This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 21, 2018

PETALING JAYA: Sunway Construction Group Bhd (SunCon) is keen to participate in the scaled-down tender for Phase 2 of the Klang Valley Double Track (KVDT) project, of which the original cost was deemed too hefty by the Pakatan Harapan government.

“Definitely yes [to submit a tender for the second phase of the KVDT project],” SunCon managing director Chung Soo Kiong told reporters after the group’s annual general meeting yesterday.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke recently announced a review of the KVDT project as the original price tag of RM5.9 billion was too much for debt-ladden Putrajaya to stomach. Loke also said the seven years needed to upgrade the track was too long. However, it is not certain when the tenders would be called.

SunCon’s outstanding order book currently stands at RM6.4 billion with 2.5 to three years of earnings visibility, Chung said.

“Our new order book target of RM1.5 billion to RM2 billion for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2018 will mostly come from in-house jobs,” he said, adding the infrastructure company had secured RM800 million in new orders, having tendered for some RM10 billion worth of work.

Chung also revealed the group is looking to expand overseas this year, particularly to Myanmar and India, and is planning a return to India after a six-year absence.