PUTRAJAYA – The briefing for the Request for Information (RFI) exercise for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project has received overwhelming response from representatives from local and international companies, along with a handful of foreign missions.
The Star understands that around 700 attendees were at the briefing hosted by MyHSR Corporation at the Finance Ministry on Thursday afternoon.
The briefing provided an overview of the RFI process, including the timeline for local and international firms and consortia to submit concept proposals for the bilateral project based on a public-private partnership model.
During the briefing, MyHSR said the project structure will be based on the design-finance-build-operate-transfer model, and participating firms must show the ability to develop this project with the appropriate technical expertise, resources and project management capabilities within cost and timelines.
Incorporated in 2015, MyHSR is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance while coming under the supervision of the Transport Ministry as it plays the role of the Malaysian project delivery vehicle for the development and implementation of the project.
Datuk Seri Fauzi Abdul Rahman, chairman of MyHSR, said the briefing marked an important step in bringing the project to reality, in line with the aspirations of the government.
“The briefing provided interested companies with the relevant information such as the key components, submission requirements and evaluation criteria for them to prepare and deliver a comprehensive concept proposal,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Equally important is the ability of participating firms to demonstrate their ability to sustainably build and operate the HSR services with realistic commercial expectations, including, but not limited to, demand forecast, cost optimisation, revenue diversification (not just for ticket sales), and financial projections.
Additionally, bidders must have the ability to raise the required funding from diverse sources and develop a financially sustainable model that minimises reliance on government funding while ensuring successful project implementation and operations.
Other than providing an overview of the RFI process, MyHSR also presented case studies on the positive impact of HSR development and economic integration in Taiwan, Japan and China, as well as the HSR journey embarked upon by Britain, Thailand and Indonesia.
“We are optimistic that the KL-SG HSR project is more than just a transportation solution. It will form the major backbone between the Klang Valley and the southern corridor of Peninsular Malaysia, spurring developments of key economic centres, intermediates cities, high-value industrial parks and many more,” Mr Fauzi said.
“Besides stimulating economic recovery following global headwinds and the Covid-19 pandemic, the project will provide a much-needed boost to our construction sector and its supporting ecosystem while creating high-value jobs and generating business opportunities for small- to large-scale enterprises.”
Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal, chief executive of MyHSR, said he was pleased with the level of interest shown by potential investors.
“Participating firms or consortia should include a clear vision and plan that leverages rail connectivity to boost economic growth while ensuring that the sustainability and low-carbon aspects of the system are incorporated,” he said.
Other than Malaysian companies, the briefing also saw attendance by industry players from Britain, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
The concept proposal stage will start with the distribution of the RFI documents starting from Aug 11, with the closing date for submissions on Nov 15. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
