PETALING JAYA: Tourism Malaysia regrets that advertising agency Integrated Strategic Communications (ISC), which was behind the successful Malaysia Truly Asia drive for 12 years, has withdrawn from the lucrative campaign. ISC cited “ambiguity” in Tourism Malaysia’s tender process but the corporation’s acting director-general Datuk Azizan Noordin refuted this, saying the tenders had always been carried out in an objective and professional manner. He added, however, that it was the prerogative of the ISC Group to make the decision.
It was reported on Monday that the ISC Group had decided to withdraw its tender offer after serving Tourism Malaysia since 1999. It is learnt that the bid was for a RM600mil advertising and promotions campaign that would reach markets across Europe, North America and Oceania. The contract was supposed to start on Jan 1. ISC said it submitted its tender document on Aug 16 last year but had yet to receive any response on the tender process timelines. It claimed its team had been on standby for over five months.
Azizan, however, said the tender pitch closed on Aug 16 last year and of the 111 tender forms distributed, 34 agencies had applied. “The reason why it took a bit more time was mainly due to the tedious scrutiny process and meticulous efforts of the respective main committees,” he said in a statement. “We wish to reiterate that due diligence cannot be compromised at any stage of the evaluation. Nonetheless, we strive to meet the stipulated time frame,” Azizan added. “For the record, the tender process was done in strict compliance with the financial and procurement guidelines and regulations prescribed by the Government, with the participation of the Finance Ministry, the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Malaysia,” Azizan said.
-thestar online.
With RM 600 Mil at stake, every advertising company will jump at anythings. There are already word of mouth in the trade that certain person/s asking for their cuts. High time to report any wrong doing the the relevant authority.
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