By publishing all transactions online, relationships between purchasers and suppliers for the acquisition of goods, works and consultancy services required by the public sector are available.
According to Daniel Ayers, an expert from the Viet Nam Centre for Sustainable Development, a nation normally spends about 10-15 per cent of its GDP on public procurement. "It’s not a small amount," he added.
"This means that only a little improvement in efficiency and transparency can have great impact on the economy," he said. "This is what makes e-Procurement one of the most important factors of an e-Government."
A crucial element of e-GP is investment funds, HCM City Planning and Investment Department official Nguyen Dac Toan said.
Spending on development projects is on the increase, Toan said, citing HCM City as an example. According to the official, total capital estimates for this year stand at around VND87 trillion (US$5.4 billion), up VND19 billion over last year. Currently, there are 33 official development aid (ODA) projects underway in the economic hub.
"But the bidding affair [choosing contractors to implement projects] is seeing problems because bid information hasn’t been announced widely," he said.
The seminar also discussed the availability of information which would be opened up via e-GP. A survey compiled by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 165 companies and organisations revealed around 60 per cent of its respondents received bidding information through personal contacts, the media and direct invitations. About 25 per cent got information through the internet.
These limited resources are bad news for businesses, director of the chamber’s SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) Support Centre Pham Thi Thu Hang said.
"If this continues, enterprises will have fewer opportunities to find contracts because of the lack of information," she said.
However, poor information technology infrastructure and a lack of capital were holding the nation back from developing e-GP, Toan said.
The Procurement Law adopted in late 2005 has created a legal framework for the system, but it needs more detailed guidance from the Government in order to be implemented, he said.
To initiate e-GP in this country, the Government is building a national website with an initial value of $3 million financed by the Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA). The site’s pilot units include the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group and the Electricity of Viet Nam.
Enterprises can find the on-line bidding service at www.dgmarketvietnam.org.vn, a Viet Nam Development Gateway system site operated by the Viet Nam Centre for Sustainable Development. The site is planned to be part of the Government’s national network.
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Quelle/Source: Viet Nam News, 28.11.2007
