To all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the state plan, the Development and Reform Commission of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department of all provinces and autonomous regions, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development (Management) Commission of the municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources, and the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:
In order to deepen the reform of the investment and financing system, improve the scientific level of fixed asset investment decision-making, further improve the organization mode of project construction, and improve the investment efficiency, project construction quality and operation efficiency, according to the spirit of the Central Urban Work Conference and the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Investment and Financing System (ZF [2016] No. 18) According to the requirements of the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Sustainable and Healthy Development of the Construction Industry (GBF [2017] No. 19), the following opinions are put forward on promoting the development of whole-process engineering consulting services in the field of housing construction and municipal infrastructure.
1、 Fully understand the significance of promoting the development of whole-process engineering consulting services
Since the reform and opening up, the marketization of China's engineering consulting services has developed rapidly, forming professional consulting services such as investment consulting, bidding agency, survey, design, supervision, cost, project management, etc. Some professional consulting services have established a practice access system, which has promoted the professional level of China's engineering consulting services. With the gradual improvement of the construction level of fixed asset investment projects in China, in order to better realize the investment and construction intention, investors or construction units increasingly demand comprehensive, cross-stage and integrated consulting services in the process of decision-making, engineering construction and project operation of fixed asset investment projects. The contradiction between this demand and the single service supply mode caused by the current system is increasingly prominent.
In particular, we should follow the objective requirements of the project cycle law and the construction process, and strive to break the institutional barriers in the two stages of project decision-making and construction implementation, focus on cultivating and developing comprehensive consultation on investment decision-making and the whole process of project construction, provide high-quality intellectual and technical services for fixed asset investment and project construction activities, comprehensively improve the investment efficiency, project construction quality and operation efficiency, and promote high-quality development.
2、 Promote scientific investment decision-making through comprehensive consultation of investment decision-making
（1） Vigorously improve the comprehensive consultation level of investment decision-making. The investment decision-making process plays a leading role in the project construction process, and is crucial to the smooth implementation, effective control and efficient use of investment. Investors are encouraged to entrust engineering consulting units to provide comprehensive consulting services in the investment decision-making process, take into account various factors affecting the feasibility of the project, and enhance the coordination of decision-making and demonstration. The comprehensive engineering consulting unit accepts the entrustment of investors to conduct analysis, research and demonstration on the market, technology, economy, ecological environment, energy, resources, security and other factors affecting the feasibility of the investment project in combination with national, regional and industrial development plans and relevant major special construction plans, industrial policies, technical standards and relevant approval requirements, so as to provide investors with decision-making basis and suggestions.
（2） Standardize the comprehensive consultation service mode of investment decision-making. Comprehensive consulting services for investment decision-making can be provided by the engineering consulting unit in the form of market cooperation, entrusted professional services, etc., or jointly by the engineering consulting unit and qualified service institutions. The institution that takes the lead in providing comprehensive consulting services for investment decision-making shall assume overall responsibility for the service results according to the contract with the entrusting party; In case of joint provision of comprehensive investment decision-making consulting services, each partner shall bear corresponding responsibilities. Encourage the engineering consulting units incorporated into the self-regulatory management system of relevant industries to give full play to the advantages of investment opportunity research, project feasibility study, etc., and carry out comprehensive consulting services. The comprehensive consultation of investment decision-making should give full play to the role of the consulting engineer (investment), encourage him to be the person in charge of the comprehensive consultation project, and improve the overall service level.
（3） Give full play to the supporting role of comprehensive investment decision-making consultation in promoting the high-quality development of investment and the reform of the investment approval system. Implement the project unit's investment decision-making autonomy and main responsibility, encourage the project unit to strengthen the feasibility study, incorporate the special evaluation and evaluation required by the national laws and regulations, industrial policies, and administrative approval into the overall feasibility study demonstration, improve the scientific decision-making, and promote the high-quality development of investment. The conclusion of each special evaluation conducted separately shall be consistent with the relevant contents of the feasibility study report. The examination and approval departments shall strengthen the coordination of the review requirements and standards to avoid conflicts with the management requirements for the same matters. The project unit is encouraged to adopt comprehensive consultation on investment decision-making, reduce decentralized special evaluation and evaluation, and avoid fragmentation of feasibility study demonstration. All localities should establish parallel approval and joint approval mechanisms to improve the efficiency of approval, and improve the operability of parallel approval and joint approval through universal comprehensive consultation results and review of a set of comprehensive application materials.
（4） Government investment projects should give priority to comprehensive consultation. In order to enhance the scientificity of government investment decision-making and improve the efficiency of government investment, government investment projects should give priority to comprehensive consulting services. Government investment projects should fully demonstrate the construction content and scale based on the feasibility study report, and deeply analyze the factors that affect the investment decision in accordance with the requirements of relevant laws, regulations and technical standards, and include the impact analysis into a special chapter in the feasibility study report; If the feasibility study report includes the demonstration and evaluation content of other special approval requirements, the relevant approval department may review the feasibility study report as the application material.
3、 Promote and improve the organization mode of engineering construction through whole-process consultation
（1） Promote the whole-process consultation with the focus on engineering construction. In the construction of housing construction, municipal infrastructure and other projects, the construction unit is encouraged to entrust the consulting unit to provide whole-process consulting services such as bidding agency, survey, design, supervision, cost and project management, to meet the integrated service needs of the construction unit, and to enhance the synergy of the project construction process. The whole-process consulting unit shall help the construction unit improve construction efficiency and save construction funds on the premise of project quality and safety.
（2） Explore the implementation mode of consulting services in the whole process of engineering construction. The consulting services in the whole process of project construction should be implemented by one consulting unit with comprehensive capabilities, or by several consulting units with different capabilities such as bidding agency, survey, design, supervision, cost, project management, etc. In case of joint implementation by multiple consulting units, the rights, obligations and responsibilities of the leading unit and each unit shall be clarified. We should give full play to the exemplary and leading role of government-invested projects and state-owned enterprise investment projects, and guide a number of influential and demonstrative government-invested projects and state-owned enterprise investment projects to take the lead in implementing the whole-process consultation of engineering construction. The construction units of private investment projects are encouraged to select excellent teams to carry out the whole-process consultation of project construction according to the principles of credibility, comprehensive ability and efficiency according to the scale and characteristics of the project.
（3） Promote the development of consulting services in the whole process of engineering construction. When providing survey, design, supervision or cost consulting services, the consulting unit in the whole process shall have the qualification conditions appropriate to the project scale and the entrusted content. The whole-process consulting service unit shall complete the business within the scope of its own qualification certificate by itself. On the premise of ensuring the integrity of the whole project, the consulting service outside the scope of its own qualification certificate can be entrusted to the unit with corresponding qualifications or capabilities according to the contract or with the consent of the construction unit. The whole-process consulting service unit shall be fully responsible for the entrusted business of the entrusted unit. If the construction unit selects a unit with corresponding engineering survey, design, supervision or cost consulting qualifications to carry out the whole process of consulting services, it may not entrust another survey, design, supervision or cost consulting unit unless otherwise specified by laws and regulations.
（4） Specify the requirements for consulting service personnel in the whole process of project construction. The person in charge of the consulting project in the whole process of engineering construction shall obtain the registered practice qualification of engineering construction, have senior professional titles of engineering and engineering economics, and have similar engineering experience. The person in charge of engineering survey, design, supervision or cost consultation in the whole process of engineering construction consulting services shall have the corresponding professional qualifications prescribed by laws and regulations. The whole-process consulting service unit shall provide professional technical personnel and management personnel with corresponding practicing ability according to the needs of project management. The design unit should give full play to the leading role of the architect when implementing the whole-process consultation in civil architecture.
4、 Encourage the market-oriented development of various forms of whole-process engineering consulting services
（1） Encourage various forms of whole-process engineering consulting service modes. In addition to the comprehensive consultation of investment decision-making and the consultation of the whole process of project construction, the consulting unit can carry out cross-stage consulting service portfolio or different types of consulting service portfolio in the same stage from the perspective of the whole life cycle of investment decision-making, project construction, operation and other projects according to the market demand. Encourage and support consulting companies to innovate the whole-process engineering consulting service mode and provide diversified services for investors or construction companies. There shall be no interest relationship between the whole process engineering consulting unit of the same project and the general contractor, construction unit, material and equipment supplier.
（2） Innovate consulting units and personnel management methods. It is necessary to gradually reduce the qualification licensing items implemented by the investment decision-making link and the engineering construction field for the practitioners and personnel, simplify and cancel the mandatory intermediary services, break the industrial barriers and departmental monopoly, open market access, and accelerate the marketization process of consulting services. The focus of government management will be shifted from the issuance of pre-qualification certificates to the in-process and post-event supervision, and a management system with government supervision, credit constraints, and industry self-discipline as the main contents will be established to strengthen the supervision of the employment behavior of units and personnel.
（3） Guide the healthy development of engineering consulting services throughout the process. The whole-process engineering consulting unit shall have rich experience in technology, economy, management, law and other aspects, have the service ability suitable for the whole-process engineering consulting business, and have good reputation. The whole-process engineering consulting unit shall establish professional departments and organizations appropriate to its consulting business, allocate professional consultants with reasonable structure, improve its core competitiveness, and cultivate comprehensive and diversified services and one-stop integrated service capabilities for systematic problems. Encourage investment consulting, bidding agency, survey, design, supervision, cost, project management and other enterprises to develop whole-process engineering consulting through joint operation, mergers and acquisitions, etc.
5、 Optimize the market environment of whole-process engineering consulting services
（1） Establish the technical standards and contract system for whole-process engineering consulting services. To study and establish the technical standard system of comprehensive consultation for investment decision-making and consultation services for the whole process of engineering construction, and promote the scientization, standardization and standardization of the whole process of engineering consultation services; Focus on service contract management, accelerate the construction of bidding documents and contract model text suitable for investment decision-making and engineering construction consulting services in China, formulate contract terms scientifically, and promote the performance of both parties to the contract. During the whole process, the engineering consulting unit shall earnestly perform all obligations agreed in the contract, bear corresponding responsibilities, and be responsible for the authenticity, effectiveness and scientificity of the consulting results.
（2） Improve the calculation method of remuneration for engineering consulting services throughout the process. The remuneration for the whole-process engineering consulting service can be disbursed in the project investment, or paid through the investment consulting, bidding agency, survey, design, supervision, cost, project management and other expenses disbursed in the project investment according to the specific service items included. If the whole process engineering consulting service fee is listed in the project investment, the corresponding individual consulting service fee will not be listed. The investor or construction unit shall determine the service fee with the consulting unit according to the scale and complexity of the project, the scope, content and duration of the consulting service. The remuneration for engineering consulting services in the whole process can be calculated according to the superposition of the remuneration for each special service and then the corresponding overall management fee, or can be calculated according to the method of labor cost plus remuneration. The whole process engineering consulting unit should strive to improve its service capacity and level, reflect its own market value by adding value to the construction or operation of the consulting project, and prohibit malicious low-price competition. Investors or construction units are encouraged to reward consulting units according to the amount of investment saved by consulting services.
（3） Establish a whole-process engineering consulting service management system. The consulting unit shall establish its own service technical standards and management standards, constantly improve the quality management system, occupational health and safety and environmental management system, and establish its own characteristic full-process engineering consulting service management system and standards by accumulating consulting service practice experience. Vigorously develop and utilize modern information technologies and resources such as building information model (BIM), big data, Internet of Things, and strive to improve the level of information management and application, and provide guarantee for carrying out the whole-process engineering consulting business.
（4） Strengthen the construction of consulting talent team and international exchanges. The consulting unit should attach great importance to the training of project leaders and relevant professionals in the whole process of engineering consulting, strengthen the theoretical knowledge training in technology, economy, management and law, and cultivate a group of comprehensive talents meeting the needs of the whole process of engineering consulting services, so as to provide talent support for the development of the whole process of engineering consulting business. Encourage the consulting unit to carry out various forms of cooperation with internationally famous engineering consulting companies, improve the business level and enhance the international competitiveness of the consulting unit.
6、 Strengthen safeguard measures
（1） Strengthen organizational leadership. The competent investment department of the State Council is responsible for guiding the comprehensive consultation of investment decision-making, and the competent housing and urban and rural construction department of the State Council is responsible for guiding the consultation of the whole process of project construction. The competent investment departments, housing and urban and rural construction departments at all levels should attach great importance to the promotion and development of the whole process of engineering consulting services, innovate the investment decision-making mechanism and engineering construction management mechanism, improve the relevant supporting policies, strengthen the guidance and support for the whole process of engineering consulting services, strengthen the communication and coordination with the financial, tax, audit and other relevant departments, and effectively solve the practical problems restricting the implementation of the whole process of engineering consulting.
（2） Promote demonstration and guidance. The competent government departments at all levels should guide and encourage the project decision-making and construction to adopt the whole-process engineering consulting mode, and gradually cultivate a number of backbone enterprises of whole-process engineering consulting through the leading role of demonstration projects, so as to improve the supply quality and capacity of whole-process engineering consulting; Encourage all regions and enterprises to actively explore and carry out whole-process engineering consultation, timely summarize and promote experience, and expand the influence of whole-process engineering consultation.
（3） Strengthen government supervision and industry self-discipline. Relevant departments should, according to the division of responsibilities, establish a whole-process engineering consulting and supervision system, innovate the whole-process supervision methods, implement comprehensive supervision and linkage supervision, increase the punishment of consulting units and employees who violate laws and regulations, establish credit files and disclose bad behavior information, and promote consulting units to effectively improve service quality and efficiency. Relevant industry associations should give full play to their professional advantages, assist the government in carrying out research on relevant policies and standard systems, and guide the consulting units to improve the capacity of engineering consulting services throughout the process; Strengthen the construction of industry integrity and self-discipline system, standardize the market behavior of consulting units and practitioners, and guide the reasonable market competition.
National Development and Reform Commission
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
March 15, 2019