Contractors undertaking public transport infrastructure projects will soon be required to sign "integrity pacts" allowing for independent scrutiny at all stages of the project, Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt said yesterday.
The anti-corruption drive will begin with a project to procure 3,138 gas-fuelled passenger buses and later cover transport projects under the government's 2.2-trillion-baht transport infrastructure development package, he said.
The integrity pact requirement was one of four deals the ministry reached yesterday during a meeting with the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT).
Mr Chadchat told ACT chairman Pramon Sutivong he wanted the organisation to scrutinise all future public transport projects to ensure transparency.
The plan will be put before the cabinet for consideration today, but the minister has indicated he will push ahead with the measures regardless.
Both sides agreed authorities and contractors would sign integrity pacts promising to reveal information at every stage of a transport infrastructure project.
"Independent scrutiny should begin as soon as the project starts. I believe government officials will also welcome the checks as it will make the people working on them feel more comfortable," Mr Chadchat said.
Transport authorities will flesh out specific details of the pacts over the coming month, he said.
Three deals were reached yesterday. They were that corruption suppression would be declared a national priority; that the private sector and civil society would join observers in examining transport project implementation; and that the ACT would work more closely with the Transport Ministry's corruption prevention centre.
Mr Chadchat promised transport projects would be scrutinised from start to finish, from the writing of the terms of reference right through to the designing, contract bidding and construction stages.
"Corruption must be prevented. This cooperation [between the Transport Ministry and the ACT] is an important step towards stamping out corruption right at the early stages of transport projects," the minister said.
"It is much better than trying to solve problems after they happen."
Mr Chadchat said small provincial projects, not only major national schemes, were prone to corruption and would also be targeted by the ACT.
Mr Pramon said he was satisfied with the transport minister's approach.