If we look back 17 years ago, the concept of running procurement and auction businesses through an online platform—known today as an eProcurement Platform—was considered extremely new in Thailand. And if anyone had predicted back then that a Thai-born eProcurement Platform like “Pantavanij” would one day emerge as one of the largest online marketplace service providers, competing head-to-head with global players, few would have believed it.

But today, that question is no longer relevant. Every major organization now clearly understands that if a medium to large enterprise needs an efficient, transparent, and auditable online procurement and auction platform—complete with a vast selection of suppliers—the first brand that comes to mind is undoubtedly Pantavanij.

Reaching this point, however, was far from easy. Pantavanij’s journey was anything but a smooth road. It required relentless effort, perseverance, and determination. And no one could tell this story better than Apisith Kuprat, Managing Director of Pantavanij Co., Ltd., who has witnessed every step of the company’s rise and its vision for the next era of growth.

The Birth of Thailand’s Own eProcurement Platform

Pantavanij was founded in 2001, not long after the Tom Yum Kung financial crisis. The company emerged from the vision of CP Group and TelecomAsia Corporation (TA), who saw the need for businesses to transform into a new digital trading era powered by the Internet. They recognized a tremendous opportunity to bring technology into electronic marketplaces—reducing procurement and auction costs for group companies and eventually for businesses across Thailand.

Despite strong backing and the clear advantages of eProcurement—such as lowering operational costs and ensuring transparency—the early phase was challenging. eProcurement was a brand-new concept in Thailand, and many leading foreign platforms had already entered the market. Pantavanij also had to convince top executives—the ultimate decision-makers—to trust this unfamiliar system.

“The first three to four years were our learning period. Our initial mission was to serve five of the largest corporations in the country. We therefore invested in the best technology available. It resulted in extremely high operating costs but limited benefits, with many usability constraints,”
Apisith recalls, describing the early hurdles that forced Pantavanij to rethink its strategy.

This reflection eventually led to a major turning point: Pantavanij shifted its focus to developing its own electronic procurement platform. Initially replacing only a portion of existing systems, the company continued to refine it aggressively. Today, Pantavanij is one of the leading End-to-End eProcurement Platform providers in ASEAN, with unmatched service coverage.

Thanks to this strategic shift, Pantavanij’s performance began to flourish. The company steadily earned trust from major organizations in banking, insurance, telecommunications, manufacturing, and retail. Procurement transaction values grew from 200 million baht in the first year to over 200 billion baht today, with users across 10 countries. Supplier participation has also skyrocketed from just a handful to more than 20,000 vendors.

Pantavanij is now recognized as the oldest eProcurement provider in ASEAN and the only Thai platform developer selected as one of the Top 10 Procurement Tech Solution Providers 2018 by APAC CIO Outlook, also earning a prestigious feature on the magazine’s cover.

Apisith attributes this award to Pantavanij’s ability to help customers transform their businesses through a complete End-to-End digital procurement ecosystem, supported by a well-defined vision and strategic direction beyond that of a traditional eProcurement system.

This recognition reaffirms the platform’s strength, quality, and competitiveness—proving that a Thai-born technology can stand proudly beside leading international brands.