He said the proposals have gone through several stages of evaluation, including technical and commercial assessment.

In a statement today, Ahmad Badri said negotiations are underway with the bidders to finalise the concession to manage the fleet.

He said priority will be given to Proton cars for use by the ministers and deputy ministers, and not the Toyota Vellfire, as claimed by certain quarters.

The tender evaluation committee consists of senior civil servants from the Public Works Department, the economic affairs ministry, the Valuation and Property Services Department and the finance ministry.

The committee had chosen the eligible bidders for consideration as the new concessionaire, and submitted their names to the Cabinet for approval.

The government’s vehicle fleet concession had been managed by Spanco Sdn Bhd through a concession agreement since October 1993. The agreement expired on Dec 31, 2018.

The government has decided that a new concessionaire be appointed after evaluating submissions through a Request for Proposal (RFP).