NACC recently hosted a seminar to collect opinions and ideas from the private sector in a bid to prevent and solve corruption problems related to public sector bidding.
NACC’s Bureau of Proactive Measures and Innovation (MI) organised the seminar and workshop on the subject “E-bidding: Solution to Corruption?” as part of “the STRONG Together against Corruption (TaC Team) to enhance the Corruption Perceptions Index: CPI”. Ladda Duansawang, director of MI welcomed the participants and detailed the objectives of the event, which was held at TK Palace and Convention Hotel, Bangkok.
NACC has analysed the evaluation results of CPI scores in the past several years and submitted them to the Cabinet, which resolved on September 1, 2020 to acknowledge the recommendations to improve CPI: Phase III, as proposed by NACC. The Cabinet assigned the agencies concerned to hold discussions with the NACC office on how to proceed in line with the recommendations.
NACC’s recommendations comprised five major points, namely: 1. The government’s policies for solving corruption problems; 2. Recommendations on bribes; 3. Conflicts of Interest; 4. Examination and punishment of government officials, and 5. Transparency and Verification in budget and public sector procurement.
The results of the first to the fourth points and guidelines for further development were discussed between November 2022 and January 2023 by participants mostly from public sector. E-bidding: Solution to Corruption? featured a workshop on the fifth point. NACC office hosted the workshop and a brainstorming session on “E-bidding; Solution to the Corruption? It was considered extremely important that the participants were made up of representatives from the private sector as the Office wanted to listen to their comments and opinions for prevention and solving corruption problems concerning public sector procurement.
Complaints about alleged corruption submitted to NACC indicate that there are problems at every step of public sector procurement, including project planning, project approval submission, contractor selection, contract administration, work inspection, and budget disbursement. Corruption cases involved offering favours, compromises on price, conflict of interest and demands from government officials that contractors pay bribes. In the Budget Year of 2021 alone, a total of 1,153 complaints of alleged corruption in government procurement worth Bt8,792,104,318 were submitted.
Therefore, NACC opened opportunities for representatives of the private sectors, including those participating via the Facebook Fan Page of NACC, to air and exchange opinions on prevention and solving corruption problems in public sector procurement.
In the morning session, participants were informed of laws, measures and mechanisms that the public sector section attempted to use in the work. Distinguished guests speaking at the event included Federation of Thai Industries’ executive director Adul K. laorr; Taksaporn Rakyu, Legal Officer, Senior Professional Level, Comptroller General’s Department; Nattapob Tulayakulroj, director of Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission 1, and Sakchai Chansangwattana, director of NACC’s Asset Inspection in the Political Sector.
In the afternoon, participants were divided into two groups to exchange opinions that reflected the private sector’s perspectives towards public prosecutor procurement.
Source : https://www.nacc.go.th/categorydetail/20180831184638361/20230227113949?
