Change to NGV bus terms urged
THE COMMITTEE charged with drafting the terms of reference for the purchase of 3,183 natural-gas-powered buses by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) thinks some key points in the draft need to be revised before the second public hearing on the TOR
Deputy Transport Minister Prin Suvanadat said yesterday that the committee had found seven points in need of revision after the first hearing on the TOR from July 19-26.
He added that the tender for the buses was expected to go out around the end of this year or early in 2014. The first 250 buses, which will be powered by natural gas for vehicles, are expected to be delivered to the BMTA in the middle of next year.
The planned revision is aimed at giving more suppliers the chance to bid for the bus contract, while specifying that more equipment will need to be added for the convenience of disabled riders.
The buses will also have to have more safety equipment, such as the increase of fire extinguishers from two to four per bus. The exhaust pipes must comply with industrial safety standards.
The TOR also needs to determine the installation standard for the fuel tanks to ensure public safety.
Prin said the drafting committee would also need to clarify publicly some issues in the TOR that have been viewed as contradicting the law.
ACT wants changes
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) has urged the BMTA to revise some details in the TOR on its tender for NGV buses.
ACT chairman Pramon Sutivong said the BMTA should allow a third party to monitor draft revisions to the TOR as it prepares to purchase 3,183 buses powered by natural gas for vehicles. The estimated total cost is Bt28.98 billion. Given such a large sum, the ACT wants high transparency in the deal.
He said his organisation would discuss the matter with the BMTA today. However, if the authority does not accept the ACT proposal, it will send comments to high-level officials on how it wants the TOR amended.
Although the BMTA has already announced its TOR for the tender, some issues of concern have been highlighted by the ACT, Pramon said. In particular, the terms could result in the number of bidders being too low, consideration of the bids could be too long, and specifications for the buses themselves lack details.
Pramon’s group is also concerned that the current TOR was not drafted in accordance with constitutional principles on the prevention and suppression of corruption.
Meanwhile, ACT has scheduled an event called “ACT NOW: Together We Fight, Fight for the Future” for September 6 at Siam Paragon. This is the third annual such event after the anti-corruption campaign was initiated by private organisations. The event will encourage the public to pay more attention to corruption and say no to graft and bribery.
