Circular No. 28/2017/TT-BTNMT stipulates criteria and indices for evaluating the quality of public service provision concerning environmental monitoring and natural resource surveillance.

CIRCULAR
Regulations on criteria and indicators for evaluating the quality
of public service provision related to environmental monitoring and natural resource surveillance

Pursuant to Decree No. 16/2015/NĐ-CP dated February 14, 2015 of the Government stipulating the self-management mechanism of public service units;

On the basis of Decision No. 36/2017/NĐ-CP dated April 4, 2017, of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

At the proposal of the Director of the Science and Technology Department and the Director of the Legal Department;

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment promulgates this Circular stipulating criteria and indicators for evaluating the quality of public services using state budget funds related to environmental monitoring and natural resource surveillance.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates criteria and indicators for evaluating the quality of public services using state budget funds for environmental monitoring and natural resource surveillance (hereinafter referred to as "monitoring").

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to state management agencies for natural resources and environment; public service units and organizations and individuals providing monitoring services.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

1. Service Quality public service is the aggregate result of indicators reflecting the level of satisfaction of users with such service.

2. Evaluation criterion are contents and requirements that the service provider must meet to achieve the set objectives. Criteria have evaluation indicators.

3. Evaluation indicator is the degree of requirement and condition regarding a specific aspect of the evaluation criterion.

Chapter II
CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC SERVICES RELATED TO MONITORING
SERVICES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT

1. Criterion 1: Functions, tasks, material and technical foundations of organizations providing services to prepare national environmental status reports.

1. Criterion 1: Function, tasks, or business registration of the service-providing organization.

2. Criterion 2: Technical infrastructure serving monitoring activities.

3. Criterion 3: Human resources serving monitoring activities.

4. Criterion 4: Service attitude in providing monitoring services.

5. Criterion 5: Self-inspection and supervision.

6. Criterion 6: Information storage.

7. Criterion 7: Compliance with technical regulations.

8. Criterion 8: Data transmission.

9. Criterion 9: Handling incidents during monitoring and data transmission activities.

10. Criterion 10: Monitoring products.

11. Criterion 11: Occupational safety.

1. Evaluation Indicators:

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions, tasks, and organizational structure for environmental monitoring and natural resource surveillance;

b) Duration of providing monitoring services.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Documents stipulating the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of the unit or business license, registration;

b) Years of experience in providing monitoring services.

Article 6. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 2

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) System of machinery, equipment, measuring facilities serving monitoring activities;

b) Buildings, construction works, auxiliary equipment and means serving monitoring activities.

2. Basis for assessment is the annual asset statistics of the service-providing organization.

Article 7. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 3

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Number of personnel directly engaged in monitoring activities;

b) Quality of personnel directly engaged in monitoring activities.

2. Basis for assessment is statistical data, human resource files, and labor contracts, contracts for hiring experts for at least three months of the service-providing organization.

Article 8. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 4

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Having plans and scenarios for emergency response when there are urgent requests for monitoring;

b) Degree of readiness to serve according to urgent requests from the ordering agency.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Plans or scenarios of the service-providing organization when there are urgent requests for monitoring;

b) Number of responses, degree of readiness to respond to urgent requests from the ordering agency.

Article 9. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 5

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Implementation of self-inspection and supervision plans for monitoring activities by the service-providing organization;

b) Implementation of conclusions and recommendations after self-inspection and supervision.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Reports on providing monitoring activities;

b) Reports, minutes, and related documents verifying the implementation of conclusions and recommendations by the service-providing organization.

Article 10. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 6

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Time, type, format, and completeness of information submitted for storage;

b) Physical media in compliance with regulations (paper form, digital form);

c) Ensuring data security and confidentiality in accordance with regulations.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Technical regulations (standards, specifications, regulations, procedures); other management regulations published and issued related to storing monitoring information funded by state budget;

b) Handover minutes, documents submitted for storage or equivalent documents verifying the submission of information for storage.

Article 11. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 7

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Compliance with calibration, inspection, and testing regulations for monitoring equipment, analytical equipment, laboratories;

b) Compliance with technical regulations for normal monitoring operations;

c) Compliance with technical regulations for monitoring operations under abnormal weather conditions, environmental conditions, or other objective factors affecting monitoring.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Published and permitted technical regulations (standards, specifications, regulations, procedures) for use in monitoring activities;

b) Inspection and supervision reports on monitoring activities by competent authorities (if any); minutes and reports on calibration, inspection, and testing results for monitoring equipment.

Article 12. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 8

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Real-time transmission with delay not exceeding 30 seconds. Ensuring uninterrupted transmission under all weather and environmental conditions;

b) Periodic transmission;

c) Accuracy of information.

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Technical regulations on transmission in monitoring activities;

b) Reports and statistics from the designated information receiving units and inspections by the ordering agency.

Article 13. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 9

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Time to handle incidents interrupting monitoring activities, time to resolve interruptions (excluding force majeure cases);

b) Time to handle incidents interrupting transmission, time to resolve interruptions (excluding force majeure cases).

a) Legal documents stipulating the functions and tasks of the organization or business license, business registration;

a) Reports and statistics from the service provider organization; designated information receiving units and inspections by the ordering agency;

b) Emergency response plans or scenarios when incidents occur.

Article 14. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 10

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Quantity fulfillment level according to orders and assigned plans;

b) Quality evaluated and recognized by specialized agencies according to regulations.

2. The basis for evaluation is reports and statistics from the service provider organization and inspection and acceptance documents of the ordering agency or competent state management agencies.

Article 15. Indicators and Basis for Evaluating Criterion 11

a) Established in accordance with the law, having functions and tasks or business registration related to preparing national environmental status reports;

a) Workers performing monitoring tasks receive regular occupational safety training and are equipped with labor protection equipment as prescribed;

b) Occupational safety rate in monitoring activities reaches 100% under normal conditions; there are no serious workplace accidents within three years from the assessment date.

2. The basis for evaluation is reports and statistics from the service provider organization and inspection and acceptance documents of the ordering agency or competent authorities.

Article 16. Evaluation of Quality of Public Services for Resource and Environmental Monitoring

1. The quality of public services for resource and environmental monitoring is assessed through scoring. The evaluation scale is 100 points. Specific scales are determined for each criterion and indicator and detailed in the Appendix issued together with this Circular.

2. Service quality is evaluated at four levels:

a) Excellent if the total score is 80 points or higher, with each criterion's score exceeding 70% of the maximum possible points for that criterion;

b) Good if the total score is between 60 and 80 points, with each criterion's score exceeding 60% of the maximum possible points for that criterion;

c) Satisfactory if the total score is between 50 and 60 points, with scores for Criteria 8 and 14 exceeding 50% of the maximum possible points for those criteria;

d) Unsatisfactory if the total score is less than 50 points.

Chapter III
IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 17. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from November 1, 2017.

Article 18. Implementation Organization

1. The Department of Science and Technology is responsible for organizing guidance, implementation, and inspection of this Circular.

2. Units under the Ministry and relevant organizations and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular.

3. During implementation, if difficulties arise, agencies, organizations, and individuals are requested to promptly report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for study, consideration, and resolution./.

ANNEX

CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

FOR RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

(Attached to Circular No. 28/2017/TT-BTNMT dated September 11, 2017, issued by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment)