SHAH ALAM: The process of awarding the Sabah Pan Borneo Expressway Phase 1B Package project is done according to the stipulated procedure before the selected company is announced by the Ministry of Finance (MOF), said Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
Nanta said that although MOF has absolute authority to select the company to implement the project, the Ministry of Public Works (KKR) as the responsible ministry has carried out a preliminary review and discussion with the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) after receiving the list of companies brought by the department.
“When we receive the list from Sabah JKR, we review it and we also have the authority to give our opinion before it is sent to MOF.
“MOF has returned with its decision, and we (KKR) have instructed Sabah JKR to issue letters of acceptance to those selected,“ he told reporters after attending MyPLUS Community Day programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan HICOM here today.
Nanta said this when commenting on the issue of awarding the project tender to a company that was allegedly not evaluated.
At the Dewan Rakyat session yesterday, several members of Parliament raised the matter with Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, claiming that the awarding of the Pan Borneo Project tender by MOF was given to an unevaluated company.
They requested that the tender award to the unqualified company be withdrawn.
Elaborating further, Nanta said all parties involved had gone through the procedure set throughout the process and KKR found no problems regarding the tender awarding process.
He said in that regard, MOF indeed has the power to think and determine who should be given an offer or have their application approved.
“We went through the prescribed procedure and there were no problems but we don’t have to follow the list appointed by Sabah JKR because the MOF has the absolute authority to decide,“ he said.
