Pursuant to …;

DECISION NUMBER 112/2001/QĐ-BTC OF THE MINISTER OF FINANCE ON NOVEMBER 9, 2001 REGARDING THE ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN EXPENSE STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO PROJECTS USING OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) LOANS 

THE MINISTER OF FINANCE

Pursuant to Decree No. 15/CP dated March 2, 1993 of the Government stipulating the tasks, powers, and responsibilities for state management by Ministries and ministerial-level agencies;
Pursuant to Decree No. 178/CP dated October 28, 1994 of the Government on the Tasks, Authorities, and Organizational Structure of the Ministry of Finance;
Pursuant to Decree No. 17/2001/NĐ-CP dated May 4, 2001 of the Government on the Issuance of Regulations on Management and Use of Official Development Assistance Funds;
Pursuant to Decision No. 198/1999/QĐ-TTg dated September 30, 1999 of the Prime Minister on "Salary for Staff Working at Project Management Units";
Pursuant to Circular No. 150/1998/TT-BTC dated November 19, 1998 of the Ministry of Finance guiding the Management and Use of Training and Capacity Building Funds for State Officials;
Pursuant to Circular No. 93/1998/BTC dated June 30, 1998 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating Conference Expense Standards;
Pursuant to Circular No. 94/1998/TC-BTC dated June 30, 1998 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating Travel Expenses for State Officials on Domestic Trips;
Considering the proposal of the Director of the Department of Financial Affairs for Foreign Relations,

Pursuant to …;

Article 1:

This Decision hereby promulgates "Regulations on Certain Expense Standards Applicable to Projects Using Official Development Assistance (ODA) Loans".

Article 2: The standards issued along with this Decision are the maximum ceilings. Within the scope of the standards prescribed in this Decision and within the permissible budget for project management, the directors of ODA project management units shall determine specific expense levels applicable to the Project in a suitable manner.

Article 3:

Previous regulations and guidelines on standards issued by the Ministry of Finance, or approved by the Ministry of Finance for relevant ministries to issue and apply to certain ODA projects, shall cease to be effective from the date this Decision takes effect.

Article 4:

This Decision shall take effect fifteen days from the date of signature.

Ministries, sectors, People's Committees at all levels, and entities using ODA funds shall be responsible for implementing this Decision.

REGULATIONS

CERTAIN EXPENSE STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO PROJECTS USING OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) LOANS
(Issued together with Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Minister of Finance)

Article 1Allowance for managing ODA projects applies to civil servants under the administrative and public service establishments of the state who are transferred to work at ODA project management units:

1. Civil servants under the administrative and public service establishments of the state, when transferred to work at ODA project management units, shall continue to receive their original salary according to their rank and grade as before the transfer, and in addition, they shall also receive an ODA project management allowance equal to 100% of the basic salary of a civil servant of equivalent rank and grade in the administrative and public service establishment according to Decree No. 25/CP dated May 23, 1993 of the Government temporarily regulating the new salary system for civil servants, public officials, and armed forces personnel.

When transferred to work at ODA project management units, the transferred civil servants shall receive their basic salary from the transferring unit and an ODA project management allowance from the ODA project management unit's management cost. If the transferring unit ceases to pay the transferred civil servant's basic salary, the ODA project management unit shall be responsible for paying both the basic salary and the ODA project management allowance from the ODA project management costs.

2. For civil servants under the administrative and public service establishments of the state who are concurrently assigned to work at ODA project management units, they shall continue to receive their basic salary from their current unit and only receive an ODA project management allowance from the ODA project management unit's management cost. The ODA project management allowance received shall be commensurate with the proportion of time spent working on the project. In cases where they are concurrently assigned to multiple ODA project management units, they shall only receive the allowance from the unit where they spend the most concurrent working hours.

Example of specific calculation: Mr. A, a staff member concurrently working 30% of his time for the first ODA project and 20% of his time for the second ODA project, shall receive:

- Basic salary paid by the current unit.

- The ODA project management allowance received shall be calculated as follows:

Basic Salary x 30%

--------------------------

100

and paid from the management cost of the first ODA project.

The above provisions on ODA project management allowances shall only apply to ODA project management units under the administrative and public service establishments.

3. Wages and income of staff members of ODA construction project management units: currently regulated by Decision No. 198/1999/QĐ-TTg dated September 30, 1999 of the Prime Minister on the Salary of Staff Working at Investment Project Management Units. Therefore, the ODA project management allowance does not apply to ODA construction project management units.

Article 2. Wage/payment for workers hired under contract by ODA project management units

1. Regarding payment:

(a) For workers hired under contract to perform specialized tasks in ODA projects (both construction and administrative/public service ODA projects), the principle of payment shall be implemented at a level equal to the salary of employees in the establishment with equivalent educational qualifications and job-related skills (adjusted according to the coefficient for construction ODA projects or supplemented with an ODA project management allowance for administrative/public service ODA projects as specified in point 1 above).

(b) For workers hired under contract to perform simple tasks without specialized nature in ODA projects (both construction and administrative/public service ODA projects) such as drivers, clerical staff, security guards, cleaners, etc.: the principle above shall be applied but with a maximum limit not exceeding 1.5 times the basic salary (excluding adjustment coefficients or ODA project management allowances for equivalent positions).

2. Social insurance and health insurance

Social insurance and health insurance for workers hired under contract shall be implemented according to current regulations.

Article 3Translation fee standard

1. Written translation:

(a) Translating documents from foreign languages into Vietnamese: not exceeding 35,000 VND per page of 300 words.

(b) Translation of documents from Vietnamese to foreign languages: not exceeding 40,000 VND per page of 300 words.

2. Interpretation:

(a) Ordinary interpretation: not exceeding 70,000 VND/hour/person, equivalent to not more than 560,000 VND/day/person for an 8-hour workday.

(b) Simultaneous interpretation: not exceeding 150,000 VND/hour/person, equivalent to not more than 1,200,000 VND/day/person for an 8-hour workday.

The standards set forth in points 3.1 and 3.2 shall only be applied in cases where it is necessary for the ODA project management board to hire interpreters and translators from external sources, and shall not apply to interpreters and translators who are staff members of the ODA project management board.

Article 4. Travel expenses regime

1. Payment for transportation costs: uniformly applied according to the provisions stipulated in Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC dated June 30, 1998, issued by the Ministry of Finance, regarding travel expenses for state officials on domestic business trips. In special cases where business trips are made by air, the project director may decide to allow project staff and invited guests to travel at the expense of the project.

2. Subsidies for travel expenses for out-of-province business trips

(a) Staff of the ODA project management board traveling for business to provinces in the delta and midland regions shall be entitled to a subsidy not exceeding 30,000 VND/day/person.

(b) Staff of the ODA project management board traveling for business to mountainous, island, border, and remote areas shall be entitled to a subsidy not exceeding 50,000 VND/day/person.

3. Rent for accommodation at the destination of the business trip

Staff of the ODA project management board traveling for business shall be reimbursed for rent for accommodation at the destination of the business trip. The amount of reimbursement for room rental expenses shall be based on actual receipts but shall not exceed the following levels:

(a) In centrally-administered cities: 110,000 VND/day/person

(b) In other provinces and cities: 70,000 VND/day/person

In cases where staff of the ODA project management board travel alone or when a mixed-gender delegation requires separate rooms, the reimbursement for room rental expenses shall not exceed the following levels:

(c) In centrally-administered cities: 180,000 VND/day/person

(d) In other provinces and cities: 110,000 VND/day/person

Article 5. Regulations on expenditure for conferences and seminars:

1. Payment for transportation costs and accommodation rent: the regulations on payment for transportation costs and accommodation rent shall be applied according to the travel expenses regime stipulated in point 1 and 3 of Article 4.

2. Meal and incidental expenses allowance:

(a) For central-level conferences and seminars:

- Staff of the organizing committee, delegates, and lecturers of conferences and seminars held in centrally-administered cities shall be entitled to an allowance for meal and incidental expenses not exceeding 80,000 VND/day/person.

- Staff of the organizing committee, delegates, and lecturers of conferences and seminars held in other provinces and cities nationwide shall be entitled to an allowance for meal and incidental expenses not exceeding 60,000 VND/day/person.

(b) For provincial-level conferences and seminars held in centrally-administered cities: the corresponding allowances are 60,000 VND/day/person and 40,000 VND/day/person.

Uniformly stipulated for conferences and seminars organized by ODA project management boards, the organizing committee will cover 100% of meal and incidental expenses allowances for all organizing staff, delegates, and lecturers from the project's budget. The sending agency does not reimburse travel expenses allowances for staff sent to attend the conference or seminar. The organizing committee of the conference or seminar must clearly inform the delegates in the invitation letter about the expenditure regulations. In special cases, if the organizing committee does not cover meal and incidental expenses for delegates, this must also be clearly stated in the invitation letter.

3. Lecturer fees:

The lecturer fees shall be determined by the project director based on factors such as the lecturer's qualifications, the nature of the lecture, the location of the lecture, etc., but in all cases, they shall not exceed the ceiling as follows:

(a) Lecturers who are professors, associate professors, senior officials including ministers, deputy ministers, heads, deputy heads of central ministries and agencies, secretaries, deputy secretaries, chairmen, and vice-chairmen of centrally-administered provinces and cities, and equivalent positions: 100,000 VND/hour.

(b) For other lecturers:

+ Lecturers from central-level agencies: 80,000 VND/hour

+ Lecturers from provincial-level agencies: 60,000 VND/hour

+ Lecturers from district-level agencies: 30,000 VND/hour

+ Lecturers from commune-level agencies: 20,000 VND/hour.

The ceilings mentioned above include both the lecturer's fee and preparation materials.

In special cases, if teaching materials or references require specialized knowledge, extensive experience, and intellectual effort, the project management board may consider paying separately for the preparation of materials under a service contract, including printing costs.

4. Office supplies: The organizing committee can be reimbursed based on actual expenses but shall not exceed 50,000 VND/person/session at the central and provincial level, and 30,000 VND/person/session at the district and commune level.

5. Refreshments during breaks: The organizing committee can be reimbursed based on actual expenses but shall not exceed 15,000 VND/day at the central and provincial level, and 10,000 VND/day at the district and commune level.

6. Other expenditures such as renting meeting rooms, equipment, mounting banners, etc., within the conference and seminar expenditure regime shall be reimbursed based on actual expenses as decided by the Project Management Board Director on the basis of economy and reasonableness.