He said this would ensure the reliability of contractors appointed and thus not affect the highway construction process.

“If we do it through open tenders, it will take a long time, especially if there are too many applications.

“So, I recommend a prequalified tender, which means that the tender will be opened with conditions.

“Contractors who meet the criteria will be identified and those who qualify will be called to enter the actual tender,” he told reporters on the sidelines of  the state-level Cost of Living Carnival at Dewan Hikmah here today.

Fadillah, who is the coordinator for the Pan Borneo Highway project, said he was making the suggestion to expedite construction of the highway, which involves a total of 1,492km.

He said this in response to the task given to him by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to expedite the construction of the project.

Un his speech in conjunction with Malaysia Day 2023 yesterday, Anwar pledged to fulfil the promises and agreements made during the formation of Malaysia, including the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He said he had tasked Fadillah with expediting and resolving issues surrounding the highway project to ensure that its could be completed earlier than the previously set deadline.

On Aug 20, the media reported works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi as saying that Phase 1 of the project in Sabah, which involves 15 work packages, was now at 82% completion. It is scheduled to be fully completed in January 2025.

Phase 1 of the Sarawak portion of the highway project involves 11 work packages, with almost 98% of the tasks completed.