The Regulations of the Office of the Prime Minister on Procurement, B.E. 2535 (1992), as amended (the "Procurement Regulations"), are the current applicable laws that establish uniform policies and procedures for the purchase of goods and hire of work by government agencies.

However, on 24 February 2017, the Government Procurement and Supplies Management Act, B.E. 2560 (2017) (the "Procurement Act") was promulgated in the Government Gazette. It will become effective 180 days after publication; that is, 23 August 2017.

Before the effective date, the Procurement Regulations and related regulations will remain effective to the extent that they are consistent with the Procurement Act, until the new regulations are launched. The Procurement Act specifies that regulations be issued within one year from the effective date. If the existing regulations are not applicable to a particular matter, the government agency must proceed as specified by the policy committee on public procurement and management of supplies (the "Policy Committee").

The Procurement Act does not relate to, or interact with, any applicable trade agreement.

The basic underlying principles of the Procurement framework are: value for money, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, and accountability.

The Procurement Act generally applies to public procurement. Aerospace and defense procurement is not treated differently from other types of procurement. However, the Procurement Act provides exemptions that it will not be applied if government procurement is for munitions and services related to national security, from government to government, or procurement from foreign countries, subject to the laws of those countries that specify otherwise.