KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 25): Four companies have won contracts worth RM335.22 million in total from the federal government to supply tablets for students from B40 households under the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF)’s government procurement information centre, MyProcurement, Synerlitz (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Etika Info Sdn Bhd, SNS Network (M) Sdn Bhd and Uptrend Technology Sdn Bhd were chosen as winners, based on its tender decision update dated Aug 3.
The four companies will distribute the tablets according to four different geographical zones in Peninsular Malaysia.
Incorporated on April 21, 2000, SNS Network, which is headquartered in Ipoh, Perak, bagged the biggest tender amounting to RM99.76 million and will handle the supply for the northern zone, comprising Perak, Perlis, Kedah and Penang. The company is wholly owned by ACE Market-bound SNS Network Technology Bhd, which is slated to make its market debut on Sept 2.
Etika Info, which won the second largest contract worth RM86.36 million, will be covering the eastern zone that comprises Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. Founded in 2014, Etika Info, an ICT solutions provider, is based in Shah Alam.
Uptrend Technology bagged a contract worth RM75.14 million, and will cover the southern zone, namely Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Melaka. The company, which is based in Kuching, is an engineering and project management services provider.
The smallest contract is worth RM73.96 million and awarded to Synerlitz to cover the central zone, comprising Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Established in 1998, Synerlitz is based in Danau Kota here and offers engineering works, as well as facility management services and IT solutions. According to iSynerlitz's website, its chairman is Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor, former defence force chief.
The government allocated RM450 million under the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative, which was announced under Budget 2022.
On Aug 4, Tan Sri Annuar Musa told the Dewan Rakyat that a total of 350,000 tablets are expected to be distributed to full-time students from B40 families, starting September this year.
The procurement committee had selected the Samsung brand as the winner of the open tender involving five suppliers and five different zones, namely Sabah and Sarawak in the first zone, as well as the northern, central, eastern and southern zones, he said.
Four categories of students under the B40 group would qualify for the tablets, namely those in the Ministry of Education's matriculation programmes; foundation courses at public universities; Form Six students in their first and second semesters; and vocational colleges' diploma students, he said.
He also said students interested in the tablets could begin applying for them.
The distribution of the PerantiSiswa tablets, which was initially scheduled for June 2022, had to be postponed due to technical factors in the procurement, said Annuar.