[10 October 2016] — In recent years, Vietnam has stepped up its efforts in administrative reforms. The Master Plan of Administrative Procedure Simplification in the fields of Government management was adopted. Public Administrative Procedures Reforms Project (often known as Project 30) was initiated under the Office of the Government with the purpose of giving support to the successful realization of the five-year socio-economic plans, building a democratic, transparent, professional, and efficient administrative system, and making a contribution to work preventing corruption and waste through simplifying and reducing unnecessary administrative procedures in order to significantly reduce their burden on individuals and enterprises. Project 30 has achieved significant results. Its practical efficiency is highly regarded by both local and foreign enterprise communities and the public, resulting in continued confidence in Vietnam’s reform agenda.

 

After Project 30 was completed in 2010, the Administrative Procedure Control Agency (APCA) was established under MOJ. The Agency continued the mission of reforming and simplifying administrative procedures. The Advisory Council on Administrative Procedures (which comprise of members from the business sectors, business associations, chambers, etc.) worked closely with APCA in this process.

  

To encourage the business community and business associations, chambers of commerce to be more actively involved in advocating for stronger reforms and in monitoring progresses made by different ministries, government agencies, provinces in administrative reforms, the tools and guidelines for administrative procedures cost compliance need to be further revised and developed. This will make it easier for the business sector to apply in their efforts to contribute to administrative reforms in Vietnam. With support from the USAID funded Governance for Inclusive Grow (GIG) project, APCA/MOJ and the Advisory Council on Administrative Procedures have initiated the effort to redevelop the tools and the Guideline for measuring the costs of administrative procedures.    

 

Economica Vietnam has been entrusted by APCA/MOJ and the Advisory Council on Administrative Procedures to revise the compliance cost model and to developed the guideline which can be used by members of the Advisory Council. Before, Economica Vietnam already worked closely with the Council and the Project 30 in developing the Standard Cost Model (SCM) which was later on institutionalized in different regulations by the Government and by APCA/MOJ in administrative reforms. 

 

According to the plan, the revised tools for compliance cost model will be completed by Economica Vietnam in October and then will be adopted by APCA/MOJ and the Advisory Council for Administrative Reforms in November. They will be ready for use by members of the Council in December. The revised tools and its guideline are expected to contribute tremendously to the work by members of the Council in advocating for reforms and in monitoring of reform progresses by different ministries and provinces in the field of administrative procedures.