PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry will review claims that companies sharing the same registered address may be involved in a cartel or collusion in the Phase Two 2026 Cooked Food Supply Services tender for the 2027-2029 period.
Its secretary-general Datuk Wan Hashim Wan Rahim said the ministry viewed the allegations seriously and was ready to cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) if further review or investigation is required.
However, he said allegations of a cartel or collusion must be assessed based on facts and credible evidence, rather than solely on similarities in companies’ registered addresses or business backgrounds.
“Anything that could raise doubts about the integrity of the procurement process, including relationships between bidders, possible conflicts of interest and bidding patterns, will be duly examined to ensure that transparency and integrity are upheld,” he said in a statement here on Tuesday (Oct 27), in response to questions raised by Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saifulruddin Wan Jan regarding the tender results.
Wan Hashim said 245 tenders had been advertised under Phase Two of the BMB tender, involving 62,641 bidders. Of these, 242 were awarded to successful companies, two were cancelled for hostel block upgrading works and one was postponed following a change in the contract commencement date.
He said the ministry also stressed that no decisions on Phase Two BMB tenders that had been lawfully finalised had been revoked, while official information on procurement results could be checked via the MyProcurement portal.
On the disparity in contract values, he explained that the highest contract, worth RM38.7mil, involved a sports school requiring nutritionally rich and balanced menus approved by the government to meet the dietary needs of the country’s high-performance athletes.
“The daily meal cost at the sports school is estimated at between RM90.84 and RM92.93 per student, while lower-value contracts involve ordinary primary or secondary schools, with estimated prices ranging from RM26.10 to RM31.65 per student per day.
“Therefore, differences in contract values should be viewed in the context of the requirements and service specifications of each institution, including student numbers and stipulated nutritional needs,” he said.
On supplier eligibility, Wan Hashim said all successful companies were validly registered with the Finance Ministry under Field Code 040103 for Muslim Cooked Food.
He said companies were not evaluated solely on their names or business profiles, but also on their experience, technical compliance and ability to fulfil the contracts.
Regarding companies using residential addresses as their registered addresses, he said food preparation was carried out entirely under a prepare, cook and serve arrangement at the kitchens of the schools or institutions concerned, rather than at suppliers’ premises.
“Nevertheless, the ministry takes note of the findings involving companies sharing the same registered address. The matter will be examined further to strengthen the ministry’s tender governance,” he said.
He also explained that selected companies were required to have working capital equivalent to at least three to five% of the estimated contract value. Their financial statements were also cross-checked with banking institutions before letters of acceptance were issued.
Meanwhile, Wan Hashim denied claims that the meals tender for the hostel at SMK Seri Badong in Kedah had been awarded to a company registered in Terengganu.
Cross-checks of registration details in the e-Procurement system found that the successful bidder for SMK Seri Badong had a registered address in Yan, Kedah. Each tender is evaluated based on established terms and criteria to ensure that the procurement process is conducted in an orderly, transparent and fair manner,” he said.
He said the ministry was committed to ensuring that all procurement complied with governance requirements to safeguard the quality of food, safety and welfare of students nationwide. – Bernama
