A consortium comprising Malaysian builder UEM Group Bhd and a construction arm of South Korean giant Samsung Group is expected to win a 3.4 billion ringgit ($795 million) contract for work on a Kuala Lumpur skyscraper project dubbed KL118, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"The job will be awarded soon and they (the consortium) are certain to get it," the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

State-controlled unit trust company Permodalan Nasional Bhd, the owner of KL118, favours the UEM-Samsung consortium, Malaysia's financial newspaper The Edge Financial Daily reported.

An UEM Group spokesman said the company wasn't aware of the matter when contacted by Reuters. Officials at Permodalan Nasional Bhd weren't immediately available to comment.