Bidding for Thai Pavilion project at Osaka Expo cancelled 2 times before final selection
Thai Pavilion project at Osaka Expo faced multiple bid cancellations before a winner was chosen via specific bidding, raising concerns over transparency.
The Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) cancelled the bidding process for the Thai Pavilion project at the Osaka World Expo 2025 several times before eventually selecting a contractor.
The winning company, Joint Venture RMA110 Co Ltd, was awarded the project through a specific invitation bidding process, rather than the standard competitive bidding route, following repeated cancellations.
Project History and Budget Allocation
The Thai Pavilion project originated from a Cabinet resolution dated 20 December 2022, with a total approved budget of 973.48 million baht — split into 105.6 million baht for management and 867.88 million baht for exhibition expenses.
The Ministry of Public Health appointed the Director-General of the DHSS as commissioner general for the event.
On 14 March 2023, the Cabinet reaffirmed the 867.88 million baht budget allocation across four fiscal years (2023–2026) for the organisation of the pavilion exhibition.
Key Timeline of the Bidding Process
27 April 2023: The DHSS set a median price of 867,880,000 baht, based on price quotations from two major event organisers — Index Creative Village and Right Man Co Ltd.
16 May 2023: The DHSS cancelled the regular bidding after none of the bidders met the qualifying conditions.
18 May 2023: The department reaffirmed the median price based on the same two companies' quotations.
July 2023: Joint Venture RMA110 Co Ltd was announced as the winning bidder, proposing 862,000,000 baht, undercutting the median price by 5.88 million baht.
9 October 2023: The DHSS revoked the bidding result after the selected company failed to confirm the offered price within the deadline.
17 October 2023: A new median price of 867,877,000 baht was established — just 3,000 baht lower than the original. This price was based solely on input from Joint Venture RMA110.
20 October 2023: Joint Venture RMA110 Co Ltd was once again named the winner in a specific bidding process, where it was the only company invited. The final bid was 867,800,000 baht, just 77,000 baht below the revised median price.
Additional Contracts and Corporate Concerns
On 27 March 2025, the same joint venture also secured another project related to a temporary exhibition at the Osaka Expo 2025, with a budget of 12.65 million baht, again through a specific invitation bidding process.
Suspicion arose due to the similarity in name between the winning joint venture and another company registered on 29 June 2023 with a capital of 1 million baht, which was later dissolved on 16 February 2024.
As of now, neither the authorities nor the winning joint venture have clarified whether the two similarly named companies are related or share the same management.
