-Sir, given the demands of the new situation, especially when Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested that GDP growth in 2025 must reach 8%, the progress requirements for infrastructure projects, especially transportation, are becoming increasingly urgent. So what issues does this new context pose for Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation)?

-In fact, Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) is implementing projects very resolutely, responsibly and effectively. These are projects such as Long Thanh airport, Tan Son Nhat airport, Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, North-South Expressway... Looking back at 2024, the total production value of Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) reached more than 12,000 billion VND. However, we are always aware that the pressure next year will be higher than the previous year. Therefore, the requirements for project implementation are very high, in terms of progress, quality and other requirements.

Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Commander of Army Corps 12: Truong Son Construction Corporation is ready to participate in key national projects such as the North-South high-speed railway.

-To meet new requirements, sir, what practical changes does the current management mechanism need?

-I think first of all, for urgent projects and works such as Phong Chau Bridge (Phu Tho), applying a special mechanism is very appropriate. This creates maximum convenience for coordination between relevant agencies. In fact, this project has been shortened by about 10 months and as we can see, the project is being implemented very effectively.

-How long would it take if we do it the normal way, sir?

-It's about 2 years, but here I want to emphasize that even though the time is shortened, the quality of the project is always guaranteed at the highest level.

- Recently, it is a fact that many projects and works have been affected due to the contractor's inadequate capacity. In the context of public investment capital being required to be disbursed quickly and effectively, how should this problem be handled, sir?

-In my opinion, the most important thing here is that the contractor must have capacity, and if you want the contractor to have capacity, there must be a mechanism to do that. This is a very important issue, because when the contractor has capacity, it will ensure the project's construction progress, ensure the public investment disbursement plan, ensure the quality of the project...

-What do you think about projects where contractors bid 30%, 40% lower than the bidding price, or even more?

-There are many reasons for them to do that, however, looking at the whole picture, we must agree that low price should only be one factor in selecting the winning bid because there are many other equally important factors. Therefore, to select a capable and experienced contractor, it must be evaluated on many levels. Only then will the project be most effective, because after all, when the project is completed as quickly as possible with the best quality, without any additional problems, the investor will be the biggest beneficiary. Therefore, I think that in general, the criteria for selecting contractors need to be tightened because only then can we achieve the common goal of improving the basic construction environment and creating solid conditions for professional contractors to develop.

-There are many assessments that saving from bidding activities is not necessarily effective, what do you personally think about this?

- In my opinion, this is a reasonable comment, because in reality, there are bidding packages that only save a very low level, not even as much as designated bidding. Therefore, we need to have an appropriate mechanism to maximize the benefits from bidding.

-Sir, looking at the actual operations of Army Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation), what are the current outstanding issues that need to be focused on to be handled so that projects can be implemented quickly and effectively?

-There are several issues, first of all about site clearance. This is not a new issue but it has not been resolved completely. We have transportation projects that take more than 2 years to get the site for implementation. Each time there is a delay like this, first of all, the contractor suffers a great loss, then the overall progress of the project is affected. Therefore, with issues such as land use conversion or forest land conversion, effective solutions from competent authorities are needed.

Another issue is construction materials. Actually, this is related to the other, because when the site is slow to be cleared, the contractor is forced to wait, and when the site is available, the contractor rushes to construct to meet the schedule, but is forced by the mine owner to buy at a high price, so Party B suffers double losses. Or the issue of material prices at the mine also needs to be resolved to avoid legal risks for the contractor.

In fact, these are tangible problems that are not difficult to identify and are in dire need of a common mechanism to resolve. I would like to emphasize here that if these problems are resolved, it will benefit everyone, because once progress is ensured, capital disbursement will be quick, and thereby will have a positive overall impact.

-Finally, sir, as Vietnam enters a new era, with new opportunities such as the North-South high-speed railway project and the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project being prepared for implementation, what does Army Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) propose so that domestic contractors can join hands to contribute?

- In my opinion, the authorities should create maximum conditions for domestic enterprises to cooperate in implementation. These are particularly large projects that have not yet existed in Vietnam, so if we evaluate according to the usual practice that contractors need experience, it will be difficult for domestic enterprises. For that reason, I think there needs to be a harmonious approach so that all parties can participate.

-Thank you very much!

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/ong-nguyen-tuan-anh-can-co-co-che-de-nha-thau-chuyen-nghiep-phat-trien-211422.html