Anti-graft crusaders and experts have lauded the effectiveness of integrity pacts in dealing with corruption and vouched for their ability to save procurement-related expenses in the public sector by over 10 billion baht per year.
Vicha Mahakun, a member of the national reform committee on corruption prevention and suppression, said the success of the pacts depends on cooperation from all sides, particularly civil society, and thanked the business sector for helping to make them a reality in Thailand.
He was speaking at at an Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand seminar on integrity pacts yesterday at CentralWorld in Bangkok.
They are a sign that all sides want to rid society of corruption, Mr Vicha said as he urged the government to commit itself to making the anti-graft tool effective in practice.
Integrity pacts seek to prevent corruption and promote fair competition.
Thailand has adopted the anti-corruption measure since 2015 with the main objective of enhancing the efficiency of budget spending in public procurement projects worth one billion baht and up.
Under an integrity pact, the project's owner must disclose all procurement information and bidders must accept its terms and conditions as part of their bid.
Civil society members or volunteers who participate in the pact are responsible for observing procurement and informing all sides about their findings.
A total of 118 projects have agreed to use integrity pacts -- 63 of which have started a procurement process.
The pacts have reportedly saved more than 82.79 billion baht or around 24% of the combined budget of 1.84 trillion baht for the 63 projects.
Somkiat Tangkitvanich, from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), commended integrity pacts for their transparency but wanted them used more widely.
He said integrity pacts could help reduce government project expenses by 14% or around 10 billion baht per year.
He also suggested they be used for projects worth less than one billion baht and urged government agencies to allow the public to monitor their procurement activities.