The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the Phase 4 electronic passport tender applied the same criteria to all bidders and emphasized that all complaints are still under legal appeal review with no final decision yet made.
On 11 Nov 2026, Ms. Jaitai Upakarnitikeset, Director-General of the Information Department and spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that the parliamentary commission's concerns about the project related to complaints already under appeal by bidders. These are currently being examined by the Appeal and Complaints Committee, which includes representatives from eight agencies such as the Comptroller General's Department, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of the Auditor General, and operates independently.
Regarding value for money, this project covers the entire passport service system—from application receipt and biometric data collection to personal data protection—and must comply with ICAO standards. The Ministry therefore applied a 70:30 performance-to-price ratio, requiring bidders to conduct system tests (POC) to evaluate performance against criteria specified in the TOR, which was refined through four rounds of public consultation and applied equally to all bidders.
The Director-General also noted that in terms of transparency, the project is under an integrity pact with anti-corruption observers involved at every stage—from drafting the TOR, testing the POC, to appeals review. Technical evaluations also involved academic experts from universities. The Ministry submitted publicly disclosable documents to the parliamentary commission on 4 Nov 2026 and is ready to allow audits via the e-GP system. However, technical proposals from each bidder remain confidential under Section 10 of the Public Procurement Act and will be disclosed after the appeal process concludes.
For the public, the Ministry is currently negotiating additional passport production contracts with the existing service provider to ensure uninterrupted service after Phase 3 ends on 31 Dec 2026.