Petition campaign urges competitive bidding for high-speed rail project

[webfact]

Petition campaign urges competitive bidding for high-speed rail project
By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- A petition campaign was launched in change.org on Sunday, calling for more transparency in terms of the appointment of contractors for the planned Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project by adopting a competitive-bidding auction system.

 

The campaign, which has already got more than half of its target of 5,000 signatures, suggests that competitive bidding could screen the most efficient contractors to work with Thailand. The current government-to-government model, however, does not allow Thailand to have more options on railway technology.

 

It was launched by a user named Zirikorn Photichack three days after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had issued an Article 44 order under the interim charter to grant multiple legal exemptions to the project.

 

The PM’s order, the campaign says, could violate good governance, sound financial principles, and equal state treatment, as stipulated in the current charter. Its legal exemptions could also violate the amended 2011 bill on countering corruption, it said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30318536

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-20

[colinneil]

Competitive bidding

That is something that will never happen, now competitive brown envelopes, that is something that will happen.

[Bob12345]

Quote

The campaign, which has already got more than half of its target of 5,000 signatures

Why has the target been set to 5,000 signatures?

Seems a bit low for an internet savvy nation consisting of over 60 million people.

 

It seems someone just set up a page, set a low goal, and now hopes to get some exposure.

Of course it won't make any difference as the government does not rely on "change.org" to fill their meeting agendas.

[CLW]

From my experiences of tender and bidding procedures there won't be much difference after that. The Chinese deal is set, so they will make a unbelievable low offer to get the contract

[natway09]

These two un elected leaders look so comfortable with each other it makes me despair.

Democracy is finished in Asia or can someone enlighten me 

[Cadbury]

According to the theory of relativity the level of rigor of the competitive bidding would be indirectly proportional to the size of the envelopes.

 

Thus the higher degree of transparency and integrity of the bidding process the smaller the size of the envelopes.

 

Competitive bidding therefore will have a snowball's chance in hell of getting up. No further debate required.

 

Incentive bidding will decide the issues involved. Article 44 will see to that.