Early bidding to select investors for rest stops and smart traffic

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang requested agencies, units, and Project Management Boards to review and promptly implement bidding to select investors for rest stops and intelligent traffic systems on the Eastern North-South Expressway.

This is the main content that the Ministry of Transport has just issued in announcing the conclusion of Minister Nguyen Van Thang at the meeting on implementing investment in building rest stops and the ministry's intelligent transportation system on February 21.

Prepare bidding documents for rest stops

Accordingly, to speed up the progress of investment in rest stops on the expressway, put them into use soon to serve the people, according to Minister Nguyen Van Thang, with 8 rest stops having approved results of pre-selection of investors, the project management boards proactively review and prepare documents to implement bidding to select investors as soon as the Decree guiding the Law on Bidding is issued and takes effect, and at the same time direct investors to construct and complete the rest stops as soon as possible to serve the people.

For the remaining rest stops on the Eastern North-South Expressway, project management boards proactively prepare business project proposal documents and bidding documents that are eligible for appraisal and approval during the time when relevant legal documents are developed, revised and issued to shorten the progress of selecting investors and ensure implementation progress.

The Minister also requested the Department of Transport Infrastructure to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Legislation, the Vietnam Road Administration, the Vietnam Expressway Administration, and the Department of Construction Investment Management to proactively review and develop a draft Circular to replace Circular No. 01/2023/TT-BGTVT to implement the early issuance procedure (if the Decree guiding the Law on Bidding allows) as a basis for selecting investors for rest stops in particular and specialized road service works in general.

The Minister assigned the Vietnam Expressway Administration to proactively coordinate with relevant agencies and units to review and shorten procedures as much as possible, speed up the implementation of rest stops, in accordance with legal regulations.

“During the implementation process, units must carefully review and complete relevant legal regulations (if any) to ensure a complete legal corridor as a basis for implementation; in case of problems, promptly advise and report to the ministry's leaders to propose solutions, ensure investment progress, and put into synchronous operation the rest stops on the Eastern North-South Expressway when the projects are put into operation and use,” Mr. Thang noted.

Investing in synchronous construction of ITS system

Regarding the intelligent transportation system (ITS), Minister Nguyen Van Thang requested project management boards (with the responsibility of being the project investor) to urgently deploy investment in construction, complete the ITS system and the Route Traffic Management Center to ensure synchronous operation when the expressway is inaugurated and put into operation.

“The bidding process for selecting contractors must ensure publicity, transparency, and savings; technology and equipment must be invested in a synchronous and modern manner; and the Minister must be responsible to the Minister if there are further delays and the project quality is not guaranteed,” Minister Nguyen Van Thang emphasized.

For the North-South Expressway Projects in the 2017-2020 period, Project Management Board 6 directed the consulting unit to urgently review and complete the technical design (overall system architecture) with the best quality, and estimate the ITS system as a basis for the Project Management Boards to implement and complete before March 5.

Project Management Boards 6, 85, and Ho Chi Minh Road urge investors to continue investing in the ITS system and the Traffic Management and Operation Center at the 3 North-South Expressway Projects invested in the form of PPP in accordance with approved documents and PPP contracts, ensuring the completion of synchronous exploitation.

Regarding the North-South Expressway Projects in the 2021-2025 period, the Minister of Transport directed the project management boards to seriously implement the Ministry's instructions, closely coordinate with Project Management Board 6 to establish technical designs and estimates; urgently review documents, legal procedures, investment plans, balance and prioritize project capital sources to invest in the ITS system and the Route Traffic Management and Operation Center; report to the Ministry on the expected additional capital sources (if lacking), and not let the project be delayed due to lack of capital.

The Vietnam Expressway Administration shall preside over and coordinate with the Vietnam Road Administration, the Department of Construction Investment Management and the Project Management Boards to develop a roadmap and report to competent authorities on the roadmap for implementing the Expressway Traffic Management and Operation Center.

This agency is also assigned to preside over and coordinate with the Information Technology Center and the Department of Construction Investment Management to research a plan to purchase ITS software for unified use on expressways to ensure comprehensiveness and integration of inter-route information to serve traffic management and operation.

“The Vietnam Expressway Administration continues to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to research and propose models and plans for organizing investment and operation of the National ITS Intelligent Transport System Management Center, ensuring connection and synchronous operation with traffic management centers on expressways, including systems that have been put into operation and projects managed by localities,” said Minister Nguyen Van Thang.

The Vietnam Expressway Administration urgently advised the Ministry of Transport to issue a document instructing and requesting localities to review and implement ITS system investment in expressway projects assigned to them as the managing agency, ensuring synchronous completion and effective connection with the ITS system on expressway routes decided by the Ministry for investment.

The Vietnam Road Administration urgently implements the planning of road traffic infrastructure (including the planning of ITS system items) to submit to competent authorities for approval according to the Law on Planning.

Minister Nguyen Van Thang also assigned a number of departments and offices of the ministry to review and advise on capital sources to invest in the ITS system and the Route Traffic Management and Operation Center to ensure completeness, timeliness and efficiency; advise on the issuance of economic-technical norms to serve the management, exploitation, operation and maintenance of the ITS system...