KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) has issued a combined penalty of RM1.94mil against eight companies for their involvement in bid-rigging offense related to a information technology (IT) procurement by a public higher learning institution.
According to MyCC chief executive officer Iskandar Ismail, the case involving Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) was Malaysia's first bid rigging case in public procurement.
ASWARA is a statutory body under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
MyCC had found that the eight companies colluded with each other by sharing each other's request for quotations (RFQ) and tender proposal information, manipulating prices and preparing documents for one another. The winner of the RFQs and tender also shared their profits with the losing bidders.
The bid rigging offense took place within the past two to three years, said Iskandar.
The eight companies were Tuah Packet Sdn Bhd, Caliber Interconnects Sdn Bhd, Aliran Digital Sdn Bhd, Viamed Sdn Bhd, Novatis Resources Sdn Bhd, Silver Tech Synergy Sdn Bhd, Basenet Technology Sdn Bhd and Venture Nucleus (M) Sdn Bhd.
"This [case] is just the start. MyCC is serious in breaking bid-rigging practice in public procurement.
"We are currently also looking at several other tenders issued by the government, to investigate whether there is any offense related to bid rigging and others," Iskandar told reporters in a media conference on Tuesday.
The eight companies were served a notice on the decision on March 4. They are now required to deliver a written submission or an oral presentation to MyCC on the penalty.
Iskandar said the final penalty amount will be decided by the agency following the appeal.
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