Ministry of Islamic Affairs has decided to select four companies to carry Hajj pilgrims this year.
The ministry received bid documents from 15 interested parties to carry Hajj pilgrims during the proposal submission period which concluded on February 23. With the decision to select four private companies in addition to the state-owned enterprise Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited (MHCL), a total of five companies will carry Hajj pilgrims this year.
According to the ministry, four companies are to be selected based on an evaluation criteria it has formulated to analyse submitted bids. While the ministry awards 10% and 5% for price and experience respectively, 85% would be awarded for the services provided and the quality of the services.
From the quota of slots provided by the government of Saudi Arabia, each private company will be allowed to carry 90 Hajj pilgrims while the rest of the slots will be given to MHCL. The ministry is seeking to make arrangements in advance as it believes arranging services in advance will reduce the prices set by the companies.
To ease the process, Islamic ministry has decided to develop a Hajj portal and mitigate charging of additional fees from pilgrims. Once the portal is launched, people interested in performing Hajj shall be required to register at the portal. The portal will show the permitted parties to carry pilgrims and an applicant will be able to select a party and pay for services via the portal.
The evaluation committee to select companies carrying Hajj pilgrims includes a representative from Attorney General's Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development and two representatives from Islamic ministry.