The workshop received active participation and valuable contributions from numerous relevant units and organizations in the Southern region.

Attending the workshop were Dr. Trần Hậu Ngọc – Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality; Mr. Trần Quý Giầu – Head of the Metrology Department; Mr. Nguyễn Quốc Dũng – Head of Business Division, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN); representatives from Departments of Science and Technology, Sub-Departments of Standards, Metrology and Quality, and Technical Centers of southern provinces; representatives from southern power corporations and provincial electricity companies; as well as organizations conducting verification, calibration, and testing of measuring instruments and measurement standards in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Trần Hậu Ngọc – Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality – stated that after more than 10 years of implementation, Circular No. 24 has played an important role in managing verification, calibration, and testing activities of measuring instruments and measurement standards nationwide. Verification, calibration, and testing organizations play an essential role in enhancing the reliability of measurement results, ensuring the accuracy of measuring instruments in nearly all areas of life, thereby protecting consumer rights, enhancing corporate reputation, minimizing losses due to technical errors, and improving production efficiency.

However, alongside the achievements, Circular 24 still has certain shortcomings and limitations that need to be amended and improved. At the same time, in response to the Government’s requirements on administrative procedure reform — reducing 30% of business conditions, 30% of dossier components, and 30% of processing time — combined with the strong push for digital transformation, some provisions of the Circular are no longer appropriate and need to be reviewed and revised to suit reality, while also facilitating enterprises in production, business, and international integration. According to Mr. Ngọc, the draft Circular replacing Circular No. 24/2013/TT-BKHCN is expected to be submitted to the Minister of Science and Technology for review and issuance in early December.

Dr. Trần Hậu Ngọc – Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality.

At the workshop, Mr. Trần Quý Giầu – Head of the Metrology Department – analyzed the new points in the draft Circular. He also affirmed that the new Circular replacing Circular No. 24 will not generate additional administrative procedures or compliance costs for enterprises; on the contrary, the draft has reduced dossier components, shortened processing time, applied digital transformation, and resolved difficulties encountered in practice, in order to comply with the Government’s policies in Resolution No. 66/NQ-CP, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, and other related resolutions, while still ensuring effective state management in the field of metrology.

Mr. Trần Quý Giầu – Head of the Metrology Department – National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality.

Within the framework of the workshop, delegates from the Southern Power Corporation, Vietnam Institute of Metrology, Ho Chi Minh City Sub-Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality, and the Water Supply Infrastructure Joint Stock Company also delivered presentations and comments on the draft Circular.

Overview of the workshop

The presentations mainly focused on proposals to: - Eliminate the separate registration procedure for providing verification, calibration, and testing services for Group 2 measuring instruments and measurement standards used directly for verifying Group 2 instruments, and merge it into the designation procedure; - Remove the validity period requirement for decisions certifying measurement standards and decisions certifying metrology verifiers;

- Abolish the requirement to archive administrative procedure dossiers to align with the current context where all procedures are fully conducted electronically via the National Public Service Portal; - Extend the deadline for dossier rectification based on actual circumstances to facilitate enterprises.

Mr. Bùi Quốc Hoan – Deputy General Director of Southern Power Corporation speaking at the workshop.

Mr. Nguyễn Anh Sơn – Vice Director of Vietnam Institute of Metrology speaking at the workshop.

Mr. Mai Phước Vinh – Ho Chi Minh City Sub-Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality speaking at the workshop.

Some photos from the discussion session.

At the end of the program, the discussion session was extremely lively, with many contributions from representatives of enterprises and related units. The presiding leaders provided satisfactory responses and affirmed that all opinions would be compiled and incorporated to improve the draft before submission to the Minister of Science and Technology for review and issuance.

Concluding the workshop, Dr. Trần Hậu Ngọc – Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality – assigned the Metrology Department to coordinate with relevant units to thoroughly study, analyze in detail the contributed opinions, address them, incorporate them, and finalize the draft Circular before submitting it to the Minister of Science and Technology for promulgation.

Mr. Ngọc also expressed his hope that relevant units would continue to closely coordinate with the drafting and appraisal agencies during the finalization of the draft Circular — each round of feedback is an opportunity for improvement — to ensure that the new Circular replacing Circular 24 fully meets the requirements of Resolution No. 66/NQ-CP, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, and the expectations of enterprises and the public.

Trần Quý Giầu