USAID VNCI II Monthly Report February 2013

In February 2013, the project made significant progress in several areas. A closing ceremony was held on February 26, 2013, to mark the completion of the Technical Support to Enhance Capacity for Administrative Reform and Improve Competitiveness under USAID/VNCI Project. The event was attended by high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Office of Government (OOG), as well as representatives from the media. During the ceremony, the National Database of Administrative Procedures and related assets were handed over to the Administrative Procedure Agency (APCA). The MOJ and APCA leaders expressed appreciation for the technical support and commitment to moving administrative reforms forward. The USAID/VNCI Director, Scott Jazynka, presented recommendations for the administrative reform program under MOJ to create a more efficient administrative system in Vietnam. Additionally, a paper on reform strategies written by international consultant Scott Jacobs was delivered to the MOJ Vice Minister. The project also made progress in establishing a new Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform (ACAPR). With VNCI support, APCA/MOJ submitted a draft decision to the Prime Minister for establishing the ACAPR, which will be headed by the Minister of Justice. The membership includes representatives from various government agencies and business associations, both domestic and foreign. Dr. Ngo Hai Phan, Director General of APCA, was appointed the Secretary General of the ACAPR. The ACAPR will be responsible for mobilizing experts and resources from members to carry out studies and make recommendations to the Prime Minister for administrative reforms. This initiative is expected to contribute to the simplification of citizen-related paperwork and the development of a national database of citizens. Institutional support was also provided to APCA, with the delivery of 50 copies of a book on Austria's E-Government titled "Administration on the net – ABC guide to E-Government in Austria". This book will serve as a reference for the Master Plan on Simplification of Citizen-related Paperwork and National Database of Citizens. The project's RIA team made a presentation to the Institute of Legal Sciences (ILS), MOJ, on RIA and how RIA workshops are organized for civil servants under PERQ. The purpose of the presentation was to transfer the know-how of organizing RIA training so that ILS can set up similar training for civil servants of MOJ and beyond. The PCI team completed the PCI 2012 Report, which covers the rankings and analyses on the impact of PCI on provincial governance reform, investors' response to business environment shocks, corruption in public procurement, and labor relations in FDI enterprises. The report also highlights perceived risks of doing business in Vietnam and how foreign companies value and mitigate the risk. The PCI 2012 launch ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 14, 2013, at the Hanoi Daewoo Hotel. The event will feature the presentation of the PCI 2012 Report, which has been translated into Vietnamese for publication. In the area of PPP/Infrastructure, the project made progress in several areas. The E-Government Procurement project received capacity building support from VNCI, with the review and refinement of the financial model of the project. VNCI also provided comments on all related bidding documents. The Soc Trang's Water Treatment Plant expansion project received a project assessment and recommendation from VNCI consultants. The preparation of a project proposal is currently underway. The Nghi Son WWTP project is being considered as a PPP pilot project, following the signing of the US$ 9.1 billion Nghi Son Oil Refinery contract on January 27, 2013. This is a positive signal for the Thanh Hoa People's Committee after a long negotiation. VNCI is considering supporting the PPP Office to carry out a quick screening of 10 projects in Thanh Hoa and 3 projects in Ca Mau, which will involve identifying critical information required to carry out an assessment. Institutional support was also provided to the Government of Vietnam, with a delegation of 12 officials from MPI, MOF, MOT, MOC, and Dong Nai Province, and 2 VNCI staff conducting a study mission to Canada from February 19 to February 28, 2013. The delegates had opportunities to experience successful PPP projects in Canada and learn about the institutional setup for the PPP model to work in Canada. Capacity building was also provided to the PPP office, with USAID/VNCI PPP specialist, Mr. Ned White, reviewing the medium-term PPP capacity building for the PPP office. A report will be submitted to serve as a foundation for capacity building on PPP in Vietnam. PPP outreach was also conducted, with a USAID/VNCI expert participating in the South East Asia Port Expansion Summit 2013 to gather information for the Dong Nai Inter-port highway project and to better understand the status of port development