Abstract:
Purpose – Lack of competition in procurement processes may affect the sustainable procurement
due to overpriced and low-quality infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate
the current practices in Malaysian public-private partnership (PPP) in handling unsolicited
proposals within PPP and to suggest ways in which the practices can be improved to
achieve sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach – Case study was conducted within which 13 semi-structured
interviews were carried out with different groups: the policy makers, the practitioners and the experts.
The study also scrutinised published guidelines and relevant regulations used by in management of
unsolicited proposals in Malaysian PPP.
Findings – The Government of Malaysia welcomes unsolicited proposals from the private sector, even
though it does not publish any established mechanisms to handle such proposals. Lack of competition
in unsolicited proposals is a major concern in achieving sustainable goals of procurement. This could
be addressed by introducing a competitive element to unsolicited proposals.
Originality/value – There are limited study and reports on the implementation of unsolicited
proposals by the Malaysian Government. Besides adding to the literature, this paper reveals the
management of unsolicited proposals. Most importantly, it is useful in assisting potential Malaysian
PPP stakeholders and investors in what to expect, based on findings from the actual practice.
