Latest regulations on the time for preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting

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What is the time for preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting?

In bidding activities, a proposal dossier for direct contracting is a set of documents prepared by the contractor in accordance with the requirements of the procuring entity/investor to demonstrate its capacity, experience, and ability to satisfy the requirements of the designated bidding package.

Accordingly, the time for preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting is understood as the period from the date the procuring entity/investor issues the request for proposals dossier until the bid closing time.

This period plays an important role because it directly affects the quality of the bidding dossier. Providing an appropriate preparation period helps contractors have sufficient time to review legal documents, capacity, experience, and develop effective implementation plans.

Latest regulations on the time for preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting

Below is the time for preparing proposal dossiers applicable to each case of direct contracting under current regulations for your reference!

Time for preparing proposal dossiers under normal direct contracting

According to the Law on Bidding 2023 and Decree No. 214/2025/NĐ-CP, the law does not prescribe a specific minimum number of days for preparing proposal dossiers under the normal direct contracting method.

Instead, this period shall be determined and clearly stated in the Request for Proposals (RFP) dossier by the procuring entity/investor based on the scale and nature of each bidding package, provided that the total implementation time of the entire direct contracting process remains within the statutory limits.

Specifically, according to Clause 5 Article 23 of the Law on Bidding 2023:

• Total implementation time for direct contracting: Not exceeding 45 days from the date of approval of the Request for Proposals dossier to the date of contract signing.

• Large-scale or complex bidding packages: Total implementation time shall not exceed 90 days.

Time for preparing proposal dossiers under simplified direct contracting

For simplified direct contracting, current regulations also do not prescribe a specific minimum number of days for contractors to prepare proposal dossiers. Instead, the investor shall proactively determine an appropriate timeline based on the nature, scale, and urgency of the bidding package.

According to Clause 3 Article 80 of Decree No. 214/2025/NĐ-CP, the simplified direct contracting process is carried out as follows:

“3. Simplified direct contracting shall be implemented according to the following process:

a) Preparation and submission of draft contract to the contractor:

The investor shall, based on the objectives and scope of work, prepare and send a draft contract to the contractor expected to be capable of performing the bidding package; for bidding packages prescribed at Point e Clause 2 Article 78 of this Decree, the investor shall send the draft contract to the contractor that previously won the bidding package through open bidding or limited bidding and signed a contract for the previous package. The draft contract shall include requirements regarding the scope and contents of work, implementation time, required quality, corresponding value, and other necessary contents.

The contractor proposed for direct contracting must have valid eligibility as prescribed at Points a, b, c, d, e, g, and i Clause 1 Article 5 of the Law on Bidding; for household business contractors, eligibility must comply with Points a, b Clause 2 and Points d, e Clause 1 Article 5 of the Law on Bidding. For goods procurement packages, contractors being individuals or groups of individuals offering their own innovative products may be proposed for direct contracting if they satisfy the eligibility conditions prescribed in Clause 3 Article 5 of the Law on Bidding. Where relevant laws require contractors participating in bidding and contract performance to be independent from other organizations and individuals, such regulations must be complied with;

b) Finalization of the contract, approval, and publication of contractor selection results:

Based on the draft contract, the investor and the contractor proposed for direct contracting shall finalize the contract as the basis for approving contractor selection results and signing the contract. During the contract finalization process, the investor and contractor shall negotiate prices to ensure that the proposed contract award price is economical and efficient; for construction packages subject to direct contracting under Point e Clause 2 Article 78 of this Decree, the parties shall negotiate prices to ensure savings of at least 5% of the package price.

The publication of contractor selection results shall comply with Clause 5 Article 33 of this Decree;

c) Contract signing and contract management:

Contracts signed between the parties must conform to the approved contractor selection results and other relevant documents. Contract management shall comply with Article 35 of this Decree.

4. For bidding packages or procurement contents valued at not more than VND 50 million, the head of the procuring agency/unit shall decide on procurement to ensure thrift and efficiency and take responsibility for such decisions; in these cases, the conditions prescribed in Clause 2 Article 79 of this Decree and the procedures prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article are not required, but invoices and supporting documents must still comply with legal regulations, or the simplified direct contracting process prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article may be applied.

5. In cases where the investor does not apply the simplified process prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article but instead applies the normal process, implementation shall comply with Article 79 of this Decree.”

Thus, for simplified direct contracting, current regulations do not prescribe a specific period for preparing proposal dossiers. Instead, the simplified direct contracting process is implemented in a streamlined manner through sending a draft contract to the contractor for negotiation, finalization, and contract signing. The parties must complete the direct contracting procedures within 15 days from the date the bidding package implementation begins.

Since the implementation timeline is usually short, contractors should proactively prepare legal documents, capacity dossiers, and other relevant documents in advance to promptly satisfy the investor’s requirements.

What does a proposal dossier for direct contracting include?

A proposal dossier for direct contracting serves as the basis for the procuring entity/investor to evaluate the contractor’s capacity, experience, and ability to meet the requirements of the designated bidding package. Depending on the nature and requirements of each bidding package, the dossier components may vary; however, they generally include the following main groups of documents:

• Legal and administrative documents of the contractor

• Capacity and experience dossier for implementing similar contracts

• Technical documents and implementation measures for the bidding package

• Proposed price quotation

• Other documents and appendices required by the procuring entity

Preparing a complete proposal dossier in accordance with requirements will help contractors minimize deficiencies during the evaluation process and improve the likelihood of being selected to implement the bidding package.

To learn more about dossier components, templates, and important notes when preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting, you may refer to the article “Understanding the proposal dossier template for direct contracting” by DauThau.info!

What should contractors note when preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting?

During participation in direct contracting, preparing a complete proposal dossier that fully satisfies requirements is an important factor helping contractors increase their chances of selection. Since the implementation time for direct contracting is usually quite short, especially for simplified direct contracting, contractors should proactively review and prepare necessary documents in advance to avoid being unprepared when receiving requests from the investor or procuring entity.

Below are some important points contractors should note when preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting:

• Prepare complete legal documents: Contractors should review and update legal documents such as enterprise registration certificates, operation capacity certificates, and other related documents to ensure that all documents remain valid at the time of participation in direct contracting.

• Update capacity and experience dossiers: Documents proving capacity such as similar contracts, financial statements, lists of key personnel, and experience in implementing similar bidding packages should be fully prepared to satisfy the investor’s requirements.

• Carefully review the request dossier or draft contract: Contractors should thoroughly review contents related to scope of work, technical requirements, implementation schedule, payment conditions, and contract terms in order to prepare a proposal dossier that matches the bidding package requirements.

• Prepare appropriate technical proposals and quotations: For bidding packages requiring negotiation, contractors should prepare implementation plans, technical solutions, and reasonable quotations in advance to facilitate faster contract finalization.

• Monitor the proposal submission deadline: Since the implementation period for direct contracting is often short, contractors should proactively monitor submission deadlines to avoid late submission or missing documents that could affect contractor selection results.

In addition, contractors should regularly update new legal regulations on bidding to ensure that the preparation and submission of proposal dossiers comply with current regulations.

Conclusion

The above are the latest regulations regarding the time for preparing proposal dossiers for direct contracting under current laws. Although the law does not prescribe a specific number of preparation days for each case, contractors should still proactively prepare complete legal documents, capacity dossiers, and related materials to meet the investor’s requirements within a short timeframe. Hopefully, this article has helped contractors better understand the process and important notes when participating in direct contracting.

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