Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board: Determined to complete the task of disbursing public investment capital in 2024

"Setting the target of disbursing over 95% of the investment capital allocated by the province in 2024 in the context of many difficulties and obstacles affecting the project's construction progress is a very high determination of the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (PMU). Therefore, from the beginning of the year, as the investor, the Board has worked with contractors to "overcome the sun and rain" to promptly complete the proposed workload, creating motivation for contractors to perform well in the next items". This is the main content in the exchange between comrade Dang Huu Truong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board, and reporters of Ninh Binh Newspaper.

At the construction site of the East-West Highway investment project (phase I). Photo: Anh Tuan

Reporter (PV) : Could you please tell us about the efforts of the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board in disbursing public investment capital in 2024?

Mr. Dang Huu Truong: In 2024, the total capital plan assigned to the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (PMMU) is 1,094,986 million VND, of which 366,961 million VND is from the central budget; 728,025 million VND from local capital sources to implement 19 projects, including 3 key traffic projects, identified as large projects with widespread influence and important significance in the sustainable development of the province as well as the region.

Aware of the responsibility assigned by the province, from the end of 2023, the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board proactively reviewed all projects, thereby developing plans, determining targets for construction progress and disbursement for each project in 2024. Along with that, requiring contractors to focus resources on implementing projects, avoiding the situation of "slowly" at the beginning of the year and "sprinting" at the end of the year; at the same time, assigning leaders of the Board in charge of the area to closely coordinate with the province's functional branches and local authorities to quickly carry out compensation and site clearance work, ensuring clean ground for implementing construction items.

The problems arising in the implementation of the bidding packages were proactively resolved by the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board, helping contractors feel secure in implementing the items and projects; at the same time, requiring the progress, quality, and aesthetics of the project to be used as a measure of the contractor's performance capacity. The Board also strengthened the inspection and control of volume, cost, and determination of completed volume for settlement, both ensuring the disbursement rate of public investment capital and creating motivation for contractors to perform well on the project. The above solutions were implemented consistently and throughout, helping the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board ensure the requirements on project implementation progress and investment capital disbursement.

Reporter: Sir, up to now, what signals show that the disbursement of public investment capital of the Board is capable of achieving the set plan target?

Mr. Dang Huu Truong: Although at the same time, the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board has to synchronously implement many large-scale projects in many different locations, the work has been going smoothly so far, with very positive results.

A typical example is the East-West Road Construction Project in Ninh Binh Province (Phase 1). Currently, the construction unit is making efforts, focusing on workers, machinery, equipment, working overtime, working day and night to speed up progress, improve quality, and ensure environmental sanitation. Up to now, about 8.5km of road surface has been paved; the remaining roadbed, bridges, and culverts are being completed; the value of completed construction volume is estimated at 45.0%. The locality is determined to strive to basically complete the project in 2024.

This is also a project that the province has focused large resources on to strive to complete ahead of schedule to put into operation. To date, the total capital allocated to the project is 1,437.625 billion VND. Of which, the central budget is 500 billion, the provincial budget is 937.625 billion VND; the accumulated disbursement to date is 1,277.979/1,437.625 billion VND, reaching 88.9%. The capital plan for 2024 alone is recorded as 218.3 billion VND from the provincial budget; the disbursed capital is 58.654/218.3 billion VND, reaching 26.87%.

Or the coastal road construction project through Ninh Binh province, phase II, although construction started in November 2023 with high requirements on technique, aesthetics, quality, and urgent construction time, but with the efforts and responsibility of the locality and contractors, the construction site, camps, and Ninh Binh shore transformer station have been completed. The contractor is constructing bored piles, the base of the Ninh Binh shore abutments; constructing the frontage road, the intersection under the Can River bridge and the QL12B intersection...; the construction and disbursement value has achieved the set target.

Thus, based on the allocated capital, right from the first months of the year, with great efforts from both the investor, the locality and the contractors, they "ate quickly, slept quickly", "overcame the sun, overcame the rain" to deploy machinery, equipment, materials, and actively worked human resources. The leaders of the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board were also regularly present at the construction sites to coordinate and support the contractors to promptly resolve arising difficulties and problems and urge the contractors to perform well the bid packages. In addition, strictly control the quality and aesthetics of the works. Therefore, the results of implementation and disbursement of public investment capital in the first 6 months of 2024 reached 136,598/1,094,986 million VND.

The above results show the drastic involvement in the direction and management of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee. This is the fundamental reason, because only when the Party Committee leads and directs closely, and the government operates decisively, will everything be successful. It is also the result demonstrating the responsibility of the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board as the investor, construction contractors... have overcome the weaknesses of previous years to implement tasks right from the first days and months of 2024 regarding difficulties and problems related to land, site clearance, materials... have been basically resolved promptly. This is an important basis for the Provincial Traffic Project Management Board to set the target of disbursing public investment capital in 2024 to reach over 95% of the capital plan.

Reporter: Although the projects invested by the Board basically ensure the set progress, the disbursement rate is still quite modest. So to complete the disbursement plan of over 95%, what fundamental solutions has the unit proposed to successfully complete the set goals, comrade?

Mr. Dang Huu Truong: 2024 is identified as a year of acceleration and breakthrough, which is of special significance in successfully implementing the 5-year socio- economic development plan for the period 2021-2025. Up to now, the projects invested by the Management Board have basically met the plan in terms of both construction progress and capital disbursement.

However, the projects are still facing some difficulties such as: Most of the projects are facing difficulties in the process of declaration, counting, and pricing (related to land use planning, current land use status compared to planning, compensation costs for land acquisition and clearance at the time of implementation are much higher than the estimated costs in the total investment, difficulties in compensation for residential land clearance...), which affects the progress of project implementation. Some projects have to adjust investment policies and projects due to increased costs for land acquisition and clearance.

In addition, localities have not been able to hand over the site continuously, which has affected the arrangement of machinery, human resources, and construction materials by contractors. In addition, a number of new projects have just been approved for investment and are implementing the next steps, with construction expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2023. The concentration of human resources and machinery by contractors has not been guaranteed, leading to progress not being as committed.

To ensure the progress of disbursement of the capital plan assigned in 2024, the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board is currently accelerating the progress of investment preparation steps to soon submit the project for approval as a basis for implementing the next steps. Closely coordinate with the compensation council, land acquisition and clearance of districts where the project passes through, speed up the progress of land acquisition and clearance, and soon have a clean site to hand over to the construction contractors.

We also commit to creating all favorable conditions for contractors to implement the packages, but require them to comply with the commitments on progress, quality, and aesthetics of the project; resolutely handle cases of contract violations and report to the Provincial People's Committee to consider adding construction contractors to meet progress requirements. The Board also requires consulting units to supervise and design consultants to seriously perform their tasks. We will organize acceptance of the completed work volume, coordinate with related sectors to make final payments, and strive to disburse over 95% of the capital allocated by the province to the Board by December 31."

PV: Thank you very much, comrade!

Nguyen Thom (performed)