Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) along with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has launched the Digital Products and Services Catalogue to facilitate the purchase of digital offerings and enhance the quality of solutions.
Depa’s chief executive, Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, said the agency examines the qualifications of entrepreneurs seeking to list in the catalogue including digital goods and services that apply for registration, whether it is Software, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Digital Content Service, Smart Devices and Hardware and Firmware, etc.
“It is required for the listed offerings to meet specified standards at reasonable pricing,” he said.
The Minister of DES, Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, said the catalogue would be a key driver of digital economic development with a goal to enhance efficient public-private partnerships.
He said the catalogue comprises qualified offerings developed by local providers that can help promote transparency and fairness in the procurement market.
“It is also an opportunity for Thai digital entrepreneurs to enter the government market,” he added.
The announcement follows a recent cabinet approval for setting up the catalogue that contains a pool of digital offerings available for public and private procurement. There are more than 300 certified digital products and services currently listed on the TECHHUNT platform, which is available to the public.
Depa has listed some vouchers and incentives on the platform. Businesses or entrepreneurs purchasing digital offerings listed on the catalogue will receive benefits such as a tax deduction of up to 200 percent, he added.
The agency has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the country’s largest industrial conglomerate Siam Cement Group Plc (SCG) to collaborate on a labelling scheme called dSURE, which guarantees the functionality, safety and security of digital products.
