The project delivery partner (PDP) award for the proposed RM9 billion third extension of the light rail transit (LRT 3), rumoured to be delayed, is on track, say sources.

While some expected the PDP award process to conclude in July, two separate sources told KINIBIZ that there was no official deadline specified to the participants in the tender process for the PDP role.

“We are probably looking at August or September for that,” said a source in Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, the asset owner and operator of Malaysia’s two LRT lines, who asked to remain anonymous because the individual is not authorised to comment.

Bidding for the PDP role, which stands to earn up to 6% of the total cost as management fees subject to the fulfilment of certain terms, reportedly closed on June 9, 2015, which is the final date for pre-qualified contractors to submit their proposals for the role.

“So far, we have seven parties that have collected the tender documents to be re-submitted by early June. Come July, we should award the PDP for LRT 3,” Prasarana group managing director Azmi Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying by The Star on May 13.

However this may have been the expectation at the time which is no longer true, said the Prasarana source.

Another source KINIBIZ spoke to indicated that the award is now with the Ministry of Finance, who has final authority on the matter. “They should decide anytime,” said the source.

The project delivery partner (PDP) award for the proposed RM9 billion third extension of the light rail transit (LRT 3), earlier expected to be in July, is seen to have run into a delay.

In addition to being the asset owner and operator of Malaysia’s two existing LRT lines, Prasarana also owns and operates the Kuala Lumpur Monorail line as well as 170 bus routes in the Klang Valley under its bus services arm Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd.

According to the official LRT 3 project timeline, the PDP award is slated for mid-2H15.

The works packages for the project are expected to be awarded by early 2016 with construction works slated to begin shortly after. The extension is scheduled to begin full operations on Aug 31, 2020.

The bidding process reportedly involved six interested contenders, vying for a role that stands to earn up to 6% of the total cost as management fees subject to the fulfilment of certain terms.

The six parties are the MMC Corp Berhad-Gamuda Berhad partnership; a joint bid by Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and George Kent (M) Berhad; UEM Builders, the construction arm of government-owned conglomerate UEM Group; Sunway Berhad; a partnership between WCT Berhad and AlloyMtd; and a partnership between Naza Group and China-based CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd.

The proposal for the LRT 3 extension was submitted by Prasarana to the Land Transport Commission (Spad) in May 2014. The alignment, which has 25 stations, will span 36km from One Utama in Damansara to Johan Setia in Klang.

The alignment will also be integrated with existing rail transportation systems.

According to the official LRT 3 website, the One Utama station will be allow transfer to the Sungai-Buloh MRT line while the third station will allow transfer to the Kelana Jaya LRT line.

Meantime the Klang station of LRT 3 will also allow transfer to the Batu Caves-Pelabuhan Klang route of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) rail service. Two other stations will be integrated into proposed Bus Rapid Transit lines.