Preparedness Assessment for the Integration of Sustainability Criteria in the Public Procurement of Infrastructure in Vietnam

Abstract

Abstract. In line with the country’s current examination of “green growth”, there is a need to conduct a policy research in the field of public procurement, to examine howViet Nam’s legal and policy framework for environmental protection may be optimized to allow for the successful introduction of green procurement. This paper aims to explore the prevailing framework for public procurement of infrastructure and to make recommendations on how it can be “greened”. A lack of efficient infrastructure is currently listed by many investors as the number one problem when operating inVietnam, and can potentially slow downVietnam’s growth. As investment efficiency will have to increase to maintain rapid growth, it is both an opportunity and a necessity to include sustainability standards in new or adjusted institutional frameworks and legislation. This paper presents the result of a joint research between theInstitute ofStrategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam (MONRE), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD),Canada. It analyzed the legal and institutional framework of traditional public procurement and public-private partnerships for the procurement of infrastructure, as well as the hurdles and opportunities for integrating sustainability criteria in both methods of public procurement in the future.

Keywords: Green procurement, PPP, infrastructure, public procurement, Vietnam.