All contractor nominations and procurement procedures under the Jana Wibawa programme originated directly from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) [1, 2, 3]. The Ministry of Finance’s Government Procurement Division evaluated only those contractors formally nominated by the PMO through the Finance Minister’s Office [1, 3]. Letters of interest sent directly to the Finance Ministry without endorsement from the PMO were rejected and not processed. Datin Rosni Yusoff, chair of the Jana Wibawa Contractor Evaluation Committee, said, "Letters of interest received without going through the Prime Minister's Office will not be processed...because we have no authority to execute the evaluation process" [1].
The evaluation committee, chaired by MOF official Datin Rosni Yusoff, assessed contractors proposed by the PMO based on multiple criteria. These included company registration and rating, financial capacity with a minimum 125% cash flow and financing coverage, and technical capability demonstrated by five years of performance records [1, 3]. Committee minutes and evaluation results were confidential and shared only with the Finance Minister’s Office [1, 3].
One contested contractor, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, was initially rejected in December 2020 due to unsatisfactory work performance and several ongoing "sick" projects during evaluations [1, 3]. Despite passing the first two evaluation stages, the committee flagged KCJ's poor current work. However, after the PMO sent a letter nominating KCJ on November 13, 2020, and a subsequent PMO forwarding letter to MOF on February 3, 2021, KCJ was re-evaluated and ultimately awarded a RM62 million contract for the Felda Bukit Jalor to Gemas road project through direct negotiation [1, 2]. Datin Rosni Yusoff confirmed, "Throughout the Jana Wibawa programme, all proposals for names of contractors and projects implemented through direct negotiation were presented by the Prime Minister’s Office. No companies were appointed through direct negotiation without going through proposals from the Prime Minister’s Office and subsequently an evaluation process at MOF" [2].
Other major contracts awarded based on PMO nominations and MOF evaluations included Sutracom Sdn Bhd’s RM605.2 million Pulau Indah highway project and Nepturis Sdn Bhd’s RM141 million Klang Utara police headquarters project [2].
The procurement process thus placed the PMO at the center of contractor selection, with MOF evaluations conducted only on nominees from the PMO. Committee confidentiality and strict adherence to PMO nominations shaped the project awards within the Jana Wibawa programme.
