Circular No. 132/2016/TT-BTC dated August 18, 2016 of the Ministry of Finance on instructions on estimates, management, use and settlement of expenditures on preparation and organization of seventh Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit, eighth Cambodia – Laos – Myanmar – Vietnam (CLMV) summit and World Economic Forum-Mekong Conference (WEF-Mekong Conference) in Vietnam

THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

Circular No. 132/2016/TT-BTC dated August 18, 2016 of the Ministry of Finance on instructions on estimates, management, use and settlement of expenditures on preparation and organization of seventh Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit, eighth Cambodia – Laos – Myanmar – Vietnam (CLMV) summit and World Economic Forum-Mekong Conference (WEF-Mekong Conference) in Vietnam

Pursuant to the Law on State budget dated December 16, 2002 and the Government’s Decree No. 60/2003/ND-CP dated June 23, 2003 providing instructions on the implementation of the Law on State budget;

Pursuant to the Government s Decree No. 215/2013/ND-CP dated December 23, 2013 defining the functions, tasks, entitlements and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

Implementing the Prime Minister’s 896/QD-TTg dated May 26, 2016 on establishment of the Organizing Board of the seventh ACMECS, eighth CLMV and WEF-Mekong Conference in Vietnam;

At the request of director of the Department of Public Expenditure,

The Minister of Finance promulgates the Circular providing instructions on estimates, management, use and settlement of expenditures on preparation and organization of the seventh ACMECS, eighth CLMV and WEF-Mekong Conference in Vietnam.

Article 1.Scope of adjustment

This Circular provides instructions on estimation, management, use and settlement of expenditures on the preparation and organization of the seventh ACMECS, eighth CLMV and WEF-Mekong Conference in Vietnam (herein ‘conferences’).

Article 2.Subject of application

Agencies, units and organizations tasked with preparing and organizing conferences.

Article 3. Expenditures

Sources of expenditures on organization of conferences include:

1.State budget;

2.Contributions, grants, aids from organizations, enterprise and individuals at home and abroad;

3.Other legal sources (if any);

Article 4. Principle of management and use of expenditures

1.Ministries, sectors and localities shall use the allocated expenditures only for preparation and organization of activities within the framework of conferences approved by competent authorities (heads of the Organizing Board, heads of sub-committees).

2.The management and use of expenditures and assets for serving conferences shall be stipulated in the Law on State budget, written instructions on state finance and property management and provisions prescribed herein.

Article 5. Expenses

Expenses for organization of conferences include:

1.Expenses for conducting training and exercises in preparation for organizing conferences;

2.Expenses for purchase or lease of facilities, equipment, venues for conferences;

3.Expenses for production of logos, gifts and other souvenirs relating to conferences;

4.Expenses for printing materials, programs, related publications, invitation letters, production of cards for members participating in conferences; Expenses for printing cards for press reporters for news coverage of conferences;

5.Expenses for organization of meetings, workshops, group discussions, forums, press conferences within the framework of conferences;

6.Expenses for delegates invited by Vietnamese Government to attend conferences;

7.Expenses for activities of the Organizing Board, Secretariat and sub-committees that serve conferences;

8.Expenses for security and order, medical assistance, epidemic prevention, food safety and hygiene, environmental hygiene and other services;

9.Expenses for information communications;

10.Expenses for propagation of conferences (production of billboards, posters, logos, filming, photo-taking, banners, slogans, propaganda materials ...); expenses for propaganda on radio, TV and newspapers...;

11.Expenses for organization of cultural and art activities welcoming delegates to conferences;

12.Expenses for organization of field trips within the framework of conferences intended for delegates invited by competent authorities;

13.Other expenses for the preparation and organization of conferences (if any);

Article 6. Level of expenses

1.Hotel accommodation:

a) Expenses for hotel accommodations for delegates invited by Vietnamese Government shall be stipulated in the Prime Minister’s Decision.

b) Expenses for booking of hotels serving activities of the Organizing Board shall be confined to a maximum of five standard rooms in each hotel where delegates stay.

Unit price for payment shall be based on actual documents, vouchers.

2.Means of transport:

Arrangement of cars for delegates invited by Vietnamese Government shall be stipulated in the Prime Minister’s Decision. Expenses for car leasing according to the conference logistic plan shall be paid under the contract signed with the lessor.

Head of the Organizing Board shall be responsible for arranging cars to serve its activities on the basis of taking full advantage of availability of the agencies, units’ cars. In case of leasing, the lease duration shall be determined starting one day before the conference and ending one day after the conference.

3.Expenses for working lunches:

a) VND 800,000/person/lunch for SOM Conference;

b) VND 1,200,000/person/lunch for Foreign Ministers’ Meeting;

c) VND 1,500,000/person/lunch for other summits and WEF-Mekong Conference;

Aforesaid expenses include beverage (produced in Vietnam), excluding taxes, service charges.

4.Expenses for reception:

a) VND 1,000,000/person/reception for SOM conferences;

b) VND 1,500,000/person/reception for Foreign Ministers’ Meeting;

c) VND 2,500,000/person/reception for other summits and WEF-Mekong Conference;

Aforesaid expenses include beverage (produced in Vietnam), excluding taxes, service charges.

5.Expenses for tea breaks:

a) VND 150,000/person/break (two breaks per day) for SOM conferences;

b) VND 220,000/person/break (two breaks per day) for Foreign Ministers’ Meeting;

c) VND 330,000/person/break (two breaks per day) for other summits and WEF-Mekong Conference;

Aforesaid expenses are not inclusive of taxes, service charges.

6.Expenses for performance:

Expenses for cultural and art activities to celebrate and serve conferences shall be paid under the contract signed between the Organizing Board and art troupes.

7.Expenses for receiving and seeing delegates off:

a) Expenses for the leasing of rooms for the Organizing Board to receive and see delegates off shall be based on actual invoices; expenses for lunches/dinners for the Organizing Board (receptionists, volunteers, drivers, security and medical staff …) (VND 100,000/person/meal (not including taxes, service charges).

b) Expenses for purchase of flowers offered to delegates;

c) Expenses for beverage (mineral water, purified drinking water) for forces directly involved in receiving and seeing delegates off.

8.Gifts:

a) Recipients of gifts at conferences include: Heads of delegations of senior officials and his/her Excellency, foreign ministers, Secretary-generals of ASEAN and other members;

b) Maximum expense for heads of delegation of senior officials and his/her Excellency shall be VND 3,000,000/person;

c) Maximum expense for ministers and Secretary-generals of ASEAN shall be VND 1,500,000/person;

d) Maximum expense for heads of SOM shall be VND 1,000,000/person;

dd) Maximum expense for other members shall be VND 500,000/person.

9.Equipment:

a) The Organizing Board shall be paid for the arrangement and installation of equipment (computers connected to high-speed Internet, printers, copiers, facsimile machines (free of domestic charge), fixed telephones (free of domestic charge) and document cabinets) in shared rooms, press centers, press conference rooms and other functions at venues where conferences take place.

Arrangement, procurement or leasing of equipment (quantities, types, technical standards … ) shall be instructed in the conference logistics planning.

b) Equipment of assets to serve the preparation and organization of conferences shall be carried out in order of priority as follows:

-Arrange and equip assets currently possessed by agencies tasked with presiding over the preparation and organization of conferences;

-The agencies tasked with presiding over the preparation and organization of conferences shall lease assets if their existing assets cannot be arranged and equipped.

-Procurement of assets shall only be made as a last resort.

10.Benefits for officials and staff serving conferences:

a) Officials, staff directly involved in serving conferences (including holidays, weekends) shall be entitled to remunerations as follows:

-Members of the Organizing Board, heads of sub-committees, heads of Secretariat: VND 300,000/person/day;

-Members of sub-committees, Secretariat: VND 250,000/person/day;

-Members of task teams, groups belonging to sub-committees: VND 200,000/person/day;

-Service staff (security staff, drivers, receptionists, volunteers, medical and communication staff …) approved by heads of sub-committees: VND 150,000/person/day;

If a person who performs several different duties in a day shall be entitled to the highest remuneration level.

Remunerations shall be based on the number of days when conferences take place.

-In case of need, the Organizing Board shall arrange meals and accommodations for security, medical and service staff (security staff, drivers, receptionists, volunteers and communication officers ... ) VND 200,000/person/days (including beverage) apart from remunerations as prescribed. Money for room booking shall be based on actual invoices.

b) Expenses for mobile phone charges to officials, staff during conferences as follows:

-Members of the Organizing Board, heads of sub-committees, heads of Secretariat: VND 500,000/person/day;

-Members of sub-committees, Secretariat: VND 300,000/person/day;

-In case of need, heads of sub-committees shall make decision on the lists of officials who are paid for mobile phone charges or allowed to lease mobile phones (no more than VND 200,000/person).

11.Expenses for press conferences before and after conferences: Expenses as remunerations for Vietnamese reporters: VND 150,000/person/day; expenses for tea breaks: VND 70,000/person/day.

12.Expenses for translation:

Expenses for translation shall be instructed in the Ministry of Finance’s Circular No. 01/ 2010/TT-BTC dated January 06, 2010 stipulating spending on reception of foreign and domestic guests, organization of international conferences, workshops in Vietnam.

13.Expenses for procurement or lease of assets, facilities, material printing, production of logos, gifts and other items shall be instructed in the Law on Bidding and guiding documents.

14.For expenses outside the scope of this Circular and other legislative documents, heads of the Organizing Board and heads of sub-committees shall consider and make decisions in accordance with bid documents, contracts, invoices, and lawful documentary evidence.

Article 7. Estimates, management, use and settlement of expenditures

1.Expenditures from state budget:

Estimation, management, use and settlement of expenditures from state budget for the preparation and organization of conferences shall be instructed in the Law on State budget, the Law on Accounting and other guiding documents. This Circular shall provide specific instructions as follows:

a) Cost estimates:

-Based on tasks relating to the organization of conferences approved by heads of the Organizing Board, heads of sub-committees, spending limits according to current regulations and this Circular, the sub-committees and agencies in charge shall formulate and submit cost estimates to leadership of ministries, heads of the agencies for approval and forwarding them to the Material – Logistics Sub-committee (Office of the Government).

If the ministries, central and local agencies are assigned to perform other tasks (outside the tasks performed by sub-committees), the ministries, central and local agencies shall formulate and deliver budget estimation to the Material – Logistic Sub-committee (Office of the Government). Expenses for services to conferences shall exclude expenses for employment of facilities and equipment currently owned by agencies, units.

-The Material – Logistic Sub-committee shall examine and verify expenses in accordance with the activity organization plan within the framework of conferences, compile and submit overall cost estimates to the Organizing Board for signing and forwarding to the Ministry of Finance.

-The Ministry of Finance shall preside over appraisal of overall cost estimates and make submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

b) Allocation of cost estimates:

Based on the general cost estimates approved by the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance shall make notification of cost estimates to ministries, central and local agencies for implementation.

c) Use, management and settlement of expenditures:

-Ministries, central and local agencies assigned to perform the tasks shall be responsible for carrying out management and settlement of the expenditures allocated to them for organizing activities of conferences as prescribed.

-Expenditures on organization of conferences shall be monitored separately and recorded in expenditures on administrative management according to corresponding items in the State budget’s balance.

-Within 30 days at the latest since the end of conferences, the ministries, central and local agencies assigned to perform the tasks shall send reports on settlement of expenditures, statistical reports on the lists of procured assets to the Material – Logistic Sub-committee and the Ministry of Finance. Within 20 days since receipt of the reports from the ministries, central and local agencies, the Material – Logistic Sub-committee shall compile reports on the use of expenditures on preparation and organization of conferences and make proposal to the Ministry of Finance for handling the procured assets as prescribed in the Ministry of Finance’s 198/2013/TT-BTC dated December 20, 2013 stipulating management, use and handling of property of projects funded by the State capital.

-At the end of year, the ministries, central and local agencies assigned to perform the tasks shall compile and record the final settlement of expenditures on organization of conferences in their annual budget settlement as prescribed.

2.For contributions, grants, aids and other legal sources from organizations and individuals at home and abroad for organization of conferences (if any), the ministries, central and local agencies shall be responsible for managing and using such expenditures to perform the tasks within the framework of conferences according to current regulations and the donors’ regulations, making reports to both the Material – Logistic Sub-committee and the Ministry of Finance.

Article 8. Implementationprovisions

1.This Circular takes effect on October 03, 2016 and shall be applicable to the preparation and organization of activities within the framework of ACMECS, CLMV and WEF-Mekong Conference in Vietnam.

2.Any amendment, supplement or replacement of the legislative documents referred to in this Circular shall prevail over all other previous legislative documents.

3.For any amount of work performed before the effective date of this Circular, relevant agencies, units shall rely on this Circular and lawful documentary evidence to carry out settlement of the expenditures thereon according to the Law on State budget, the Law on Accounting and guiding documents.

4.Any difficulties arising in the course of implementation of this Circular should be reported to the Ministry of Finance for amendments and supplements as appropriate./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

Huynh Quang Hai