State Audit Office denies rumors of building design change

The State Audit Office denied rumors of redesigning its building, confirming that the construction complies with the Building Control Act.

The State Audit Office denies rumours of changing the design of its building in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district on Sunday, confirming that the construction was in line with the Building Control Act.

The statement on its Facebook page came after the building, which was under construction, collapsed on Friday afternoon due to the impact of an earthquake centred in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Relevant agencies are accelerating their efforts to rescue victims trapped inside the wreckage. According to the Erawan Medical Emergency Centre at 6am on Sunday, the incident resulted in 18 injuries and 10 fatalities.According to the statement, the building design focused on facilitating the State Audit Office’s work and was suitable for the location on a 10-rai 3-ngan plot of land. The Forum Architects and Meinhardt (Thailand) were responsible for the building design, with a budget of 73 million baht in 2018.

The Cabinet had approved a budget of 2.56 billion baht for the construction on 4 February 2020. The office then hired a contractor under the Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act BE 2560 (2017).

The bidder who won the contract for construction was the ITD-CREC joint venture, comprising Italian-Thai Development (ITD) and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand).

The joint venture made the lowest bid of 2.13 billion baht, of which the State Audit Office had already paid 966.8 million baht in 22 installments.The statement indicated that the State Audit Office had ensured that construction was carried out in accordance with the specifications and contract requirements, as well as relevant laws, regulations and announcements.

The office had paid extra attention to the building’s weight-bearing capacity, resistance and durability in line with the Building Control Act and relevant announcements, as construction sites in Bangkok may be affected by earthquakes.

The construction had been approved by the designer, supervisor and relevant government agencies involved in building construction, all of whom are professionals. Meanwhile, the construction contract is insured.

The statement also claimed that rumours of a change in the building structure to make it smaller are distorted, saying that the design was carried out according to professional engineering standards.

The square columns at the front of the building cover three storeys, measuring 1.40 x 1.40 metres in width and length. From the 29th floor to the roof, the columns are round, with a diameter of 0.80 metres to support the building's roof.

All of this is in accordance with what the designer specified, and there have been no changes whatsoever, the statement said, adding that the State Audit Office has been monitoring and inspecting the construction process at all times.

The statement also confirmed that the bidding for the supervisor of the building, PKW joint venture, was in line with the Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act BE 2560 (2017).

PKW joint venture won the bidding with a bid of 74.65 million baht, consisting of PN Synchronize, W and Associates Consultants and KP Consultants. The supervisor must oversee the construction work and certify the testing of all construction materials according to the specifications.

The State Audit Office adheres to the principles of honesty, value, transparency, efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in line with the Public Procurement and Supplies Administration Act BE 2560 (2017), the statement said.

To demonstrate its commitment to fighting corruption, the State Audit Office has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand.

Additionally, the office signed an ethics agreement on anti-corruption in government procurement with the ITD-CREC joint venture on February 10, 2021.

The State Audit Office expressed condolences to the families of those injured and the deceased, saying that the office executives and officials visited the scene and collaborated with relevant agencies on rescuing victims trapped inside the wreckage.

The office also promised to investigate the cause of the incident and alleviate the suffering of the victims.

A coordination centre has been set up at the scene to integrate cooperation with relevant government and private agencies to rescue victims and assist those affected by the incident, the statement added.

(2025/03/30-00:00)