at least three names to the appropriate approval forum.

v) Financial sanction for the appointment of a consultant on the terms

and conditions recommended by the Selection Board should be
obtained from the competent authority.

FINAL APPROVAL:

5. Final approval will be accorded as follows:-

i) Development/project related consultancies will be approved by the

competent approval forum and additional conditionalties of donors
will be observed in grant funded consultancies.

ii) General/non-development budget funded consultancies will be

approved by the Chief Executive, on proposals routed through the
Establishment Division.

CONTRACTING PROCEDURE:

6. While making an offer of appointment, the following will be provided in the

contract/agreement:-
i) Statement of objectives of the assignment.
ii) Responsibilities of the consultant stating particulars of the outputs
required of him.
iii) Responsibilities of the client indicating types of inputs to be provided
to the consultant.
iv) Duration of the contract indicating completion dates/termination of
contract.
v) Financial provisions reflecting manner of payment of remuneration
etc.
vi) General provisions regarding matters like earlier termination of
contract.
vii) Mode of periodic performance appraisal of the consultant.

OTHERS

7. Following further guide-lines will also be kept in view while appointing

consultants:_
i) No person retired from a government organization will be hired as a
consultant only to re-employ him/her.
ii) Consultants should not be appointed to perform routine functions of
an organization.
 iii) Special attention should be given by the Divisions/Organizations to
train and develop their own personnel to take up higher
responsibilities.
iv) An objective evaluation and assessment of a consultant’s
performance should invariably be undertaken on a periodic basis in a
manner especially designed for the job.

8. In addition to the above, following further guidelines will also be strictly

complied with:-

i) Engagement of retired officers as Consultants/Advisers etc. shall

require prior permission of the government, invariably i.e.

Establishment Division in case of retired civilian officers;

Defence Division in case of retired defence officers; and

Law, justice and Human Rights Division/Supreme Court/High

Courts in case of retired judiciary officers.

ii) *In order to monitor compliance of guidelines regular/periodical

checks will be conducted by P&D Division in case of Development
Division in case of General/non-development budget funded
consultancies.

iii) Any deviation/departure of the prescribed guidelines shall be dealt

with seriously and the defaulting officer(s) shall be proceeded
against, under E&D law/rules.

iv) A uniform proforma be devised containing all essential

particulars/details regarding appointment of a Consultant etc. for
evaluation/rational decision making by the Selection
Committee/Board concerned and approving authority.

9. Ministries/Divisions are requested to kindly comply with the above

guidelines and also accordingly inform their related departments/organizations for
compliance.

10. This issues with the conveyance of the approval of the competent authority
by the Chief Executive Secretariat.

Sd/-
( SARFRAZ AHMED )
Director General
Secretaries/Addl. Secretaries Incharge (By name)
All Federal Ministreis/Divisions._________________________________________
Establishment Division, MS Wing’s U.O.No.11-3/2001-MSW-III, dated 25.01.2002

___________________________________________________________________
*Amended vide u.o.No.11-3/2001-MSW-III, dated 27.7.2002.
 Government of Pakistan
Establishment Division
Management Services Wing
***

No.10/67/2004-R.2. Islamabad, the 21st June 2005.

Office Memorandum

Subject:- RE-EMPLOYMENT OF CONSULTANT AFTER THE AGE OF

SUPERANNUATON

The undersigned is directed to refer to the guidelines regulating the

appointment of Consultants in Ministries/Divisions and Organizations under their
administrative control providing interalia, the following, vide para 8 (i) issued
under U.O. No.11-3/2001-MSW-III dated 25.1.2002.

“8(i) Engagement of retired officers as Consultants/Advisers etc

shall require prior permission of the government, invariably
i.e.

Establishment Division in case of retired civilian officers;

Defence Division in case of retired defence officers; and
Law, Justice and Human Rights Division/Supreme Court/High
Courts in case of retired judiciary officers.

2. On the other hand instructions contained in Establishment Secretary d.o.

No.5/21/80-A.III/D.4/D.5 dated 18.12.1985 issued with the approval of the Prime
Minister provides that consultancies granted after the age of superannuation will be
treated as re-employment and will be subject to the same rules as are applicable to re-
employment after superannuation.

3. With a view to draw a distinction between the consultancies offered to

retired officers only to re-employ them after superannuation and those retired/superannuated
officers who qualify for consultancy through open competition and are offered perks,
privileges (package) laid down for that position, a Summary was submitted to the Prime
Minister for approval of suitable modifications/clarifications to the instructions contained in
Establishment Secretary’s d.o. letter No.5/21/80-A.III/D.4/D.5 dated 18.12.1985. The Prime
Minister has been pleased to approve that the re-employment rules should apply to those
“Government Servants who are appointed on contract as consultants or otherwise after
superannuation without open competition. On the other hand, those retired Government
servants who compete with others in the private sector for a consultancy position on the
basis of open competition and are selected on merit should be entitled to the package, perks
and privileges laid down for that position. The contract offered without competition and
open merit be governed by re-employment rules while consultants selected on the basis of
open competition and merit be offered the relevant package which the position carries”.

4. Ministries/Divisions are requested to follow the above instructions

and also bring them to the notice of Attached Departments, Subordinate Offices,
Autonomous/Semi-Autonomous Bodies, Corporations, Regulatory Authorities etc. under
their administrative control for compliance.

Sd/-
(Anjum Bashir Shaikh)
Section Officer

All Secretaries/Additional
Secretaries Incharge of
Ministries/Divisions,
Islamabad/Rawalpindi

Copy to:-
1. COS to the President Aiwan-e-Sadar, Islamabad.
2. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat,
Islamabad with reference to U.O.No.45/GS/Estab/2005 dated
8.6.2005.
3. Auditor General of Pakistan, Islamabad.
4. Controller General of Accounts, Islamabad.
5. Secretary, Federal Public Service Commission, Islamabad.
6. Director General, IB, Islamabad.
7. Secretary, National Reconstruction Bureau, Islamabad.
8. Secretary, National Accountability Bureau, Islamabad.
9. DG, M.S.Wing, Establishment Division, Islamabad.

Sd/-
(Anjum Bashir Shaikh)
Section Officer