KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA January 29. 2026 – The Malaysian Government continues to strengthen its efforts to combat anti-competitive practices, particularly bid-rigging cartels in public procurement, through the signing of a Letter of Understanding (LoU) between the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) via the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) and the Federal Territories Department (JWP).
The LoU was signed by the Director-General of JWP, Datuk Seri Noridah binti Abdul Rahim, and the Chairman of MyCC, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Idris bin Harun. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan, and the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
According to Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, this strategic collaboration covers several key areas to enhance transparency and integrity in government procurement processes:
– Provision of advisory services and preliminary assessment reports regarding elements of bid rigging in procurement;
– Implementation of regular training for procurement officers; and
– Provision of views and guidance on competition issues and risks in public procurement.
This initiative involves six agencies under JWP’s purview, including Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Perbadanan Putrajaya, and Perbadanan Labuan. With this agreement, JWP becomes the fifth collaboration partner for MyCC, following earlier LoUs signed with the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Health (KKM), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), and Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
The move aligns with the call made by the Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who recently reminded heads of enforcement agencies to strengthen enforcement, curb abuse of power, leakage, cartel activities including bid rigging, and improve overall governance in public procurement. He emphasized that cartel practices not only burden the people but also result in wastage of government allocations.
Armizan stressed that KPDN, through MyCC, will continue to expand strategic partnerships with various parties to prevent any form of bid-rigging cartels, in line with the objectives of the “KITA GEMPUR” campaign.
This step is expected to strengthen public procurement governance in the Federal Territories, reduce the risk of leakage, and ensure fair and healthy competition in government tenders.
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