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 Finance Ministry, says Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
Nanta said that although the ministry has absolute authority to select the company to implement the project, the Public Works Ministry as the responsible ministry has carried out a preliminary review and discussion with the Sabah Public Works Department after receiving the list of companies brought by the department.
"When we receive the list from Sabah Public Works, we review it and we also have the authority to give our opinion before it is sent to the Finance Ministry.
"The ministry has returned with its decision, and we (Public Service Department) have instructed Sabah Public Works to issue letters of acceptance to those selected," he told reporters after attending MyPLUS Community Day programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan HICOM here on Thursday (Nov 14).
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 on Wednesday (Nov 13), 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 the Ministry 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They requested that the tender award to the unqualified company be withdrawn.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 the department found no problems regarding the tender awarding process.
He said in that regard, the Ministry 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 Public Works because the Finance Ministry has the absolute authority to decide," he said. - Bernama
