The Administrative Procedure Compliance Cost Index (APCI) is a tool to quantify the cost, including money and time spent, that individuals and firms must bear to comply with existing administrative procedures. This week, USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (LinkSME) project submitted 43 administrative procedures to be included in this year’s APCI to the Advisory Council of Administrative Procedure Reform (ACAPR) and the Office of the Government. USAID LinkSME experts are now reviewing the legal documents that regulate these administrative procedures in order to develop questionnaires to evaluate the costs of compliance for Vietnamese enterprises.

So What? In order to reduce the time and cost of doing business, ACAPR uses data from the annual APCI initiative to draft proposals to the Government of Vietnam for their consideration and action. This promotes private sector-led growth in Vietnam and advances the Indo-Pacific Vision of improved trade and competitiveness.