The government has officially issued Resolution No. 04/2025/NQ-CP on August 20, 2025, to remove barriers and difficulties in implementing information technology (IT) projects and tasks funded by the state budget.

The resolution provides detailed provisions for addressing regulatory obstacles in deploying IT projects and tasks funded by public capital, including both development investment and recurrent expenditure. It covers processes related to investment implementation, total investment estimates, project budgets, procurement procedures, and service contracting in the field of IT.

According to the resolution, IT projects using state budget capital shall follow Decree No. 73/2019/ND-CP (dated September 5, 2019) and Decree No. 82/2024/ND-CP (dated July 10, 2024), which amended certain articles of the former decree - except in aspects related to design steps, project appraisal authority, investment decision timelines, and specific provisions for internal software projects, which are governed by this new resolution.

Project designs may follow either a one-step or two-step process. In the one-step model, the detailed design and budget are prepared during the investment preparation stage and substitute for the basic design and feasibility study. In the two-step model, detailed design must conform to the previously approved basic design in terms of system architecture, logic, and components.

Three types of projects qualify for the one-step design process:

(a) Projects to procure or replace IT hardware/software in existing systems without installation requirements.
(b) Projects with a total investment under VND 20 billion (approximately USD 785,000) involving new IT infrastructure.
(c) Any other project where the investor deems one-step design feasible and receives approval from the competent authority.

Projects not meeting the above criteria - or where the authority mandates a two-step design - must follow the full two-step design process.

Projects using development investment capital must be appraised under the Public Investment Law. For recurrent expenditure projects, the relevant authority must establish an appraisal council or assign a specialized unit to handle evaluation.

Projects classified as group A (large-scale) are exempt from having their basic or detailed designs appraised by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Instead, these appraisals will be conducted by internal IT departments of the respective approving agencies.

Appraisal timelines are as follows:

Group A projects: maximum 30 working days, with 15 days for design appraisal.
Group B and C projects: maximum 20 working days, with 10 days for design appraisal.

Investment decisions must be made within 5 working days (Group A) or 3 working days (Group B, C) after receiving complete documentation.
Investor discretion and oversight

Project investors are allowed to self-adjust and approve modifications to project designs provided there are no changes to project objectives, scale, timeline, output, or approved investment budget. They must ensure full compliance with technical standards and submit adjusted designs for oversight.

Project budgeting must follow Articles 19 and 28 of Decree 73/2019/ND-CP. Methods for cost estimation include:

Construction and equipment costs, database creation, data conversion and entry, software installation and testing, training, and pre-handover support, estimated based on  -  quotes.
Project management and consulting fees (if not done in-house) estimated using  -  quotes or expert-based methods.
Other associated costs (excluding auditing and final account verification) must also use  -  or expert cost estimation methods, per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Procurement and service contracting regulations

Four categories of IT-related activities funded by recurrent expenditure are exempt from the requirement to develop separate project plans or service request documentation. These include:

Tasks specified under Article 51.1 of Decree 73/2019/ND-CP.
Procurement of commercial IT hardware and software, including license renewals.
Urgent upgrades driven by regulatory changes.

Emergency implementations mandated by government resolutions, directives, or leadership instructions, where delays would compromise progress.

Heads of ministries, central agencies, and provincial People's Committees may authorize the above exemptions, but must ensure transparency, cost-effectiveness, and prevent misuse or waste. Budget users must strictly comply with regulations and use funds efficiently and effectively.

IT service contracts will still follow Article 52 of Decree 73/2019/ND-CP, with some simplified procedures under this resolution, such as:

No need to justify choice between outsourcing and internal implementation.
Cost estimates based on quotations or expert evaluation, as applicable.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will continue to guide all aspects of IT investment cost management using public funds.

PV