Kiểm toán các dự án đầu tư xây dựng công trình giao thông đường bộ tại việt nam do kiểm toán nhà nước thực hiện TT TA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY AUDITING INVESTMENT PROJECTS ON CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD TRAFFIC IN VIETNAM PERFORMED BY THE STATE AUDIT Major: Accounting Code: 9.34.03.01 A SUMMARY OF PHD DISSERTATION IN ECONOMICS Ha Noi, 2022 The dissertation was accomplished at Thuongmai University Scientific supervisors: Assoc Prof Dr Phu Giang Nguyen Judge 1: Judge 2: Judge 3: The dissertation will be defended to the University-level Dissertation Assessment Council to be held in Thuongmai University at………, date ……… month …… year ……… Search for the dissertation available at National Library and Thuongmai University’s library LIST OF PUBLICATIONS DURING THE PH.D TRAINING TIME OF THE AUTHOR RELATED TO THE DISSERTATION THEME “Factors affecting the audit quality of road construction projects in Vietnam performed by the State Audit”, Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, (2021) “Kiểm toán dự án xây dựng cơng trình giao thơng đường từ nguồn ngân sách Nhà nước đề xuất giải pháp nâng cao chất lượng kiểm tốn”, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu khoa học kiểm toán, (2021) “Kiểm toán đầu tư xây dựng Đức, Trung Quốc hàm ý Việt Nam”, Tạp chí Tài chính, (2021) 4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 The urgency of the subject Capital construction investment (CCI) is an important field, contributing to the development of socio-economic infrastructure and promoting economic growth Technical and socio-economic infrastructure is increasingly being developed, perfected, and changed the face of many localities throughout the country The speed and scale of capital construction investment have made an important contribution to the GDP growth rate, the potential growth of the economy, and the improvement and enhancement of the material and spiritual life of people In addition, capital construction investment also makes an important contribution to economic restructuring towards industrialization and modernization, significantly increases new production capacity: gradually increasing the proportion of industry and construction, gradually increasing the proportion of the service sector, gradually reducing the proportion of agriculture and forestry In each industry, there was also continued structural shift Many projects and works completed and put into use have increased production capacity for the economy With its position and role, the State Audit (SA) has made active contributions to the inspection and control of the field of investment in road traffic construction investment projects (RTCIP) In order to standardize auditing, the SA has issued the "General audit process" and other specialized audit processes, including the "Investment project audit process" to make the work of the auditors more scientific and effective However, with the complexity of construction investment in general and RTCIP in particular, the situation of loss and waste is increasing and becoming more sophisticated Auditing in this field has appeared shortcomings and inadequacies, containing many risks They occur in all three stages of the audit process Specifically: During the audit phase, shortcomings are contained in the time, form and criteria for information collection; During the implementation phase, the scope has not been specified, there are no regulations on auditing for specific forms of contracts, personnel issues, only focusing on compliance audits, etc; During the preparation and submission of audit reports: some reports not fully reflect the audit results, the time to issue audit reports is still slow, etc; In the stage of checking the implementation of the audit recommendations: not yet checked and rectified the management, the documents for the implementation of the audit recommendations are not strict, etc In addition, the introduction of the Law on Construction, the Law on Bidding along with decrees and guiding circulars changes frequently, so the audit process in this field also needs to be amended and supplemented accordingly Stemming from reality and realizing the importance of inspecting and controlling road traffic construction investment projects in the context that Vietnam's economy is developing strongly, with theoretical foundations and the above practice, the PhD student has chosen the topic “Auditing road traffic construction investment projects in Vietnam performed by the State audit” 1.2 Overview of research works The author summarized domestic and foreign works related to the research problem according to the following contents: - Capital construction investment audit content and methods - Capital construction investment audit process - Quality audit of capital construction investment Research gaps: From the summary of previous studies, the author found some gaps in the research, as follows: Auditing RTCIP approached the audit process, closely followed the principles of capital construction investment management, that is: audit with the goal of ensuring the provisions of the Construction Law and regulations on auditing capital construction investment of the State Audit, Vietnam auditing standards (compliance audit), ensure the correct and sufficient calculation of construction investment costs and the value of works formed by investment (financial statements audit), ensure project objectives and effectiveness (operational audit); Surveying and evaluating comprehensively the actual audit status of the RTCIP performed by the State Audit; Considering the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP from the State budget; Recommending and giving solutions to improve the audit of RTCIP from the State budget, implemented by the State Audit 1.3 Objectives of the study Objectives of the study: This study was carried out to analyze the actual audit status of RTCIP from the State budget performed by the State Audit, thereby pointing out the shortcomings and causes From determining the degree of influence of factors on the audit of RTCIP from the state budget and the results of the current situation study, the dessertation makes recommendations to improve the quality of auditing RTCIP from the state budget, implemented by the State Audit In order to achieve the above general research objectives, the study is directed towards specific objectives: Firstly, systemizing, analyzing and clarifying theoretical issues about the audit of CCI projects, analyzing the basic characteristics in traffic construction investment management that affect the audit of CCI; Secondly, surveying the actual audit status of RTCIP from the state budget implemented by the State Audit of Vietnam; Thirdly, evaluating the influence of factors on the audit of RTCIP from the state budget, implemented by the State Audit; Fourthly, proposing solutions and recommendations to improve the quality and efficiency of auditing RTCIP from the state budget performed by the State Audit 1.4 Research questions: To satisfy the above research objectives, the dessertation aims to answer the following research questions: Firstly, what is the basic content related to the audit of CCI projects in general RTCIP in particular? Secondly, what is the current state of auditing RTCIP from the state budget implemented by the State Audit in Vietnam? Thirdly, how are the factors and the extent of their influence on the audit of CCI from the state budget implemented by the State Audit? Fourthly, what are the solutions and recommendations that need to be given in order to complete and improve the audit quality of RTCIP from the state budget implemented by the State Audit? 1.5 Research subjects and scopes 1.5.1 Research subjects The dissertation focuses on auditing RTCIP from the governement budget according to the approach to the audit process performed by the State audit 1.5.2 Research scopes In terms of space: the dissertation examines the audit of RTCIP carried out by investors The dissertation does not study the audit at the Department of Planning and Investment, Department of Finance or Treasury In terms of time: the RTCIP from the state budget are audited from 2015 to 2020 In terms of content: The topic focused on research on compliance audit, financial audit and combined with operational audit to a certain extent for RTCIP implemented by the State Audit In addition, the author also conducted research, explored the factors and the degree of influence of each factor on the audit of RTCIP conducted by the State Audit through qualitative and quantitative research 1.6 Meaning of research Theoretical meaning The dissertation has systematized the basic contents of auditing RTCIP from the state budget and studied the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP Practical meaning The research results of the dissertation indicated the degree of influence of each factor on the audit of RTCIP from the state budget This is important and useful information for the State Audit's leaders to have timely adjustment and solutions in the coming time in terms of organization, personnel, expertise, infrastructure in order to improve the audit quality The dissertation proposed solutions and recommendations to improve the audit process of RTCIP from the state budget of the State Audit 1.7 The procedure of carrying out the research of the dissertation Research problem Auditing RTCIP from the state budget of the State Au Overview of domestic and foreign research theories and res Theoretical basis of audit of CCI projects of the State Audit and the characteristics The factors of RTCIP affecting affectinth Qualitative and quantitative research method Collect and process qualitative and quantitative d Analyze the current situation and research results of influen Discuss results, propose solutions and recommenda 1.8 Research methodology 1.8.1 Qualitative research methods After having built a theoretical framework for the dissertation, through interviews, surveys, and distribution of questionnaires describing the current status of auditing RTCIP, the author conducted an investigation of State auditors in the current situation as well as factors affecting the audit of RTCIP from the state budget in Vietnam 1.8.2 Quantitative research methods Quantitative method is performed based on SPSS 22.0 software including variable description (mean value - Mean and standard deviation - Standard Deviation) to compare and detect the influence of each attribute in each group to audit quality; and using linear regression model to analyze and evaluate the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam 1.9 Research design 1.9.1 Qualitative research design 1.9.1.1 Documentary research methods Qualitative research to synthesize documents helps the author to consolidate the factors identified in the theoretical model as well as discover new factors affecting the audit of RTCIP of the State Audit 1.9.1.2 Interview method The interview technique used is an open-ended interview From there, the author continued to ask questions in order to extract information related to the opinion of the interviewees about the current state of audit of RTCIP from the state budget and the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP from the state budget of the State Audit at present 1.9.2 Quantitative research design 1.9.2.1 The process of developing questionnaires and collecting data Based on the results of qualitative research, the author determined the measurement criteria for the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam and the appropriate scales to measure the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP The questionnaire uses a five-level Likert scale to evaluate, specifically: Very low – Low – Moderate – High – Very high 1.9.2.2 Data processing methods The dissertation used the method of data processing obtained from the survey form by SPSS software through analyzing the reliability of the scale and factors in the same group, analyzing exploratory factor based on survey data from closely related objects 1.10 Dissertation structure In addition to the list of research works, the list of references, appendices, conclusions, the dissertation is structured into 04 chapters 9 CHAPTER 2: BASIC THEORY ON AUDIT OF CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION INVESTMENTS IMPLEMENTED BY THE STATE AUDIT 2.1 Features of capital construction investment projects 2.1.1 Some concepts related to capital construction investment projects From the concepts related to capital construction investment projects, the author has drawn the concept: A capital construction investment project is an investment project to create construction works according to the purposes of investors; is the field of material production to create fixed assets and create material and technical foundations for society According to the Law on Road Traffic 2008: Road traffic construction investment project is understood as an investment project that uses capital to build new, expand or renovate road traffic works for the purpose of developing, maintaining, improving the quality of road traffic works within a certain period of time 2.1.2 Features of capital construction investment projects Products of capital construction investment are construction works such as traffic works, factories, public works, houses, bridges, airports, seaports, etc., usually attached to land Therefore, before investing in works must be planned specifically, when construction and installation often encounter difficulties in compensation, ground clearance, when the work is completed, the investment product has difficulties in relocating For high-tech projects with a short life cycle of technological change such as those in the fields of post and telecommunications, information technology, electronics, etc., changes in technology, design, form, and function always happen The cost of construction products is very complicated and often changes from time to time The process of implementing CCI lacks stability and is always volatile In CCI, the product is always stationary and attached to the ground Humans and machines are always on the move, making them break down quickly, interrupting production easily, and increasing costs due to having to build many temporary works In CCI, the production cycle is usually long and the production cost is often high A CCI project is usually implemented by many units with many items and stages In the State's CCI, the source of investment capital is the State's capital, not the private one, so it is difficult to manage and use, and it is easy to lose, waste and corrupt 2.1.3 Classification of capital construction investment projects 2.1.3.1 According to the size and nature of the investment Projects of national importance are independent investment projects or closely linked clusters of works that fall under one of the following criteria: using public investment capital of 10,000 billion VND or more; having a major impact on the environment or having the potential to have a serious impact on the environment; such use requires change of land use purpose for rice cultivation with or more crops with an area of 500 or more; migrations and resettlement from 20,000 people or more in mountainous areas, from 50,000 people or more in other regions; projects requiring the application of special mechanisms and policies that need to be decided by the National Assembly; The remaining projects are classified into groups: Group A projects, Group B projects and Group C projects according to the criteria prescribed by the law on public investment 2.1.3.2 According to investment capital 10 Projects using state budget capital are projects using capital which is all domestic and foreign taxes, fees, charges and loans borrowed by the Government compensate the state budget deficit and aid from foreign organizations; Projects using State-guaranteed credit capital or State development investment credit capital are development investment projects of all economic sectors in a number of important industries and fields, economic programs that have a direct impact on economic restructuring, promoting sustainable economic growth; Projects using development investment capital of state-owned enterprises are projects that must follow the same investment procedures as projects using non-budget state capital according to the provisions of the law on construction; Projects using other capital include private capital or using a mixture of different sources of capital 2.1.4 The purpose of capital construction investment project management The main objectives of CCI management are: Link all work, project activities Facilitate regular, close contact between the project management team and customers and input suppliers for the project Enhance cooperation between members and clearly define the responsibilities of project members Facilitate early detection of problems arising and timely adjustment before changes or unprojectable conditions Facilitate direct negotiations between stakeholders to resolve disagreements Create higher quality products and services The basic objective of project management in general is to complete project work according to specifications and quality, within the approved budget and on schedule 2.1.5 Basic forms of construction investment project management Investors directly manage construction investment projects: is the form in which the investor uses his/her agency or unit to directly organize and manage the implementation of investment projects Investor hire a consulting organization for construction investment project management: In case the investor hires a project management consulting organization, that consulting organization must establish an organizational system with sufficient capacity for organization and management in accordance with the scale and nature of the project 2.1.6 Capital construction investment cost management principles of the project Construction investment costs must be properly and fully calculated for each construction project, work, and bidding package, in accordance with design requirements, technical instructions, construction conditions, and project implementation plan, market price level at the construction site and expected price fluctuations during the construction investment process The State manages construction investment costs through the promulgation, guidance and inspection of the implementation of legal regulations; guides the method of setting up and managing construction investment costs The investor is responsible for managing construction investment costs from the project preparation stage to the completion of construction, putting the project's works into operation and use, and finalizing the construction investment capital within the total scope of the project 11 The inspection, examination and audit of construction investment costs must be carried out according to the bases, contents, methods, time of determination and methods of determining cost items in the total construction investment construction, construction cost estimate, construction bidding package price, construction norm system, construction price, construction price index of the work that have been agreed upon by the investment decider and the investor in accordance with stages of the cost formation process according to regulations on management of construction investment costs in this Decree 2.2 Methods and procedures for auditing capital construction investment projects For material items and contents: In addition to performing basic tests, the auditor also selects a sample to audit the material items: The auditor bases on the guidance on the approach of assesssing risks and materiality in the audit of the investment financial statements to determine For non-material items and contents: The auditor uses the method specified in the Auditing Process of the State Audit According to State Audit Standard 1500 – Audit evidence in financial audit, when auditing CCI projects, the State Auditor must not only use one method but alo apply a combination of audit methods and procedures: inspection, comparison; verification, confirmation from the outside; recalculation; investigation; interview; analytical procedures; doing it again 2.3 Captial construction investment projects audit criteria Audit criteria are determined for each audit in accordance with the purpose and content of the audit, suitable for the type of work that is verification or assessment For financial audit, the determination of audit criteria shall be carried out with appropriate contents according to the provisions of State Audit Standards of Vietnam 1300 – Auditing planning of the financial audit For compliance audit (implementation investment capital, implementation investment cost, compliance with the State's regimes, policies and laws, ) determination is peformed in accordance with the provisions of State Audit Standards of Vietnam 4000 – Guidelines for compliance audit For operational audit, the determination of audit criteria is carried out with appropriate contents as prescribed in State Audit Standards 300 – Basic principles of operational audit 2.4 The State Audit's process of auditing capital construction investment projects 2.4.1 Preparing for an audit 2.4.1.1 Survey, collect information The unit presiding over the audit establishes a survey team and conducts the following work steps: Step 1: Prepare, approve and send survey outline Step 2: Survey and collect information Step 3: Information sources and methods of information collection n 2.4.1.2 Evaluation of internal control systems and collected information Based on the collected information, the auditor evaluates the adequacy, effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, and limitations of the internal control system as a basis for risk assessment and material determination Auditors conduct discussions with managers and employees to understand organizational characteristics, personnel policies, qualifications and attitudes of managers and employees At the same time, the auditor also conducts on-site observations of the unit's activities and field observations (if any) 2.4.1.3 General audit planning 12 The overall audit plan includes the following basic contents: audit objectives, identification and assessment of material risks , determination of audit materiality, and audit content 2.4.1.4 Reviewing the overall audit plan The Chief Auditor approves the overall audit plan The State Auditor General approves the overall audit plan Finalize, sign, approve, issue and adjust the overall audit plan 2.4.1.5 Prepare and approve the audit plan Based on the overall audit plan, on the basis of research results on information about the internal control system, financial information, and information related to the detailed audit unit (including collecting additional information if necessary), the audit team leader conducts information analysis, evaluates internal control systems, assesses risk levels, determines audit materiality, determines how to approach to risks for each audit content, procedures for collecting audit evidence for each audit content, audit time for each audit content, personnel of the audit team to develop a detailed audit plan 2.4.2 Conducting audits 2.4.2.1 Auditing the compliance with the law, investment management regime and construction works Auditing investment policy Auditing the approval and adjustment of investment levels Auditing compensation, support and resettlement Auditing of surveying, designing, estimating and adjusting design and construction works Auditing contractor selection, negotiation and contract signing Auditing progress management Auditing project quality management Auditing the acceptance, settlement, putting the works into operation and use 2.4.2.2 Auditing the observance of the State's accounting and financial regulations Financial management audit Auditing accounting works 2.4.2.3 Financial audit of project data Auditing Investment capital Auditing investment cost audit Auditing investment cost audit not included in asset value Auditing the value of assets formed through investment Auditing the situation of debts and backlog materials and equipment 2.4.2.4 Auditing to evaluate the economy, effectiveness and efficiency of construction investment projects On the basis of the selected audit criteria, based on the audit results on the contents of project formulation, design, cost estimation, contractor selection, quality management, investment cost management, to evaluate the economic aspects, effectiveness and efficiency of investment projects according to the approved general audit plan 2.4.2.5 Making and approving the audit minutes of the audit team at the audit unit Preparing draft audit minutes of the audit team at the audit unit Defending the audit results recorded in the draft audit minutes of the audit team at the audit unit before the head of the audit team Approving the draft audit minutes of the audit team at the audit unit 2.4.3 Preparing and submitting audit reports 13 2.4.3.1 Preparing draft audit report Collecting audit evidence, audit results Checking, classifying and summarizing audit results Preparing draft audit report Discussing and collecting opinions of members of the audit team 2.4.3.2 Reviewing and issuing audit reports The Chief Auditor approves the draft audit report The State Auditor General approves the draft audit report Finalizing the draft audit report and sending it to the audited unit for comments Announcing audit results Issuing audit reports and notification of audit resultsn 2.4.4 Checking the implementation of the audit recommendation 2.4.4.1 Monitoring and urging the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations Monitoring, collecting and synthesizing information on audit conclusions and recommendations of the audited unit Evaluating the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations Organizing activities to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations Reporting the results of the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations 2.4.4.2 Preparing, appraising, approving test plans, deciding on inspection, preparing for testing at the inspected unit Making, appraising, approving inspection plans, making inspection decisions Preparing test implementation of each test 2.4.4.3 Organizing the inspection of the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations at the inspected unit Based on the approved inspection plan, the inspection team organizes an inspection at the inspected unit in order to fully and promptly implement the audit conclusions and recommendations of the State Audit 2.4.4.4 Making inspection records and reports; appraising and issuung inspection reports; storing test record At the end of each inspected unit, the head of the inspection group (or the leader of the inspection team in case an inspection group is not established) makes a report on the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations according to the form prescribed by the State Audit determined 2.5 International experience on auditing capital construction investment projects and lessons learned for Vietnam 2.5.1 International experience in auditing capital construction investment projects Most countries in the world have formed and developed the State Audit for hundreds of years to perform the function of checking state finances The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) was established in 1953 and now has 194 official members and associate members The birth of INTOSAI marked a new development of state audit agencies Considering the similar factors in terms of management mechanism and organizational characteristics of the State Audit, the dissertation presented the experience of auditing capital construction investment projects of two countries, Germany and China, according to the synthesized information of INTOSAI 14 2.5.2 Lessons learned for Vietnam The State Audit also needs to strengthen the regular audit of capital construction investment projects right in the implementation process The State Audit needs to perform a comprehensive audit to confirm the financial data of the project, serving the settlement of investment projects The State Audit should strengthen its advisory role in the process of formulating guidelines, policies and legal documents of the National Assembly, the Government, ministries and branches in the field of capital construction investment 2.6 Factors affecting the audit of road traffic construction investment projects of the State Audit 2.6.1 Theoretical basis of factors affecting the audit of road traffic construction investment projects Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs According to Maslow's research on "Hierarchy of Needs" (1943), people have loworder needs (self-awareness, esteem, security ) and high-order needs (self-esteem) selfaffirmation, the need for self-esteem, awareness, etc.) In the state audit of road traffic construction investment projects audit, the auditor is the person who directly performs the audit task and collects audit evidence as a basis for conclusions, audit recommendations, play an important role in the formation of the audit report Therefore, the outcome of the audit depends heavily on whether the auditor has obtained sufficient appropriate audit evidence, whether through intentional or unintentional omission of material misstatements According to behavioral theory, the answer is that the State Auditor will his best to ensure the quality of the audit report if he or she knows that the outcome will help satisfy the needs of the auditor The highest need is the need for self-affirmation such as growth, advancement, creativity Douglas North's theory of Institutions According to North (1990): “Institutions are the rules of the game.” In other words, institutions are the set of constraints people create to regulate and shape their interactions According to him, two important components of the institutional system include: Formal institutions (laws, regulations, policies ); informal institutions (customs, codes of conduct, norms, culture, etc.) When performing audit tasks, State auditors need to strictly comply with relevant industry regulations and laws, and be subject to the leadership and direction of decentralization according to functions headed by the State Auditor General, in addition It is also necessary to pay attention to the social norms, habits and regulations that are common in the institutional environment and the socio-cultural environment Max Weber's Theory of Bureaucratic management According to Weber (1922), in order to achieve its goals, an organization must operate according to a hierarchy, and at the same time, all decisions of the organization itself and its members must be clear and ensure legitimacy, reasonable For the operation of the State audit agency of Vietnam, the organizational apparatus is institutionalized from the General Auditor to each State Auditor When performing audit tasks, each State Auditor must be responsible before the General Auditor General and current law for their audit evaluations, certifications and conclusions based on the sufficient collection of audit evidence is consistent with the audit finding The recommendations of the State audit must be clear, understandable, objective, timely and consistent with audit findings and comply with current laws 2.6.2 Characteristics of road traffic works affecting the audit 2.6.2.1 Influences on the overall audit planning 15 The process of managing the construction investment costs of the RTCIP includes the following contents: Planning the RTCIP : This is the step of setting up the investment costs for the RTCIP or called the estimate; Determining the cost limit line: The cost limit line is determined from the input which is the investment cost of RTCIP and the implementation schedule of the original planned project The constraint curve consists of the time-period cost curve and the cumulative cost curve; Controlling the cost of construction investment and decision making: Cost control is an activity that controls the cost formation process along defined limits If there is a change according to the plan, it is necessary to make appropriate adjustment decisions 2.6.2.2 Influence on audit methods and procedures The large scale of the project makes it difficult for the auditors to measure, verify, and determine the correctness of the volume and quality of the audited works and projects Due to the complex construction area and conditions, it greatly affects the organization of the auditors in road traffic projects The project has a large amount of work and a long construction time, so the work and operation of the auditors are difficult and affected by many different factors such as: compensation policy for migrants, site clearance of the area, market price of land and structures in the compensation area, resettlement area, the increase and decrease in prices of materials during the investment process compared to the total initially approved investment, arising problems due to changes in design, types of materials and equipment compared to the original design, estimate, exchange rate changes with imported materials and equipment, 2.6.3 Factors affecting the audit of road traffic construction investment projects of the State Audit 2.6.3.1 Group of external factors The group of external factors includes the legal environment for auditing activities of RTCIP from the state budget and other factors belonging to the audited unit 2.6.3.2 The group of internal elements The group of internal factors includes Auditor, Auditor's working conditions, Auditing time, Audit quality control of the State Audit 16 CHAPTER 3: STATUS OF AUDITING ROAD TRAFFIC CONSTRUCTION INVESTMENT PROJECTS IN VIETNAM PERFORMED BY THE STATE AUDIT 3.1 Introduction to the State Audit and road traffic construction investment projects 3.1.1 The history of formation and development of the State Audit Up to now, the State Audit has more than 2,100 officials, civil servants, and employees, including 1,500 auditors In general, they have relatively equal qualifications, 100% of auditors have university degrees or higher With a compact centralized organizational system, the State Audit has made efforts to promote the collective strength, taken steady and comprehensive steps to successfully complete the assigned political tasks 3.1.2 Organizational structure of the State Audit Currently, the organizational structure of the State Audit Office includes 32 departments and equivalent units 3.1.3 The position and function of the State Audit in auditing road traffic construction investment projects Auditing of investment capital settlement reports, compliance audits, audits of activities in the management and use of state budget, money and assets in investment projects and projects of ministries and agencies attached to the Government (here in after referred to as central ministries and branches) have the function of managing the following sectors and fields: traffic - transport, industry, post - telecommunications, trade and tourism or under the direct management of the above-mentioned central ministries and branches as an investor; Auditing national target programs within the unit's audit scope; Auditing financial statements,compliance audit, auditing activities in the management and use of state budget, money and assets of State-owned enterprises operating mainly in the field of capital construction investment by ministries , the central branches mentioned above directly manage; Preparing opinions of the State Audit on national important projects and works within the audit scope of the unit for the State Auditor General to submit to the National Assembly 3.1.4 Managing investment projects for the construction of road traffic works from state budget in Vietnam 3.1.4.1 Managing investment projects for the construction of road traffic works from state budget in Vietnam - Determining, appraising and approving total construction investment - Total construction investment and determination of total construction investment - Verifying and appraising the total investment - Approving and adjusting the total construction investmentg 3.1.4.2 Managing cost estimates for road traffic construction investment projects - Estimating content and determining the cost for road traffic construction investment projects - Verifying and appraising construction cost estimates - Approving and adjusting the construction cost estimate 3.1.4.3 Managing the cost estimate of road traffic construction pakage - Determining the cost estimate of the bidding package 17 - Verifying, appraising and approving the cost estimate of the road traffic construction pakage - Package price for road traffic construction 3.1.4.4 Managing construction norms, work construction prices and road traffic construction price indexes - Construction norms - Construction price and construction price index 3.1.4.5 Cost of project management and construction investment consulting - Project management costs - Construction investment consulting costs - Cost of hiring foreign consultants 3.1.4.6 Payment and settlement of construction investment capital - Payment of construction investment capital - Settlement of construction investment capital 3.2 Overview of road traffic construction investment in Vietnam in the period 20152020 3.2.1 Characteristics of road traffic construction investment in the period 2015-2020 Road maintenance for the period 2015 - 2020 has basically gradually met technical requirements, has focused on solving damage and pressing problems on the entire national highway system 3.2.2 Some audit results of road construction projects in the period 2015-2020 Through the audit of 75 BOT projects, the State Audit has proposed a reduction of 278 years of toll collection In addition, the State Audit has proposed to the Prime Minister to direct ministries and branches to amend and supplement a series of related policies 3.3 Audit status of road traffic construction investment projects in Vietnam performed by the State Audit 3.3.1 Auditing methods and procedures In addition to the methods specified in the Auditing Process of the State Audit, in the audit of the RTCIP, the State auditors always focus on applying the on-site inspection method and using experts 3.3.2 Criteria for auditing the road traffic construction investment projects Through surveying a number of audit plan in construction investment projects, from the perspective of operational audit, the auditor evaluates the audit plan on the following criteria: economy, effectiveness and efficiency 3.3.3 Audit process 3.3.3.1 Preparing for an audit - Survey, collect information about the project - Assess internal control, determine focus and audit risk - Audit plan 3.3.3.2 Conducting audits - Audit the investment capital of the project - Project preparation, appraisal and approval - Audit surveying, making, appraising and approving designs and cost estimates - Audit the selection of contractors to negotiate and sign contracts - Audit progress management - Auditi the quality management of road traffic works - Audit investment costs, acceptance and payment 18 - Audit and preliminarily assess the economic efficiency of the project 3.3.3.3 Preparing and submitting audit reports On the basis of the results of the summary of the audit situation and data, the team leader prepares a draft audit report The audit report must satisfy the general requirements specified in the State auditing standards system and according to the form prescribed by the State Auditor General 3.3.3.4 Checking implementation of audit recommendations The auditor collects evidences that the audited unit has implemented the conclusions and recommendations of the State Audit as a basis for making a record of checking the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations under the guidance of the State Audit and the Ministry of Finance 3.4 Factors affecting the audit of RTCIP from the State budget 3.4.1 Regression model In order to identify and measure the factors affecting the audit of RTCIP, the dissertation uses a regression model: Y = β0 + β1X1 + β2X2+ β3X3 + + βiXi 3.4.2 Research hypotheses HY1: The legal environment has an influence on the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit HY2: The audited unit (investor) has an influence on the audit RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit HY3: Auditors who have an influence on the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit HY4: Working conditions of the State Auditor have an influence on the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit HY5: The audit time has an influence on the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit HY6: Audit quality control has an impact on the audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit 3.4.3 The results of the evaluation of the quality of the scale According to the scale quality assessment table, all observed variables satisfy the condition > 0.3, so the model keeps factors with 26 characteristic variables (Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of the population is greater than 0.6; Correlation coefficient of the population is greater than 0.6; correlation – total (Corrected Item – Total Corelation) of the observed variables is greater than 0.3) 3.4.4 Exploratory factor analysis results After analyzing EFA, only groups of factors that satisfy the conditions can participate in the regression run in the next analysis Using the method of Varimax rotation of the elements Looking at the results of the EFA analysis for the independent variables, it can be seen that the results are divided into groups Statistical evaluation criteria: KMO = 0.911, so EFA analysis is appropriate with study data Sig (Bartlett's Test) = 0.000 (sig < 0.05) shows that the observed variables are correlated with each other in the population and the data used for EFA analysis is completely appropriate Eigenvalues = 1,055 > represents the variation explained by each factor, only factors with Eigenvalues > are kept in the analytical model 19 Total variance extracted = 75.977% > 50% satisfactory, then it can be said that these factors explain 75.977% of the variation of the data All observed variables have load factor > 0.5 3.4.5 Regression analysis The normalized regression equation is as follows: KTCTGTĐB = 0.218 MTPL + 0.103 DVKT + 0.228 KTV + 0.203 DKLV + 0.188 TGKT + 0.114 KSCL The level of impact of the variables in order from high to low will be: KTV (0.228) -> MTPL (0.218) -> DKLV (0.203) -> TGKT (0.188) -> KSCL (0.114) -> DVKT (0.103) From the test results of the model, all factors have a positive impact on the audit of RTCIP 20 CHAPTER 4: ORIENTATIONS AND SOLUTIONS FOR COMPLETING AUDIT OF ROAD TRAFFIC CONSTRUCTION INVESTMENT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY THE STATE AUDIT 4.1 Orientation point of view of the State Audit for the audit of capital construction investment projects The State Audit Development Strategy to 2030 (the period of 2021-2030) also identifies three development pillars, specifically: on the legal framework, on human resources and on technology The State Audit Development Strategy to 2030 also includes contents on completing the legal basis for the organization and operation of the State Audit, on developing the organizational system, on human resource development, on improving audit quality (with focus on improving audit capacity, audit effectiveness, audit efficiency), international integration and cooperation, infrastructure development, information dissemination and scientific research, on the development of information technology and high technology 4.2 Assessment of the current audit status of road traffic construction investment projects funded by the State budget 4.2.1 Assessment of the current audit status of road traffic construction investment projects funded by the State budget 4.2.1.1 Results achieved As a result, in the period 2015-2020, the State Audit has completed the audits to ensure the quality and schedule set out; providing many in-depth thematic reports to promptly serve the sessions of the Government, the National Assembly, the supervisory delegations of the National Assembly Standing Committee and relevant authorities and audited units with many outstanding and important audit findings in financial and public asset management In which, the audit of capital construction investment projects in general and the audit of RTCIP from the state budget in particular have also achieved many results 4.2.1.2 Existing shortcomings Auditing of RTCIP performed by the State Audit has basically complied with the audit process of the State Audit However, the audit situation still has shortcomings, affecting the audit quality of RTCIP from the state budget in each period: Survey and collect information about the project - The time to collect information is quite short - The form of information collection is not specified - Criteria for collecting information are not consistent Audit implementation stage - Existing in some stages of the audit process of road traffic construction investment projects - Existing in the process of auditing the final settlement report of completed capital construction investment works - Existing in the application of operational audits in the audit of construction investment projects of special highways - The system of state audit standards and audit processes has prescribed audit contents, procedures and methods, but there is no detailed guidance document on auditing practice skills for each specific content, including audit of construction investment projects - Existing in the application of information technology to the audit of 21 investment projects for construction of road traffic works Prepare and submit audit reports - The minutes of the meeting to approve the draft audit report of the audit team had very few comments on editing and adjusting - Some minutes of the Department-level Appraisal Council mainly correct spelling errors - There is an overlap in control - … Check and make audit recommendations - he new inspection teams only focus on examining the implementation of financial settlement recommendation - Some units have not summarized and continuously monitored the recommendations on financial handling of the units that have not been implemented in previous years - Many documents for the implementation of audit recommendations are not strict enough, there is not enough evidence to confirm the implementation results - The inspection is only performed once at the audited units 4.2.1.3 Causes of existing shortcomings - Due to the nature of the field of construction investment - Regulations on investment project management are continuously revised - The application software is mainly used in the form of demo and is collected; the approach to using the software for many auditors is still difficult 4.2.2 Valuation of research results on factors affecting the audit of road traffic construction projects performed by the State Audit As summarized, the author has found that all 06 factors belonging to groups have a positive impact on the audit of RTCIP according to the hypotheses, with the level of influence decreasing as follows: (1) Auditor (0.228); (2) Legal environment for auditing activities of road construction projects in Vietnam (0.218); (3) Working conditions of the State Auditor (0.203); (4) Audit time (0.188); (5) Audit quality control of the State Audit (0.114); (6) The audit unit is the investor unit (0.103) 4.3 Solutions to complete the audit and improve the audit quality of road construction projects in Vietnam implemented by the State Audit 4.3.1 Survey and collect information about the project In fact, it is necessary to research, develop and issue an audit outline of a construction investment project, in which it is necessary to specify the contents and procedures for conducting an audit for each content The audit teams need to focus more, increase the time to survey and collect information, first of all to serve the detailed planning, especially the development of audit contents and criteria When arranging auditors to conduct surveys and collect information on road 22 traffic accidents from the state budget, it is necessary to arrange people who have a lot of experience and knowledge about the type of survey project, and know how to analyze and synthesize information 4.3.2 Audit implementation stage 4.3.2.1 Completing audits in a number of stages of the construction investment project process During the audit implementation phase, the auditor should strengthen the regular audit of the investment projects on the construction of special roads during the implementation process in order to improve the efficiency of capital use as well as to limit negative impacts and combat the consequences, loss and waste in the investment process, shown in each stage such as: Preparation for project investment planning, Designing survey, Construction organization 4.3.2.2 Completing the process of auditing the final settlement report of capital construction investment Auditors need to study, inspect the site, compare design drawings, as-built drawings, actual construction and records of acceptance and payment so that mistakes can be detected (if any) in the project in the determination of the volume of construction and acceptance, the formulation of construction methods, especially the changes, adjustments and handling of problems in the actual construction, Besides, to improve the quality of the audit investment projects on construction of special structures from the state budget, it is necessary to continue to increase investment in procurement of appropriate technical means, machinery and equipment to support auditors in inspecting and evaluating the quality of works, and hiring experts to inspect the quality of the works in necessary cases 4.3.2.3 Strengthening operational audits in the audit of RTCIP In many investment projects in the construction of special roads, whether the operational audit should be performed before the investment is made, it will have the effect of preventing wasteful phenomena, improper investment purposes, and cost savings for the project Thus, the operational audit of the road traffic construction investment project should be carried out at all stages of the investment process from investment preparation to investment implementation and completion of investment and putting into use 4.3.2.4 Updating information and legal policies, training and fostering professional skills related to construction investment projects of special roads for auditors During the audit of RTCIP, the members of the audit team need to update and strictly comply with the audit plan, auditing standards, audit process and professional regulations on accounting, other professional regulations and relevant laws State auditors need to consciously raise their awareness of compliance with State audit standards and issue professional technical guidelines and audit procedures 4.3.2.5 Application of information technology in auditing construction investment projects In the context of the current epidemic, the application of IT in audit activities is very necessary When applying IT to audit activities, the audit teams and auditors will limit direct contact with the audited unit to limit the risk of disease transmission The adoption of technology applications to access information, documents and data of the audited unit is one of the solutions to overcome difficulties 4.3.3 Preparing and issuing audit reports In order to innovate and improve the quality of the preparation of audit reports, it 23 is first necessary to pay attention right from the planning stage, such as surveying, collecting sufficient information from many sources about the audited object, focusing on identifying the audited subjects of risks and selection of audit samples During the audit, the auditors need to collect sufficient audit evidence before making audit conclusions, conduct the audit in accordance with the approved technical plan as well as stick to the set audit objectives and strictly comply with the audit procedures and standards issued by the State Audit 4.3.4 Check implementation of audit recommendations The State Audit should continue to maintain a regular monitoring mechanism with audit teams throughout the audit process, implement solutions to evaluate the effectiveness of the auditor's audit activities at each level, continue to innovate content; diversify forms and methods of control to ensure 100% of the delegations are monitored through monitoring logs and attached evidence documents In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the application of information technology in the synthesis and monitoring of audit results and the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations to ensure that the information is accurate, complete and relevant 4.4 Recommendations from research results 4.4.1 Recommendations for the Goverment In order for the implementation of solutions to improve the audit work and improve the audit quality of capital construction investment projects in general and RTCIP from the state budget in particular, it a timely, synchronous, and systematic manner, officials and the National Assembly should continue to pay close attention to and closely direct the activities of the State Audit 4.4.2 Recommendations for the State Audit Strengthen the application of information technology, especially software directly applied to audit activities Human resource training includes training specialized staff in information technology and training for civil servants and State auditors to use software applications proficiently in their work Develop various forms of cooperation, especially new partners, partners with long experience in operational audit to share, guide the approach, accelerate the development of content audit activities for government expenditure of the State Audit Strengthen the work of summarizing, evaluating and drawing lessons for each member of the audit team 24 CONCLUSION Accordingly, this study was conducted with the following main contributions: Firstly, systematize the basic theories about the audit of RTCIP and the factors affecting the audit of these projects, including the group of internal factors and the group of external factors Secondly, through investigation, survey, interview, research has clarified the actual status of audit of RTCIP in Vietnam performed by the State Audit and through questionnaires to show the extent of influence on RTCIP Third, through the theoretical framework and the actual audit of RTCIP as well as determining the degree of influence of the factors on the audit of RTCIP; the author evaluates the advantages, disadvantages and causes in the audit of RTCIP and proposes solutions to overcome those shortcomings; as well as making recommendations for both the State agencies and the State Audit based on the results of determining the influence level of factors on the audit of RTCIP This study focuses on two basic contents, which is to understand the process of auditing RTCIP in order to identify shortcomings, thereby improving and determining the degree of influence of factors on the audit of RTCIP The proposed solutions, if implemented, will improve the quality of the audit and based on the recommendations that emphasize the factors that have significant influence, will minimize the shortcomings in the audit process  ... tốn dự án xây dựng cơng trình giao thơng đường từ nguồn ngân sách Nhà nước đề xuất giải pháp nâng cao chất lượng kiểm toán? ??, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu khoa học kiểm tốn, (2021) ? ?Kiểm toán đầu tư xây dựng. .. investment capital 10 Projects using state budget capital are projects using capital which is all domestic and foreign taxes, fees, charges and loans borrowed by the Government compensate the state budget... State Audit Standards of Vietnam 1300 – Auditing planning of the financial audit For compliance audit (implementation investment capital, implementation investment cost, compliance with the State's