PETALING JAYA: Three out of seven procurement tenders worth more than RM50mil carried out at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) did not follow the required procurement procedures, according to the Auditor-General’s Report 2/2025.

In these cases, the report highlighted that an audit was carried out on seven procurement tenders worth RM66.64mil in UKM covering supplies, services and works carried out from November 2024 to January 2025.

The report found that the tender procurement committee selected companies that were not recommended by the technical evaluation committee, financial evaluation committee and pre-tender committee.

“The tender process for infrastructure upgrades at four residential colleges on UKM’s main campus in Bangi, worth RM8.19mil, was conducted in accordance with regulations.

“However, three tenders at HCTM were found to have breached procurement rules.

“The audit revealed serious irregularities and weaknesses in the tender procurement process and governance at UKM,” said the report released on Monday (July 21).

For all three tenders mentioned, UKM did not appoint a representative from the Finance Ministry to the tender procurement committee. Although a representative from the Higher Education Ministry was appointed, they did not attend the tender committee meetings.

Among the lapses was the awarding of a contract to a company whose medical equipment failed to meet integration specifications with UKM’s existing system, it said, adding that the technical committee’s concerns were not taken into account.

In another case, a separate company that failed the technical evaluation for catering services was still brought before the committee, in breach of a Treasury circular.

Similarly, the Auditor-General found that the tender procurement committee made decisions collectively, including the pre-tender committee endorsing a company that had failed the evaluation stage for a project involving the upgrading and replacement of 16 elevators, revealed the report.

To prevent further breaches, the Auditor-General recommended that UKM revise its procurement guidelines to align with Treasury regulations and financial rules.

The Auditor-General also called for close monitoring of the implementation of the three tenders and disciplinary action against officers and committee members found to have violated procedures.

In response, the Higher Education Department issued a reminder letter titled “Strengthening Procurement Management” on March 25, 2025 to all vice-chancellors of public universities, following audit findings.

“The letter urged strict adherence to Treasury Circulars in procurement procedures,” it said.

It also explained that the Higher Education Ministry’s appointed representatives in UKM’s tender procurement committee are the deputy secretaries from the development division (technical and planning).

“However, these representatives are not mandatory members for quorum purposes, and they are not part of UKM’s board of directors nor designated alternates, as is the practice in other public universities,” it said.