The newly issued Circular 004/2025/TT-BNV by the Ministry of Home Affairs has set the salary standards for domestic consultants, which will serve as a basis for determining bid package values.
4 Salary Levels for Consultants
This Circular establishes salary standards for domestic consultants (consultants) to be used as a basis for preparing, evaluating, and approving estimates for bid packages related to investment projects, procurement of products, public services, medicines, chemicals, testing reagents, medical equipment, and more. It also covers the purchase of national reserves, leasing of reserve storage, technical infrastructure packages, and scientific and technological equipment, as well as other tasks that require bidding as stipulated in Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Bidding Law.
According to the Circular, the monthly salary standards for consultants working a full 26-day month are categorized into four levels:
Level 1 caps at VND 70 million per month for consultants with one of the following qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of consultation with at least 15 years of experience; a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field of consultation with at least 8 years of experience; or consultants who serve as team leaders or are in charge of organizing and managing the consultation package.
Level 2 caps at VND 55 million per month for consultants with one of the following qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of consultation with 10 to under 15 years of experience; a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field of consultation with 5 to under 8 years of experience; or consultants who are in charge of implementing one or several items within the consultation package.
Level 3 caps at VND 40 million per month for consultants with one of the following qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of consultation with 5 to under 10 years of experience; or a master’s degree or higher with 3 to under 5 years of experience in the relevant field of consultation.
Level 4 caps at VND 30 million per month for consultants with one of the following qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of consultation with less than 5 years of experience; or a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field of consultation with less than 3 years of experience.
For large-scale and technically complex projects that require highly specialized expertise, limited labor market supply, or difficult working conditions in remote areas, the investor or inviting bidder may propose higher consultant salary levels. However, the maximum salary level cannot exceed 1.5 times the corresponding monthly salary level stipulated for each qualification and condition.
As a result, the maximum salary can reach up to VND 105 million per month, which is 1.75 to 2 times higher than the salary levels specified in Circular No. 02/2015/TT-BLDTBXH (with four levels: VND 40 million, VND 30 million, VND 20 million, and VND 15 million per month)
Determining Weekly, Daily, and Hourly Rates
The Circular also stipulates weekly salary standards for consultants working a full 6-day week, calculated by multiplying the monthly salary level by 12 months and dividing it by 52 weeks.
Daily salary standards are applicable for consultants working a full 8-hour day and are calculated by dividing the monthly salary level by 26 days. Hourly salary standards are for consultants working less than 8 hours and are determined by dividing the monthly salary level by 26 days and then by 8 hours.
It is important to note that the salary levels specified in the Circular are maximum amounts and already include holiday pay, such as for Lunar New Year and other paid holidays as per the Labor Code. They also cover personal income tax and social insurance contributions, including health insurance, unemployment insurance, and other mandatory deductions as per current laws and regulations.
However, these salary levels do not include social insurance contributions that are the responsibility of the employer, as per the current laws and regulations on social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance. They also exclude management fees for consultant management units (if any), travel expenses, surveys, office rentals, communication costs, and other expenses necessary for consultants to perform their duties.
This Circular takes effect on July 1, 2025, and replaces Circular No. 02/2015 of the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, which stipulated the salary levels for domestic consultants and served as a basis for estimating bid packages for consulting services contracted on a time basis using state capital.
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