Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC: Simplifying many procedures, speeding up the bidding process

Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC takes effect from August 4, 2025, except for online bidding for construction packages under the simplified process. From the effective date of Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC, Circular 22/2024/TT-BKHĐT ceases to be effective.

The 2023 Law on Bidding (amended by Law 90/2025/QH15) and Decree 214/2025/ND-CP have amended and supplemented many regulations on bidding procedures and methods of evaluating bid documents. Continuing the efforts to perfect the policy, the Ministry of Finance said that the development and promulgation of Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC aims to create a unified legal foundation, promptly remove difficulties and obstacles in the process of implementing bidding activities, and improve competitiveness and efficiency in the public procurement market.

Compared to the old regulations (Circular No. 22/2024/TT-BKHĐT), Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC renews many contents to continue to simplify bidding procedures and processes. For example, Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC stipulates in the direction of empowering investors to decide on the selection of evaluation criteria for experience in implementing similar contracts. Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC stipulates that only the assessment of key personnel and main construction equipment (construction packages) is required for the first-ranked contractor, in order to speed up the process and procedures and shorten the bidding time.

In particular, Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC allows HSMT to request trademarks for raw materials, supplies and other input factors, and at the same time increase the technical score to a maximum of 60% for bidding packages specified in Clause 1a, Article 31 of the Bidding Law to select contractors with good technology on the basis of the most reasonable cost, minimizing the situation of low-cost, low-quality bidding.

The new Circular has abolished regulations related to the responsibilities of the inviting party; at the same time, it stipulates the specific responsibilities of investors and expert teams in the process of selecting contractors. The new document supplements regulations on ensuring competition between public service units and enterprises with the same direct management and capital contribution agency; public service units with the same direct management agency according to the provisions of the Bidding Law. In addition, there are regulations on technical evaluation methods for non-consulting service, goods, construction and installation, and mixed packages to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Bidding Law.

In addition, Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC stipulates that “a contractor with 2 unfinished contracts due to the contractor’s fault within a period of 3 years up to the time of bidding” will be disqualified (Circular No. 22/2024/TT-BKHĐT stipulates that a contractor with 1 unfinished contract due to the contractor’s fault within a period of 5 years up to the time of bidding will be disqualified).

Another new point is the regulation on approving the winning bid for construction packages in cases where the bid price is less than 80% of the bid package price; additional incentives in bidding for individuals, creative startups; organizations supporting creative startups recognized by competent authorities; innovation centers; science and technology enterprises…; high-tech products, products, goods from the results of special science, technology and innovation tasks…

Some experts believe that Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC applied in practice will contribute to perfecting the process, procedures and technical features of the National Bidding Network System to improve feasibility, transparency and consistency in online contractor selection activities.

Article 35 of Circular 79/2025/TT-BTC stipulates that it will take effect from August 4, 2025, except for online bidding for construction packages according to the simplified process performed on the System from September 1, 2025.