PUTRAJAYA (June 27): The online bidding period for new car registration number plate series, Malaysia 1 to Malaysia 9999, has been postponed to Aug 1 to 16 from July 2 to 16, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said today.

The reason for the postponement was to accommodate the time required to resolve the technical issues following the company’s proposal to operate the system and at no cost to the government and public.

Speaking to reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting today, Loke said the government has agreed in principle to accommodate the company's request for more time as the new e-bidding system will increase revenue for the government by "a lot more" than previously as more vehicle owners are encouraged to take part in the process that does away with manual form-filling and payment methods.

The Minister said bidders would be able to use their credit card and pay a deposit or a holding fee online instead of paying a 50% deposit on bank draft that is kept in a tender box, and waiting for up to three months to get back their money if their bids are unsuccessful.

The results will be known within two to three days after the bid ends, he said, adding that bidders can place their bids before Merdeka Day on Aug 31. There will also be a minimum bidding price for single and double digit numbers.

Asked if the company is related to e-service provider My E.G. Services Bhd, Loke said no. “This company is experienced. It (the name) will be revealed when we have the signing ceremony. It is not MyEG, that I can confirm,” he added.

“This pilot project has never been carried out by the Road Transport Department (JPJ). It is a way forward to carry out future bidding programmes more effectively as e-bidding could be a way to increase the government’s revenue as more people will find it easier to bid,” he added.

The company, whose name would be announced after the Ministry of Finance approves the project, will be subject to open tenders in the future, with no preferential treatment, Loke assured.

“The company approached us, proposing to do this pilot project for the government. I told them, in order to prove their capability and raise revenue for the government, there will be no payment from the government. They agreed to do it for free for users.

“If it is successful, we will review the standard operating procedure but there is no obligation to give (future e-bidding) projects to this company. This is simply a CSR. I told them point blank, if we want to roll out other bidding projects, it will be through open tender. There is no obligation to award any tender to this company,” he added.