Transport Ministry to launch contractor oversight system in August
New system adds score deductions, downgrades, and registry removal penalties
The Ministry of Transport plans to introduce a “contractor report card” system in August, aimed at enhancing the oversight and accountability of contractors involved in public infrastructure projects.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced that the Ministry of Finance’s Comptroller General Department is working on regulations to evaluate contractor performance. These regulations will be reviewed by the Office of the Council of State before formal adoption.
The new system will enhance existing penalties, such as fines and bans on state bidding, by adding measures like score deductions, contractor downgrades, and, in severe cases, removal from the contractor registry.
This initiative follows a series of accidents, including a fatal incident in December last year when falling steel at the Purple Line MRT construction site resulted in deaths. Other accidents have involved falling train wheels and structural collapses on the Yellow Line, as well as fatal construction site incidents on Rama II Road since last year.
Two key measures are being considered: a ministerial regulation defining contractor registration criteria and a Finance Ministry regulation for public procurement and asset management. This system will apply only to contracts signed after its implementation, leaving ongoing projects unaffected.
Nevertheless, state agencies have been directed to monitor existing contracts and ensure close supervision of contractor work.
Core measures of the scheme include deducting performance points for safety violations, project delays, and accidents, as well as downgrading contractor classifications. In serious cases involving fatalities due to negligence, contractors may face suspension from bidding for up to two years, reported Bangkok Post.
On June 8, a construction worker was fatally trapped under a concrete slab in a 3-metre-deep pit following a landslide on Rama 2 Road. The accident took place around 2am. Police from Bang Mot Police Station, along with Chom Thong Fire Station officials and volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, quickly arrived at the scene.
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