People's Party MP criticizes local government units for purchasing solar lamp posts through the Innovation Registry at prices 10 times higher, creating legal loopholes for specification locking.
On 9 Sep 2026 GMT+7, during the parliamentary session reviewing the 2027 budget, Mr. Itthiphon Choltarnsir, an MP from Khon Kaen with the People's Party, debated the budget for local government organizations. He pointed out that the solar lamp post projects purchased through the Thai Innovation Registry by local governments were abnormally priced 4 to 10 times higher than usual, opening legal loopholes for specification locking. Lamp posts serve to illuminate roads, but now the focus has shifted to the lamp posts themselves because many LGUs have projects buying solar lamp posts via the Innovation Registry at 60,000 to 70,000 baht per unit. In contrast, the prices LGUs previously paid directly ranged from 6,900 to 16,500 baht per unit. The core problem lies not with the lamp posts but with the Innovation Registry mechanism, which allows government agencies to procure goods at pre-set prices without competitive bidding. The National Anti-Corruption Commission warned in 2024 that this legal gap leads to monopolized markets and policy-level corruption benefiting specific sellers. Meanwhile, the Office of the Auditor General inspected local solar lamp post purchases via the Innovation Registry and found them overpriced. The collusive method involves salespeople presenting goods directly to local leaders, sometimes photographing themselves with the leaders as proof of reservation to exclude competitors. Procurement then proceeds by direct purchase without competition, settling at the maximum innovation price ceiling, effectively locking specifications. The price difference of 4 to 10 times raises questions about how the excess is distributed along the way.