Vietnam E-Government Procurement System wins ASOCIO – Public/Private Partnership award

On November 7th, in Tokyo, Japan, Vietnam’s E-Government Procurement Network (e-GP System) was honored to receive the 2024 ASOCIO Public/Private Partnership Award . The award was presented by the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO).

Mr. La Anh Tuan, representative leader of Vietnam National E-Procurement System (VNEPS), and Mr. Do Son Giang, Executive Vice President of FPT IS, FPT Corporation received the reward on behalf of the project team

Mr. La Anh Tuan, representative leader of Vietnam National E-Procurement System (VNEPS), and Mr. Do Son Giang, Executive Vice President of FPT IS, FPT Corporation – the investor received the reward on behalf of the project team. The award ceremony was part of the ASOCIO Digital Summit – Digital Trust Forum, a large-scale event held over three days, from November 6 to 8, with over 600 delegates, including 400 from Japan and 200 international participants.

In Vietnam, e-procurement was officially implemented in 2009, however, modernization was only an urgent requirement, making any further upgrade of the National E-Procurement Network is considered a top priority to enhance efficiency and competitiveness as Vietnam increasingly integrates into regional and global markets. Practically, the Public Procurement Agency, under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, is in charge of  supervising procurement activities and advising on nationwide procurement policies but faces challenges in mobilizing IT resources for digital transformation. To address this, since 2019, the Public Procurement Agency opted for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to determine potential investors for building and operating the new National E-Procurement Network, in which, FPT IS, a subsidiary of FPT Corporation, was chosen as the investor for the project.

The e-GP System, developed under the “ Applying E-commerce in Public Procurement” project, officially went live on September 16, 2022. The system meets all requirements for unified management of procurement information, operates across multiple browsers, and ensures safe, competitive, fair, transparent, and economically efficient e-procurement processes. After more than two years, the system has demonstrated clear effectiveness through significant results.

Specifically, the application of the bidding system since September 16, 2022, has significantly increased both the number and value of online bidding packages. Competitive domestic bidding packages (excluding EPC packages) conducted online accounted for up to 99.99% of the total number of packages (equivalent to 136,547 packages), with the total value of packages processed online reaching VND 851,347 billion, representing 96% of the total value of all bidding packages.

Mr. La Anh Tuan shared that the goal of the new e-GP system is to bring benefits to all parties involved in the public procurement process. The implementation of the new system enhances and optimizes online bidding activities, increasing competitiveness and transparency in bidding and reducing collusion, thus creating an equal and transparent “playground” that ensures economic efficiency and upholds market competition principles in procurement.

The new Vietnam National E-Procurement System introduces several outstanding features, such as the use of public digital documents instead of specialized digital documents. It ensures timely updates and verification of information about registered organizations and units, as well as the capability profiles of contractors/investors. The system also expands e-procurement support to include multi-lot/package procurement, prequalification, restricted bidding, re-bidding, and more. The entire e-procurement process has been optimized and simplified, covering all steps from preparing and publishing procurement plans and invitation documents to submission, bid opening, evaluation, and result announcement.

As a result, contractors benefit from transparent access to information, streamlined procedures, and financial savings when participating in the Vietnam e-procurement system, details such as business information, financial capacity, and previously completed contracts can be pre-filled and reused for all bidding packages. Notably, the e-GP System focuses on optimizing user experience with special features like ‘smart search technology’, enabling advanced search functionalities. This represents a significant breakthrough, acting as an “gateway” for contractors, allowing them to quickly and accurately search for desired results.

For project owners and procuring entities, the system connects information such as contractor selection plans, tender invitations, and bid evaluation results. It automates form-filling with relevant details, and bid prices are automatically calculated and updated from detailed pricing tables, this helps reduce discrepancies and correct arithmetic errors in electronic bidding packages.

Additionally, the function of monitoring procurement activities, along with publicly accessible information on the portal, serves as an effective tool for government regulatory agencies, the media, and society to enhance the supervision of the contractor selection process.

To optimize user experience, the Public Procurement Agency frequently collaborates with  FPT and the operational unit to continuously develop and plan the implementation of new feature including electronic guarantees, online bidding, approval of E-HSQT, E-HSMST, E-HMST, shortlist selection results, contractor selection results, approvals for non-digital bidding packages, e-procurement, and e-contracts. By consistently researching, updating, and promptly adding new features, the e-GP System continues to deliver enhanced value and benefits to stakeholders, driving remarkable advancements for e-procurement.

Mr. Do Son Giang, Executive Vice President of FPT IS, FPT Corporation, representing the project investor, shared, “The new e-GP system, resulting from the synergy between the Government and FPT Corporation through a public-private partnership model, proudly brings solutions to major national challenges. We are pleased that the system has been operating stably in practice with positive results, especially having realized important bidding procedures such as bidding for drugs, medical supplies, multi-part packages, etc., thereby successfully digitizing most of the bidding processes in Vietnam. This public-private partnership project is also a testament to and an encouragement for private enterprises to collaborate with state units in building national-scale systems.”

The ASOCIO Award is an annual Information Technology award presented to individuals, agencies, organizations, and enterprises with outstanding achievements and significant contributions to the development and application of IT across the 24 member economies of ASOCIO.