The Budget Committee has halted the National Statistical Office's software purchase due to concerns about long-term licensing costs, recommending the Office of the Auditor General switch to Cloud technology instead of servers to reduce expenses.
On 20 Aug 2026 GMT+7 at the Parliament, during the extraordinary Budget Bill Committee meeting for fiscal year 2027, the subcommittee reported its review findings to the full committee.
The committee questioned the subcommittee about the budget cuts on the National Statistical Office's software project. The subcommittee explained that market price comparisons revealed unclear information in some areas, raising concerns about incomplete competition and potential overpricing, leading to the decision to reduce the budget.
However, committee members worried the decision might have been premature and requested the subcommittee clarify the reasons and details behind the budget reduction.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanaphat Kangkruambut, advisor to the subcommittee, stated that the subcommittee understands the project's importance and had thoroughly reviewed it. They asked the National Statistical Office to provide related documents and information for further consideration if the software truly exists and is usable.
However, when asked to provide these documents, the National Statistical Office failed to do so, causing the subcommittee to doubt whether the proposed 80-million-baht software actually exists and is functional as claimed.
The subcommittee also noted that many government agencies prefer to develop their own digital projects, ensuring software usage rights remain with the agency and avoiding long-term system management issues.
In contrast, the National Statistical Office proposed purchasing software from an external vendor, raising concerns that after the first year of use, continued software access might incur additional licensing fees possibly reaching 10–20 million baht annually, creating a long-term budget burden for the government.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanaphat further suggested following the approach of other government agencies by developing software in-house with a 40-million-baht budget, which would reduce costs and long-term commitments.
Additionally, the subcommittee reduced the Office of the Auditor General's 100-million-baht server purchase budget. Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanaphat proposed this cut, viewing the initial budget as excessive, noting that many government agencies have reduced server use due to high maintenance costs and the need for specialized personnel. This raised concerns about the Office of the Auditor General’s capacity to manage cyber security. Many government bodies now prefer Cloud systems for data storage and service via the internet due to reasonable costs and practical usability.