Bangkok: The Comptroller General’s Department has criticized the “Trading Organization” for crafting a Terms of Reference (TOR) that breaches Section 8 of the Procurement Act, particularly in relation to a multi-billion-baht contract for printing textbooks in 2025.

According to Thai News Agency, the controversy stems from a project by the trading organization of the Office of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Welfare Promotion Commission (TESPC), which announced a winning bid for printing 145 textbook items for the 2025 academic year. The project, valued at 1,060 million baht, was awarded through a selection method. However, the process has faced legal challenges at the Administrative Court and an appeal to the Appeals and Complaints Consideration Committee.

The Ministry of Finance’s Comptroller General’s Department reported receiving six complaints and appeals from Rungsilp Printing (1977) Co., Ltd. These complaints allege unfair competition in the procurement process, from the bid invitation to the announcement of the winner, highlighting violations of the Government Procurement and Supplies Management Act 2017. The department is currently reviewing these cases.

Further, the Comptroller General’s Department has intervened in one particular case involving the electronic bidding for three textbook packaging boxes. The Appeals and Complaints Consideration Committee ruled in favor of Rungsin Printing (1977) Co., Ltd., declaring the procurement process invalid and ordering its cancellation. The judgment highlighted that certain bidder qualifications acted as barriers, contravening Section 8 of the Procurement Act.

Rungsin Printing (1977) Co., Ltd., despite offering a lower bid for the textbook printing project, was not selected due to disqualification criteria related to past employment terminations and alleged damages. This disqualification mirrors issues found in the textbook packaging boxes project, where the Comptroller General’s Department identified a similar breach of the Procurement Act.

Additionally, a past Supreme Administrative Court ruling underscored that decisions by the Appeals Committee are binding on government agencies, emphasizing the need for compliance with such decisions. Rungsin Printing (1977) Co., Ltd. has also taken legal action in the Central Administrative Court to annul the bid announcement and TOR for the 2025 textbook printing project by the ONESQA trading organization, registered as Black Case No. 27/2025.