The Malay Contractors Association is optimistic its members will be able to bid for 30 percent of the contracts to be awarded under the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

Its president, Mokhtar Samad, said the association was grateful the government and Syarikat Prasarana Sdn Bhd had decided to allow a consortium of Malay contractors to bid for several packages of the project.

Yesterday, Prasaranas revised its criteria to allow interested contractors to form joint ventures or consortiums among local companies to bid for the work contract packages.

The changes were made following pressures from Malay contractors over the past week.

    

In an interview with Bernama today, Mokhtar Samad said class A to class F bumiputera contractors were previously involved in the construction of the transportation system in the Klang Valley.

"The association suggests that the government give some thought to the involvement of small bumiputera contractors in the MRT project," said Mokhtar.

Work on the RM36 billion MRT project will commence this year and be completed in 2016.

He advised small bumiputera contractors to be diligent and bid for contracts when the tenders are called and, deepen their knowledge of infrastructure construction.

Mokhtar said the involvement of bumiputera contractors would ensure the smooth implementation and success of the Economic Transformation Programme.

Malay Chamber wants entire project

Last Tuesday, the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (MCCM) urged the government to hand over the entire multi-billion ringgit MRT project to it because bumiputera companies are failing to win tenders related to the project.

MCCM president Syed Ali Alatas said the bid conditions set by Prasarana were a major obstacle for bumiputera companies.

Such conditions include a caveat preventing successful bidders from teaming up with other companies and having a paid-up capital of at least RM10 million.

Syed Ali said that such conditions meant that only 37 out of 16,000 members of the Malay Contractors' Association of Malaysia (MCAM) would qualify for the bidding of Malaysia's costliest ever infrastructure project.

He said MCCM was capable of undertaking the project by collaborating with other groups representing contractors.

- Bernama

 

azlan