Consultants ‘the cause of project delays’
05/02/2007 NST Regina Lee

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Malay Businessmen and Industrialists’ Association today blamed consultants for delays and cost overruns in government projects.

Its president, Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir, claimed these consultants applied "suspicious standards" and favoured suppliers with whom they "are in cahoots with".

"These people are not incompetent. They are just plain corrupt," he said.

However, he did admit that there were cases of new contractors with no experience or funds being awarded contracts.

Referring to a New Sunday Times report on errant contractors and cost overruns yesterday, Moehamad Izat said: "I applaud the government for highlighting this. I hope that the errant ones take this as a warning by the government."

Meanwhile, the Master Builders Association of Malaysia said unqualified contractors sometimes won contracts.

"These people are giving the entire profession a bad name," its president Patrick Wong said.

Malay Contractors’ Association president Senator Datuk Roslan Awang Chik said out of the 38,000 Class F contractors, 18,000 were genuine.

He said there were already mechanisms implemented to detect the non-performing contractors who still accepted tenders.

"There has been a study conducted and, hopefully, we will try to reduce the number to less than 25,000 contractors by 2009."