The Comptroller-General's Department, which controls disbursement of the state budget, has issued guidelines to expedite the disbursement of the fiscal 2024 budget, allowing state agencies to proceed with bidding for investment projects even though the budget has not yet been approved by parliament, says Comptroller-General Patricia Mongkhonvanit.
The one exception is the signing of contracts, she said.
In response to concerns about delays of fiscal 2024 budget disbursement and efforts to expedite use of existing agency investment budgets, a committee for government procurement and supply management established guidelines for the preparation of planned investment projects in fiscal 2024, specifying details for the goods or services, bidder qualifications, procurement terms and conditions, and form and content of contracts.
Once the planned investment expenditure is approved, agencies should prepare a procurement plan for the entire fiscal year, posting it on the Comptroller-General Department's website as well as its own website. The agency may identify a preferred bidder, but cannot sign a contract.
For terms and conditions of procurement contracts, agencies should clearly specify that signing of contracts will happen after the 2024 Budget Expenditure Act is finalised and the fiscal 2024 budget is approved by the department. If the planned investment expenditures are rejected, the agency can cancel the procurement, said Ms Patricia.
The department also expedited the bidding process for government auctions, including reducing the duration of procurement notices through e-bidding and increasing the bidding limit from 500,000 to 5 million baht, rising to 500,000 to 10 million baht, with the agency head having the discretion to post procurement notices. These guidelines only apply to the general invitation method.