PUTRAJAYA – The tender awarded to government contractor HeiTech Padu Bhd for MySIKAP’s maintenance and technical support, was approved before businessman Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak became the firm’s biggest shareholder.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke clarified that an agreement in the ministry to appoint HeiTech was made last year, after the firm offered the lowest price among three bidders in an open tender, which started on June 21.
“On November 24, 2023, the Transport Ministry’s acquisition board convened and agreed that (HeiTech)’s offer was the best, based on reasonable price and passed all stages of evaluation.
“The agreement was tabled for final approval by the Finance Ministry on December 4, 2023.
“The treasury’s approval was obtained on February 8, 2024, for a value of RM185,076,900 before service tax,” he told a press conference at his ministry today.
His explanation came after certain quarters questioned the tender award, as Farhash was previously active in politics, having been Perak’s PKR chief in the past.
Loke also rubbished the possibility of Farhash knowing the decision before it was announced, reiterating that the businessman was not serving in the government.
Farhash was revealed to be HeiTech’s largest shareholder on March 15 in a bourse filing, owning about 15.9% of the shares amounting to 16.1 million shares.
A few days later, Farhash said his shareholdings in the firm involved ownership by the Kelantan sultan, and that he had “never been involved in any government administration or political activities”.
Meanwhile, Loke said HeiTech’s three-year contract worth RM190.01 million with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) was because an annual contract renewal may be more expensive.
He added that the extended contract only covered critical service scopes, such as preventive maintenance works, cybersecurity, and software licence renewals — where its current cost is lower than the initial contracts.
HeiTech’s contract – which is set to run from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2027 – was first announced on Monday.
Following the announcement, HeiTech and e-government services provider MyEG Services Bhd saw a raise in share value this morning.
HeiTech is a group carrying out a gamut of IT products and services, while MyEG engages in the development and implementation of electronic government services projects and the provision of other related services. – April 17, 2024