Instructions for installing public digital certificates to use on the new national procurement system from September 19, 2022

Tuesday, 16 May 2023 9:10 AM
According to the notification from the national procurement network system, public key certificates will be used in the new system, replacing the certificates previously issued by the National Online Procurement Center. So, what is a public key certificate? How do you register for a public key certificate? And how is it used? Let DauThau.info answer these questions in the following article.
Instructions for installing public digital certificates to use on the new national procurement system from September 19, 2022

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Video guide to registering a public key certificate on the new e-GP system

Below is a video guide to registering a public key certificate on the new e-GP system produced by DauThau.info, which you can refer to:

Video of digital certificate registration on the new national bidding network

What is a Public Key Certificate? When to Use a Public Key Certificate (PKC)?

In the upcoming new national procurement network system, a public key certificate (PKC) will be introduced for entities to interact with the system.

A PKC, or public key certificate, is a digital signature provided by organizations offering public key signature services for subscription use. To be more precise, it is an electronic signature currently employed by businesses to digitally sign contracts and necessary documents within the online environment.

PKCs have the same legal validity as personal signatures or corporate seals. The primary purpose of using PKCs is to authenticate the information of organizations/individuals when selecting contractors and investors.

Specific use cases for PKCs include:

  • Bid solicitor use PKCs to publish Tender Notice, prequalification notices, bid openings, and responses to clarifications regarding tender documents, bid dossiers, cancellations, etc.
  • Contractors/Investors use PKCs to sign prequalification documents, bid dossiers, and to confirm information on capability profiles, respond to clarifications on bid documents, and extensions of bid validity.
  • Investors use PKCs to confirm bid cancellations, resolve issues, and provide recommendations on the national procurement network system.
  • Authorized agencies use PKCs to cancel bids, resolve issues, and provide recommendations on the national procurement network system.

How to Register for a Public Key Certificate (PKC)?

PKCs will be issued by public key certificate service providers in Vietnam. To use PKCs, organizations and units should directly contact the PKC service providers to register. Currently, the national procurement network system accepts PKCs from 18 service providers, as shown below:

don vi cung cap cts cong cong theo yeu cau
The national procurement network accepts public PKC provided by 1 of the above 18 providers

Due to the nature of PKCs being electronic signatures, similar to digital signatures, which organizations use for signing in the online environment, if a company already has an electronic signature for their accounting department, it can be used for online bidding by the company. However, sharing PKCs or digital signatures with other departments should only be done for small- to medium-sized companies and for occasional transactions.

For larger organizations or those performing frequent, specialized tasks, it's recommended to register separate PKCs or digital signatures. A company can have multiple digital signatures, and for an effective procurement process, a separate digital signature/PKC can be registered for the procurement department. This ensures secure information sharing between departments and simplifies management.

How to install public PKC on new national bidding network?

How to Install a Public Key Certificate on the New National Procurement Network System?
To install a public key certificate for use on the new national procurement network system, users need to log into their account on the new system and plug in the USB token provided by the PKC service provider. Then, follow the steps below:

  • Step 1: After successfully logging into your account, select "Personal Profile" as shown below:

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Figure 1. Select Profile 
  • Step 2: On the personal profile screen, choose "Register Public Key Certificate" in the left-hand menu:

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Figure 2. Select Register digital certificates to install public digital certificates for user accounts
  • Step 3: After selecting "Register Public Key Certificate," the screen will display PKC information retrieved from the USB token, including the PKC service provider, PKC user's name, user's unit name, PKC identification number, serial number, effective date, expiration date, and active status.

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Figure 3. List of digital certificates that businesses are using recorded from USB Token
  • Step 4: Choose the PKC serial number from the USB token to register with the new national procurement network system and paste it into the "Serial Number" field. Click "Check" to ensure that the PKC on the USB token matches the serial number you entered. Then, click "Save."

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Figure 4. Select PKC from USB Token to register with new bidding system
  • Step 5: After successfully saving the PKC, the user needs to verify the information by either confirming through the registered email or using the Google Authenticator app. Once you have the verification code, enter it in the "Enter Verification Code" field and click "Send."

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Figure 5. Enter the authentication code to confirm information and submit to complete the steps to register for public digital certificates on the new procurement network 

Note when Using Public Key Certificates (PKCs):

  • New or registered PKCs remain valid at the time of use on the new national procurement network system.

  • Each PKC is registered for use with a single organization/unit on the system. If an organization/unit has multiple roles (bid invitation unit, contractor, investor, etc.), the PKC can be registered once and used for multiple roles.

  • Public PKC can be shared by participating accounts/business accounts belonging to the same organization/unit

  • Only use PKC of organizations and businesses on the System.

  • For first time PKC registrants need to install Drive for PKC while USB Token is plugged into the computer

  • The unit needs to install and start the Agent application when postingsign digital certificates on the new national network. 

  • A participating account can only register 1 PKC. In case the unit has previously registered for PKC and wants to update the PKC, please select the new PKC recorded from the USB Token connected to the computer.

  • Participating accounts and business accounts created by the same account can register to use the same PKC using the function assign a digital certificate at the Create/Edit business account screen.

  • Change PKC: If the Bid solicitor/Investor has packages that have not yet been opened for bidding but needs to change the PKC, these unopened packages cannot be opened using the new PKC. Therefore, the Bid solicitor/Investor must ensure that all the bidding packages are successfully opened before changing the PKC.

The above article has detailed useful information related to public PKC and answered some questions about how to post. Signing, usage and notes when participating in public digital certificates. Hopefully the above sharing of DauThau.info will help you in the process of learning about public PKC.


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Give up to 400 points and 20% off for customers when buying digital certificates of DauThau.info

In order to make it easier for you to participate in the new National Procurement Network, DauThau.info will award points to your account when you buy WINCA PKC, details of points awarded and price list for digital signatures are available here: https://dauthau.asia/news/tin-tuc/tang-400-diem-va-giam-den-20-khi-mua-chung-thu-so-tai-dauthau-info-740.html

You can use this digital certificate (PKC) to join the National Procurement Network, sign contracts and perform electronic transactions.

To receive advice and order PKC for use on the new National Procurement network, please contact: 

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