Do not prolong the petition related to the scandal of the Ho Chi Minh City

Perspective of Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway passing through Binh Phuoc. Photo: Investor — Perspective of Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway passing through Binh Phuoc

The above content was reported to the Government by the Ministry of Finance after examining the process of selecting contractors for the construction package through Binh Phuoc of the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh Expressway project. Previously, Son Hai Group Company Limited, one of the five bidding units, sent a petition disagreeing with the result of being eliminated, despite offering the lowest price.

This construction package has an estimated cost of over VND880 billion, part of a project with a total investment of nearly VND1,500 billion for a 7km section through Binh Phuoc . After the bidding opened on March 17, the Truong Son - Thanh Phat joint venture was selected with a winning bid of VND845.4 billion, saving nearly VND36 billion compared to the estimate.

However, the remaining four contractors, including Son Hai with the lowest bid of about VND732.2 billion, were eliminated due to failing to meet technical requirements. Specifically, the investor said that these units did not meet the criteria for building information modeling (BIM), capacity to supply construction materials, equipment and machinery.

After reviewing the documents, the Ministry of Finance believes that the application of the BIM model in the construction phase is appropriate according to the digitalization orientation. However, the Ministry of Finance emphasizes that the investor must be responsible for providing the initial BIM evaluation criteria, ensuring clarity, transparency, and avoiding misunderstandings. In addition, the investor must review the evaluation results of the expert team to see if they are consistent with the bidding documents and proposals from the contractor.

Regarding the reason for rejecting the bid due to unqualified machinery and equipment documents, the Ministry of Finance said that the evaluation of related documents requires many regulations and further consultation with specialized agencies. Therefore, the Ministry of Finance does not have enough basis to determine whether the rejection of the bid related to this content is correct or not.

Regarding the personnel of the expert team evaluating the dossier, the Ministry of Finance confirmed that all three members have practice certificates, valid until at least October 2028.

To speed up the project, the Ministry of Finance recommends that the Government leaders request Binh Phuoc province to study the above contents, thereby deciding and taking full responsibility for the selection of contractors for the expressway construction package in the area. The locality also needs to promptly resolve the petition of the Son Hai contractor, ensuring compliance with regulations, avoiding loss, waste or negativity.

In addition, localities are recommended to discuss with relevant ministries and branches to clarify technical documents, especially those related to safety and environment of the bid package.

Route of Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway. Graphics: Do Nam — Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway route

The Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh Expressway is nearly 69 km long, of which the section through Binh Duong accounts for the majority (about 53 km), the section through Binh Phuoc is about 7 km and the Ho Chi Minh City route has not been implemented yet. The route will shorten the travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Phuoc compared to the current 120 km distance on National Highway 13.

The section through Binh Phuoc will start construction in December 2024, while the Binh Duong section will start construction in February 2025.

VN (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/khong-de-keo-dai-kien-nghi-lien-quan-den-vu-lum-xum-goi-thau-cao-toc-tp-ho-chi-minh-chon-thanh-414846.html