A set of proposals will be forwarded to the government soon on how to tackle the rampant corruption in the construction industry. Chief among them, is the call for an open tender system.

The proposals are being prepared by the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).

This follows in the heels of a two-day forum held here earlier this month, where industry experts revealed that the sector was 'extremely prone' to corruption.

'Too many players being involved in the whole chain of works' was cited as one of the reasons for the scourge.

IIM president Dr Sulaiman Mahbob told Bernama today that the IIM and CIDB hoped to present the proposals to the Works Ministry within the next couple of weeks.

"We leave it to the Works Minister (S Samy Vellu), if he feels the resolutions should go to the Cabinet. The IIM's role is neither executive nor regulatory, but to research and discuss the issue of corruption.

"Otherwise, my channel is always through the National Committee on the Integrity of the Government Administration, chaired by the prime minister," he said.

In advocating for an open tender system for both public and private sector procurement, he said: "When you have an open tender, you will get the best price".

Other forms of tender are the negotiated tender for those who come up with the idea or design of a project and the closed tender, in which 10 to 20 registered contractors with good track records are invited to bid.

Sulaiman said to avoid delays, approval procedures should be streamlined as far as possible without compromising technical standards and payment should also be expedited.

"When there is a delay, people may perceive they want something," he added.

Transparent system

Institution of Engineers Malaysia president Prof. Ow Chee Sheng called for a transparent system of approval and delivery in an industry said to be choked with bureaucracy.

"Any new development should be made public, with timelines involved. When delivery is delayed, this should also be made transparent so that the public may judge the performance of the parties involved," he said.

According to Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College president Prof Dr Mahadzer Mahmud, private contractors pay as much as 10 percent of the cost of projects in bribes.

A consultant who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that the level of corruption in most turnkey projects was much higher.

Sulaiman said the proposals to be submitted to the government would include calls for protection for whistle-blowers and for self-regulation in the construction sector.

Another proposal is the need for a code of ethics - especially for contractors who, unlike architects, engineers and other professionals, do not have such a code.

Mahadzer also said many civil servants dealing with the approval of the various stages of projects in the industry's chain of works are lowly-paid and this prompted them to look for 'additional money'.

The Works Ministry has also called for a Code of Ethics governing the industry.

Commenting on this, Sulaiman said: "We will work with CIDB and some contractors on what should govern their conduct.

On legal provisions to protect whistle-blowers, he said:" "This should be examined in detail by the Attorney-General's Chambers."