Public tenders in Thailand: platforms, thresholds and rules

At a glance

Law: พระราชบัญญัติการจัดซื้อจัดจ้างและการบริหารพัสดุภาครัฐ พ.ศ. 2560
Oversight: กรมบัญชีกลาง (CGD)
Central portal: ระบบจัดซื้อจัดจ้างภาครัฐด้วยอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ (e-GP)

Thresholds

Specific method (วิธีเฉพาะเจาะจง) for generally available goods, services or construction, per procurement	≤ THB 500 000
E-bidding (ประกวดราคาอิเล็กทรอนิกส์) for goods and services not listed in the e-catalog	> THB 500 000
E-market (ตลาดอิเล็กทรอนิกส์) for standard items in the e-catalog: quotation above THB 500,000 up to 5 million, electronic auction above that. Value shown: threshold for the electronic auction	> THB 5 000 000
Minimum e-bidding publication period, above THB 500,000 up to 5 million, in working days	5
Minimum e-bidding publication period, above THB 5 million up to 10 million, in working days	10
Minimum e-bidding publication period, above THB 10 million up to 50 million, in working days	12
Minimum e-bidding publication period, above THB 50 million, in working days	20
Mandatory public comment on draft announcement and bidding documents, e-bidding above THB 5 million (optional from THB 500,000), minimum period in working days	≥ 3
Deadline to appeal to the procuring agency after the result is announced on the e-GP system (Section 117), in working days	7
Decision period of the Appeals and Complaints Committee after receiving the agency's report (extendable twice by 15 working days, Section 119), in days	30
Construction contracts: minimum share of domestically produced materials and equipment, by value (steel: at least 90% of quantity)	≥ 60%
E-bidding on price: margin within which a bidder offering Made in Thailand certified products beats a lower price (Thai SMEs 10%, both 15%)	5%
E-bidding on price: margin within which a Thai national or Thai-incorporated bidder beats a lower foreign bid	3%

Law and buyers

The Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act B.E. 2560 (2017) was published in the Royal Gazette on 24 February 2017 and came into force 180 days later. It applies to central, provincial and local government, state enterprises, public organisations, independent bodies and state universities, with some exclusions. The Minister of Finance is in charge of the Act; the detailed rules are in the Ministry of Finance Regulation on Public Procurement and Supplies Administration B.E. 2560 and in ministerial regulations. The Comptroller General's Department (กรมบัญชีกลาง) runs the e-GP system, and its Director-General is secretary of the Policy Committee. Agencies must publish an annual procurement plan on e-GP. Under Section 65, ministerial regulations name supplies the state promotes, which must include innovative and energy- or environment-saving supplies; regulations from 2020 added preferences for domestically made products and Thai SMEs. Thailand is an observer, not a party, to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.[1][2][5][8]

Where tenders are published

Procurement plans, invitations, award results with reasons and cancellations are published on the information network of the Comptroller General's Department, the e-GP system at gprocurement.go.th, and on the agency's own website, and are posted at the agency's office. E-bidding and e-market procedures run entirely on e-GP. To take part, suppliers register as government suppliers on e-GP and, for the e-market, list their products in the e-catalog. For construction work in fields designated by the Focal Prices Committee, contractors must also be registered with the Comptroller General's Department (Section 51). Some state enterprises also publish notices on their own procurement pages, but e-GP remains the central source.[2][3][7]

Procedures and thresholds

The Act knows three methods. The general solicitation method (วิธีประกาศเชิญชวนทั่วไป) is the default. Above THB 500,000 it runs as e-bidding for items not in the e-catalog, or as e-market for standard catalogue items, by quotation up to THB 5 million and by electronic auction above that. The selection method (วิธีคัดเลือก) invites at least three qualified operators, for example after a failed open procedure, for complex or specialised supplies, in urgency or when a brand must be specified. The specific method (วิธีเฉพาะเจาะจง) approaches one operator, for example for generally available supplies up to THB 500,000, a sole authorised distributor in Thailand or an emergency. Consultancy and design or construction supervision have their own methods. For e-bidding above THB 5 million, the draft announcement and bidding documents must first be published for public comment for at least 3 working days.[2][3][4]

Documents and language

Under Section 64, a bidder must at least have legal capacity, not be bankrupt or in dissolution, not be suspended from bidding and not be on the list of operators who abandoned government work, plus any qualifications set by the Policy Committee. The Ministry of Finance Regulation requires certified copies of the company registration certificate, the memorandum of association and lists of managing directors, controlling persons and major shareholders; joint ventures add the joint venture agreement and passports of non-Thai partners. The technical and price proposals are submitted through e-GP, with a bid security where the invitation requires one. Notices and bidding documents are in Thai. Where a contract must be in a foreign language, it is drawn up in English with a Thai summary of its key terms (Section 93), so foreign bidders should plan for Thai translations of their documents.[2][3]

Deadlines, award and challenges

E-bidding notices must stay open for at least 5 working days above THB 500,000 up to 5 million, 10 working days up to THB 10 million, 12 working days up to THB 50 million and 20 working days above that. Proposals are assessed on price alone or on price plus published, weighted criteria such as life-cycle cost, standards, after-sales service, promoted supplies and technical proposals; the highest score wins. The winner and reasons appear on e-GP. A bidder can appeal to the agency within 7 working days of publication; the agency decides within 7 working days and, if it disagrees, refers the case to the Appeals and Complaints Committee, which decides within 30 days with up to two extensions of 15 working days. Its decision is final; damages can be claimed in court. Contracts are signed only after the appeal period, except under the specific method or in urgency.[2][3]

How to win a tender in Thailand

Under Section 65 of the Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act, Thai agencies select the proposal with the highest score, using price alone or price combined with weighted criteria such as life-cycle cost, standards, after-sales service, promoted supplies, the supplier's past performance and technical proposals. The criteria and weights must be published in the invitation, and the Ministry of Finance Regulation reserves price-performance criteria (เกณฑ์ราคาประกอบเกณฑ์อื่น) mainly for complex or high-technology purchases, so many e-bidding procedures are decided on price once the offer is compliant. Use the public comment period on draft documents to challenge restrictive specifications. Where the invitation allows questions, send them by the stated e-mail or channel; the agency must publish its explanation on e-GP at least 3 working days before the bid date. To know the buyer, read its annual procurement plan and earlier award results with reasons on e-GP. Bids are rejected when documents or specifications are incomplete or wrong in essential points, or when bidders share interests; false documents can put you on the work abandoners list. You submit one price only. Results with reasons appear on e-GP, and the 7-working-day appeal window starts then.[2][3][7]

Check whether the invitation uses price only or price with weighted criteria.
Comment on draft documents during the public comment period on e-GP.
Send questions through the stated channel and read the agency's explanation on e-GP.
Study the buyer's annual procurement plan and earlier results on e-GP.
Submit complete, signed Thai documents and one final price.
Read the published reasons and appeal within 7 working days if needed.

Clarification round: Public comment on draft documents (รับฟังความคิดเห็น) and questions on the bidding documents, answered as explanations (ชี้แจงรายละเอียด) on e-GP

How TenderRender helps you in Thailand

TenderRender does the work behind each step above. Your team checks and refines.

1
Research the buyer
Brings together the buyer's earlier awards, policies and contracts, so your bid fits this buyer's situation in Thailand.
2
Ask questions
Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Public comment on draft documents (รับฟังความคิดเห็น) and questions on the bidding documents, answered as explanations (ชี้แจงรายละเอียด) on e-GP.
3
Write per criterion
Drafts a first version per award criterion, in the language of the tender, with citations to your own documents.
4
Review
Scores your bid per award criterion the way an evaluator would, with concrete improvements.
5
Fill in forms
Fills in the declarations, price schedules, questionnaires and Excel annexes from your own data and earlier bids, with a source per answer.
6
Submit
Builds a checklist of everything you need to submit on ระบบจัดซื้อจัดจ้างภาครัฐด้วยอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ (e-GP) and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Thailand you upload the documents from ระบบจัดซื้อจัดจ้างภาครัฐด้วยอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ (e-GP) and TenderRender works with them the same way.

Teams writing or reviewing with TenderRender won 49% of their completed tenders. How this was calculated

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Tips for bidders

Register on gprocurement.go.th early and check whether your construction field needs registration with the Comptroller General's Department. Follow annual procurement plans and draft documents on e-GP, because the public comment period lets you challenge restrictive specifications before the tender opens. When price is the only criterion, Thai bidders win within 3% of a lower foreign bid, Made in Thailand certified products within 5% and registered Thai SMEs within 10%, so a Thai partner or subsidiary can matter. Construction and service contracts normally require at least 60% domestically produced materials by value. Plan for Thai-language documents and keep track of the 7-working-day appeal window from the moment results appear on e-GP.[2][3][5][7]

Platforms in Thailand

This country does not publish on TED, so there are no shares. These are the platforms from our market map, public ones first.

Thai Government Procurement (e-GP)
Register online as a government supplier in e-GP, then submit the printed form and documents to the Comptroller General's Department or provincial treasury for approval.
How it works →Website

PublicCommercial

Frequently asked questions

Where are public tenders in Thailand published?

On the e-GP system of the Comptroller General's Department at gprocurement.go.th, and on the website and notice board of the procuring agency.[2][7]

Do I need to register?

Yes. You register as a government supplier on gprocurement.go.th to submit proposals, and construction contractors in designated fields must also be registered with the Comptroller General's Department.[2][7]

What are the thresholds?

The specific method can be used for generally available supplies up to THB 500,000. Above THB 500,000 agencies use e-bidding, or the e-market for items in the e-catalog, where an electronic auction applies above THB 5 million.[3][4]

Can foreign companies bid?

The Act does not exclude foreign operators, but they must meet the qualifications in each invitation and work with Thai documents. When price decides, a Thai bidder wins if its price is no more than 3% above a foreign bid, and Thailand is not a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.[2][5][8]

In which language do I bid?

Notices and bidding documents on e-GP are in Thai. If a contract has to be in a foreign language, it is made in English with a Thai summary of its key terms.[2][3]

How much time do I have to submit a bid?

For e-bidding at least 5 working days up to THB 5 million, 10 up to THB 10 million, 12 up to THB 50 million and 20 working days above that.[3]

How do I challenge an award?

File an appeal with the agency within 7 working days of the result being announced on e-GP; if the agency disagrees, the Appeals and Complaints Committee decides within 30 days, extendable twice by 15 working days.[2]