MRCB-George Kent rebuts Tajuddin, says over 30pct bumi firms involved in LRT3

 

The turnkey contractor for the LRT3 project, MRCB-George Kent, today said it has met and exceeded the minimum 30 percent quota set in the appointment of bumiputera contractors.

In a statement issued shortly after Prasarana chairperson Tajuddin Abdul Rahman's press conference at the LRT3 project owner's headquarters, MRCB-George Kent said: "We have exceeded the minimum 30 percent bumiputera quota by having 39.7 percent bumiputera contractors in the LRT3 project."

"The breakdown of our contractors is as follows: local (52 percent), bumiputera (40 percent) and foreign (8 percent)," the company said. 

Tajuddin, who responded to previous claims that Prasarana had withheld payments due to MRCB-George Kent, said the company should follow national policies by supporting bumiputera firms.

He also denied claims he had interfered with MRCB-George Kent's decisions on appointments of subcontractors, saying instead that as the project's owner, Prasarana had a right to know about such matters.

"We wish to point out that the LRT3 Work Package Contractors' (WPC) contracts were awarded by Prasarana via an open tender process in 2016.

"The successful bidders, including bumiputera contractors, were novated to MRCB-George Kent as WPC in 2019," it said. 

"We have treated our WPC fairly by applying the contract rates as stipulated in the original contract with Prasarana," it added in reference to Tajuddin's assertion of complaints received from certain contractors that the value of their contract had been reduced in the new agreements.

Meanwhile, MRCB-George Kent maintained that it had so far only received payments from Prasarana for claims on progress work completed up to June last year.

"Prasarana’s delayed payments of more than RM700 million were from July to October 2020, which have been certified for payment by Prasarana’s appointed independent consultant, KL Prima Consult Sdn Bhd.

"As of October, the certified payment amount was RM723.888 million, while the November payment is still pending certification," the company said. 

Tajuddin earlier insisted that Prasarana's payment of RM3.468 billion to MRCB-George Kent up to October last year was for work completed up to that month, and not as initially indicated in reports quoting sources familiar with the matter.

On Dec 31, MRCB-George Kent along with 16 subcontractors and consulting firms involved in the LRT3 project turned to the government for help to secure the outstanding payment.

They cited an unpaid amount of more than RM700 million for work done since July and this amount is expected to break RM1 billion as of last December. - Mkini