MoITT Admits Skipping PSQCA Consultation in $77.7M Digital Project

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) admitted on Monday that it has not consulted the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) under the $77.73 million Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), aimed at adhering to uniform national quality standards.

Replying to a question in the National Assembly, the Ministry submitted that under the World Bank-financed DEEP initiative, it is actively working on the development of a comprehensive framework for Digital Government Enterprise Architecture, interoperability standards, and related quality benchmarks to guide the design and delivery of digital public services across Pakistan.

At present, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has not been formally consulted. This is because PSQCA’s primary mandate focuses on the standardization of physical goods, products, and processes, whereas the current efforts under DEEP are centered on digital government frameworks, enterprise architecture, and technology-centric service standards, which require specialized initial development.

However, the MoITT fully recognizes the importance of national-level standardization and quality assurance, and plans to engage PSQCA at a later stage.