KUALA LUMPUR – There is no need for Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to reopen its aerotrain tender, as doing so is unfair to existing bidders and unnecessarily prolongs the process, said an expert.
Aviation principal consultant Jaafar Zamhari said amendments to the tender process are not unusual, and bidders are informed of this even after the closing date.
All participating companies should be flexible, propose comprehensive solutions, and demonstrate added values with varieties and options for the project owner to select from, he told Bernama yesterday.
“It is the norm in any big and complex tender that sometimes, clarification is needed to ensure all bidders get a detailed explanation relating to the tender.
“What’s important is to ensure all bidders receive a fair level of information and get sufficient time to submit their feedback.”
He was commenting on MAHB’s tender to design, supply, install, test and commission the automated people mover (APM) and associated works at Kuala Lumpur International Airport involving the aerotrain, where last-minute adjustments have caused unhappiness among some bidders.
Under normal circumstances, he said, bidders are given a special channel to submit further queries.
He expressed confidence that the airport operator will evaluate proposals from all bidders.
“Of course, there will be more than one solution available in the market. What is more important is to ensure that the solution is suitable for implementation and allows the airport’s operational efficiency to be at an optimum level.
“We also need to remember that the wrong selection of systems and technologies for the airport can result in huge losses if (they are) not planned carefully. Wrongly selected systems and technologies may no longer be relevant in the future.”
In response to a Bernama enquiry, MAHB said the amendments were made to enable bidders to have the flexibility to propose solutions that meet the functionality criteria.
It said in general, any amendment issued during a tender is to clear confusion or doubt that may arise in the tenderer’s requirements, in compliance with tender policies and procedures.
For the APM tender, it said, the amendments aim to ensure that participating tenderers are given every opportunity to offer a comprehensive proposal that meets MAHB’s requirements.
“All participating bidders were equally informed of the amendments and given sufficient time to respond in accordance with our standard policies and procedures. There is no cause for a re-tender.”
A business weekly reported that the tender was closed on November 2 last year. MAHB in March informed bidders that it had made amendments, specifically asking for bids with a cable-propelled system as opposed to a self-propelled system (SPS) and other accepted systems.
The aerotrain at KLIA currently uses SPS. – Bernama, May 26, 2021
