'Banditizing' underperforming contractors and those with slow construction progress.

TPO - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Trong Hai requested strict handling, including contract termination, public disclosure of violations, and a 3-5 year ban from participating in bidding for underperforming contractors and those with slow construction progress. Investors must tighten contractor selection, prioritizing competence above all else.

On May 5th, the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a province-wide online conference on promoting the disbursement of public investment in 2026, connecting to 130 communes and wards.

According to the report, as of April 30th, the entire province had only disbursed approximately 2,170 billion VND, reaching 13.54% of the total plan. Specifically, the 2026 plan disbursed nearly 1,550 billion VND (11.26%), significantly lower than the same period last year (22.56%) and below the national average (14.2%). Funds carried over from previous years disbursed approximately 620 billion VND, reaching 27.39%.

Looking at each unit individually, 45 units disbursed funds at a rate higher than the provincial average, while 34 units disbursed funds below the average. Notably, 53 units have yet to disburse funds, including as many as 42 commune-level People's Committees.

The scene at the conference.

This year, Nghe An province was allocated over 14,170 billion VND in public investment capital. After saving 5% of the local budget, the total remaining capital is over 13,760 billion VND and has been fully allocated. In addition, over 2,266 billion VND from previous years has been carried over to this year.

According to assessments, the slow progress is mainly due to many transitional projects still facing procedural obstacles; new projects being large-scale; and difficulties in sourcing construction materials and rising costs, causing many contractors to proceed at a slow pace.

Faced with the pressure to disburse a large amount of capital in the remaining time, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Vo Trong Hai, requested that departments, agencies, and localities accelerate implementation. Five Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee were assigned to directly inspect the sites and resolve obstacles for projects that are behind schedule.

For underperforming contractors who are slow in construction, the province demands strict action, which may include contract termination, public disclosure of violations, and a 3-5 year ban from participating in bidding. Project owners must tighten the contractor selection process, prioritizing competence above all else.

Construction work is underway to expand and upgrade National Highway 46 through Kim Lien commune, Nghe An province.

The province also instructed relevant departments to review the supply of construction materials to ensure availability for projects; and to expedite the completion of commune-level planning in the third quarter of 2026 to create a basis for land auctions and increase revenue for development investment.

Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Vo Trong Hai emphasized that land clearance is a crucial step, requiring the Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level to directly supervise it, considering it a key political task.

"The results of public investment disbursement will be an important basis for evaluating the performance of the heads of departments," Mr. Vo Trong Hai affirmed, and requested that localities with low disbursement rates, especially those with 0%, must urgently propose solutions to create significant improvements in the coming period.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cam-cua-nha-thau-yeu-kem-thi-cong-i-ach-post1840832.tpo