KUALA LUMPUR – The names of companies bidding for government projects should be kept anonymous during the tender selection process, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, said that this is to ensure that the selected company is awarded the contract based on its own performance and capabilities.
“In a meeting with the tender committee today to decide on a major project, I told them (the government) to come to a decision (on the selected company) without making the company names known.
“We decided (on a company) based purely on its track record and financial capability.
“This should be a guiding principle when rewarding tenders,” Anwar said, suggesting that the companies instead be labelled in a different manner.
Anwar said this during his speech at the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association’s 50th anniversary celebration here last night.
While the Tambun MP did not provide details on the meeting or the “major project” mentioned, he said that this is a “good start” to ensure greater transparency in government procurements.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said in 2017 that major government projects will go through an anonymous tender process to avoid allegations of favouritism and bias when it comes to awarding work to private companies.
The approach, he said, was introduced during the submission of tenders for the Mass Rapid Transport project. – The Vibes, March 16, 2023
