Decision No. 79/2002/QD-BNN on amending and supplementing the expenditure norms for the Project to Protect and Develop Coastal Wetlands in Southern Vietnam.

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the issuance of amendments and supplements to the expenditure standards of the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam.

coastal wetlands in southern Vietnam.

MINISTRY THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Pursuant to Decree No. 73/CP dated November 1, 1995 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; dated November 1, 1995 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry. Pursuant to the Credit Agreement No. 3292-VN dated February 24, 2000 and the Non-Reimbursable Aid Agreement No. TF023742 dated February 27, 2001 between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Danish International Development Association;

Based on the Credit Agreement No. 3292-VN dated February 24, 2000, and the Grant Agreement No. TF023742 dated February 27, 2001 between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the International Development Association of Denmark.

Pursuant to Decision No. 25/QĐ-TTg dated February 21, 2000 of the Prime Minister approving the Feasibility Study for the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam in four provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh;

Based on Decision No. 1/2/2001/QD-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry of Finance promulgating expenditure standards applicable to projects using ODA funds. Pursuant to Decision No. 1/2/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry of Finance promulgating the expenditure standards applicable to projects using ODA loan funds;

At the request of the Director of the Financial Accounting Department,

DECISION:

Article 1. At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Finance and Accounting,

Article 2. Now hereby amends and supplements the expenditure standards of the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam as set out in the attached Appendix.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the date of signature. All previous documents contrary to this Decision shall be abolished.

 

GUIDELINES

Implementing the expenditure standards of the Coastal Wetland Conservation and

 Development Project in Southern Vietnam

(issued pursuant to Decision No. 79/2002/QĐ-BNN

dated August 28, 2002 of the Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).

Pursuant to Decision No. 25/QĐ-TTg dated February 21, 2000 of the Prime Minister approving the Feasibility Study for the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam in four provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh;

Based on the Credit Agreement No. 3292-VN dated February 24, 2000, and the Grant Agreement No. TF023742 dated February 27, 2001 between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the International Development Association of Denmark.

Pursuant to Decree No. 77/2000/NĐ-CP dated December 15, 2000 of the Government and Circular Jointly Issued No. 72/2000/TTLT-BTCCBCP-BTC dated December 26, 2000 of the Civil Service Personnel Council and the Ministry of Finance on adjusting the minimum wage, allowances, and living expenses; - Civil Servants of the Government and Ministries. Pursuant to Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC on travel expense regulations for state officials and Circular No. 93/1998/TT-BTC dated June 30, 1998 of the Ministry of Finance on conference expense regulations;

Based on Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC stipulating travel expenses for state officials traveling domestically and Circular No. 93/1998/TT-BTC dated June 30, 1998 of the Ministry. Pursuant to Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry of Finance promulgating certain expenditure standards applicable to projects using ODA loan funds;

Based on Decision No. 112/2001/QD-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry. Pursuant to Decision No. 1881/QĐ-BNN-TCCB dated May 23, 2000 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the establishment of the Central Project Management Board for the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam;

Based on Decision No. 1881/QD-BNN-TCCB. Pursuant to Decision No. 2892/QĐ-BNN-TCCB dated July 21, 2000 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance of the Regulation on the Organization and Implementation of the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam;

Based on Decision No. 2892/QD-BNN-TCCB dated July 21, 2000 of the Ministry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stipulates the expenditure standards for the Coastal Wetland Conservation and Development Project in Southern Vietnam as follows:

ANDA. SALARY AND ALLOWANCE REGIME

 

1. Salary and social insurance.

1.1. For civil servants within the administrative and public service establishments' staffing who are transferred to work long-term at the Project Management Board shall continue to receive their original salary (as before joining the project) according to Decree No. 25/CP dated May 23, 1993 of the Government temporarily regulating the new salary system for civil servants, administrative and public service personnel, and armed forces.

1.2. For part-time or seconded staff working for the project, they will receive their salary from the dispatching agency.

In cases where the former agency no longer pays the salary to part-time or seconded staff, the project will pay the salary according to the current state regulations.

1.3. Wages/labor remuneration for hired labor under the contract regime of the Project Management Board (applicable to contracts lasting 12 months or more).

For hired labor under contract for the project, the principle is to pay wages equivalent to those of regular staff with similar training and vocational qualifications, according to the rank coefficient specified in Decree No. 25/CP dated May 23, 1993 and accompanying guidance documents.

1.4. Labor remuneration for hired labor under the temporary contract regime of the Project Management Board.

Those who are not state employees will be selected and agreed upon by the Directors of the Central Project Management Board and the Provincial Project Management Board to perform specific tasks through temporary employment contracts, with the following rates of payment:

Administrative staff: VND 410,000/person/month (22 working days/40 hours/week).

Drivers: VND 460,000/person/month (22 working days/40 hours/week).

Technical specialists: VND 900,000/person/month (22 working days/40 hours/week).

(The above individuals are not entitled to project allowances, nor will the project contribute to social insurance, health insurance, trade union fees, etc.)

Note: The number of civil servants working full-time, part-time, seconded, and hired labor under contract must comply with the provisions in the project documentation. Any additional personnel beyond the project documentation must be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the donor.

1.5. Social insurance and health insurance for civil servants, government employees, and hired labor under long-term contracts will be applied according to current regulations.

2. Project Allowance Regime:

2.1. The target group includes civil servants within the state staffing who are transferred, seconded, or hired under long-term contracts to participate in management throughout the project period as mentioned in points 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 (excluding foreign experts recruited and workers under point 1.4).

Directors of the Central Project and Provincial Projects: Entitled to an allowance not exceeding 100% of the basic salary (the basic coefficient specified in Decree No. 25/CP dated May 23, 1993) depending on the level of兼任或专任。

中央项目和省级项目的项目经理：可享受不超过基本工资100%（根据1993年5月23日第25号政府法令规定的基准系数）的津贴，视其兼任或专任的程度而定。

其他中央项目管理委员会和省级项目管理委员会的工作人员（如专职、兼职、专任和长期合同工）：可根据参与项目的时间和责任程度，由中央项目或省级项目经理决定，享受相当于基本工资50%-100%（根据1993年5月23日第25号政府法令规定的基准系数）的津贴。

Clause 1. The allowance for officials concurrently holding positions and those on special assignment must be commensurate with the time spent working on the project. Officials assigned to concurrently hold positions in multiple Project Management Boards shall only receive allowances from one Project Management Board where they spend the most concurrent working hours.

2.2. For long-term contract workers performing simple tasks not involving specialized project work such as drivers, administrative staff, etc., as mentioned in Section 1.3, the allowance rate shall be between 30% and 50% of the basic salary, as determined by the Central Project Director or the Provincial Project Director.

Note: All allowance rates above shall not exceed the total amount approved by the competent authority according to the plan for each year or period of the project.

B. EXPENSES FOR PARTICIPANTS

ATTENDING SEMINARS, DOMESTIC CONFERENCES IN-PERSON

Based on Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry of Finance, the project may cover expenses for participants attending training sessions, seminars, domestic conferences, and specialized conferences included in the annual plan approved by the project (excluding regular meetings).

a) Meal and incidental allowances: For training classes, seminars, and conferences held in Vietnam, the maximum amounts are as follows:

Central level: 80,000 VND/person/day.

Provincial level: 60,000 VND/person/day.

District level: 40,000 VND/person/day.

Commune level: 20,000 VND/person/day.

The Project Management Board must clearly inform in the invitation letter about the benefits that participants will enjoy when attending training sessions, seminars, and conferences.

b) Transportation and accommodation fees: Legal and valid invoices must be provided, and these expenses must be implemented according to Part C - Travel Expenses and Allowances for On-Site Work.

c) Office supplies:

Central level: Not exceeding 40,000 VND/person/class.

Provincial level: Not exceeding 30,000 VND/person/class.

District level: Not exceeding 20,000 VND/person/class.

Commune level: Not exceeding 10,000 VND/person/class.

d) Printing costs: To be covered based on actual reasonable expenses but not to exceed the approved budget estimate.

e) Lecturer fees:

Lecturer fees are decided 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 shall not exceed the following ceiling:

For lecturers who are professors, associate professors, senior officials at the ministerial level, vice-ministerial level, heads of central agencies, provincial party secretaries, deputy secretaries, chairpersons, deputy chairpersons of provinces and centrally-administered cities, and equivalent positions: 100,000 VND/hour.

For other lecturers:

Central level maximum: 80,000 VND/hour.

Provincial level maximum: 60,000 VND/hour.

District level maximum: 30,000 VND/hour.

Commune level maximum: 20,000 VND/hour.

The above ceiling includes both the lecturer's fee and preparation costs.

When traveling on official business, lecturers are entitled to travel expenses and accommodation as stipulated in Part C - Travel Expenses and Allowances for On-Site Work.

f) Interpreting costs (if any): As stipulated in Part D - Translation Costs.

g) Venue rental fees:

To be covered based on actual reasonable expenses but not to exceed the following maximum levels:

Central level: 1,000,000 VND/day.

Provincial level: 500,000 VND/day.

District and commune levels: 300,000 VND/day.

i) Refreshments during breaks:

To be reimbursed based on actual expenses but not to exceed the following levels:

Central and provincial levels: 15,000 VND/person/day.

District and commune levels: 10,000 VND/person/day.

k) Other expenses such as equipment rental, poster cutting, etc., during conferences and seminars are reimbursed based on actual expenses as determined by the Project Management Board Director on the basis of economy and reasonableness.

C. TRAVEL EXPENSES AND ALLOWANCES FOR ON-SITE WORK

1. Travel expense allowances:

Traveling to other provinces within plains and midland areas entitles the traveler to a daily allowance of 30,000 VND/person.

Traveling to other provinces within mountainous, island, border, and remote areas entitles the traveler to a daily allowance of 50,000 VND/person.

2. On-site allowances:

Traveling within the province under the project area (minimum distance of 20 km) entitles the traveler to an on-site allowance of 40,000 VND/person/day.

Receiving on-site allowances, officials shall not be reimbursed for travel expense allowances as prescribed by the State regulations.

Traveling to on-site work funded by DANIDA non-reimbursable grants according to Decision No. 5054/QĐ-BNN-TCKT dated October 25, 2001 and Decision No. 110/2001/QĐ-BNN dated November 23, 2001 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, officials shall not be reimbursed for travel expense allowances as prescribed by current regulations.

3. Accommodation expenses at the destination:

Project Management Board officials traveling on official business are entitled to reimbursement for accommodation expenses at the destination. The accommodation expense reimbursement rate is based on actual receipts but not to exceed the following levels:

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

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

In cases where officials travel alone or where a mixed-gender group requires separate rooms, the reimbursement rate shall not exceed the following levels:

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

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

In cases where officials travel to rural areas without guesthouses or hotels, a fixed rate of 30,000 VND/person/day is reimbursed, subject to confirmation by the local authority or government office.

All travel expense reimbursements above shall not exceed the total amount approved by the competent authority according to the plan for each year or period of the project.

4. Transportation and travel expenses:

To be unified according to Circular No. 94/1998/TT-BTC. All payments must have tickets or legal and valid invoices.

In exceptional cases of air travel, the Project Director decides on the permission for project officials and guests to travel using project funds.

If renting transportation is necessary due to special circumstances, it must be approved by the Project Director before reimbursement.

In areas without public transport, officials must travel by personal vehicle or rented motorcycle, and reimbursement shall be made according to guidelines issued by the Department of Transport and Public Works and the Department of Finance and Prices of each locality.

Regular travel expenses for project staff who frequently need to travel to transact business with relevant agencies (Treasury, bureaus, departments, institutes, departments, boards, sectors) shall be reimbursed according to the monthly lump-sum travel allowance not exceeding 100,000 VND/person/month as stipulated in Section 94/1998/TT-BTC Circular dated June 30, 1998 of the Ministry of Finance.

Project Management Board staff members are not allowed to travel regularly by taxi on long routes where public transportation is available.

D. TRANSLATION EXPENSES

1. Oral Translation:

Ordinary oral translation: not exceeding 70,000 VND/hour equivalent to not more than 560,000 VND/day for an 8-hour workday.

Rush oral translation: not exceeding 150,000 VND/hour equivalent to not more than 1,200,000 VND/day for an 8-hour workday.

If traveling to the field, travel expenses shall be reimbursed according to the provisions set forth in Part C - Travel Expenses and Field Work Allowances.

2. Writing Translation Costs:

2.1. Translation from foreign languages into Vietnamese:

Maximum: 35,000 VND/page of 300 words.

2.2. Translation from Vietnamese into foreign languages:

Maximum: 40,000 VND/page of 300 words.

The rates specified in Points 1 and 2 of Part D shall only apply when the Project Management Board must hire external translators, and shall not apply to interpreters or translators who are staff members of the Project Management Board.

E. DOMESTIC TOUR AND SURVEY EXPENSES

Participants and invited guests shall be entitled to the following:

Meals: 80,000 VND/person/day.

Accommodation: paid according to Point 3 of Part C.

Transportation costs shall be reimbursed according to Part C, if hiring external vehicles, then the full package cost shall be paid according to the contract.

(The tour and survey program must be included in the approved plan).

F. RESEARCH, STUDY, AND SURVEY ABROAD EXPENSES

All research, surveys, and study programs abroad must be approved by the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development prior to implementation:

1. Training Program Costs: Training fees (if applicable) must be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Allowances:

Daily living allowances, meals, accommodation, transportation... shall be implemented according to Circular No. 45/1999/TT-BTC dated May 4, 1999 and Circular No. 108/1999/TT-BTC dated September 4, 1999 of the Ministry of Finance regarding travel expenses for civil servants on short-term missions abroad.

3. Settlement of overseas delegations:

Overseas tour and study delegations must complete settlement documents within 15 days upon return according to current regulations for settlement with the Project Office, the main management ministry, and the Ministry of Finance. In exceptional cases, settlements will be made with the World Bank.

Based on the above expenditure standards, project directors should balance expenditures to avoid exceeding the approved budget framework, and should establish specific guidelines to effectively utilize these standards to promote project activities.

Any incurred expenses before the issuance of this Guidance shall be settled according to Decision No. 112/2001/QĐ-BTC dated November 9, 2001 of the Ministry of Finance.

During implementation, if there are difficulties or issues, please report them to the Central Project Management Board for timely resolution./.