Key Points of the National Conference on the Reform and Development of the Construction Industry and on Engineering Quality and Safety

　　To promote the sustained and healthy development of the construction industry and comprehensively enhance the quality of engineering projects, the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development convened the National Conference on Reform and Development of the Construction Industry and on Engineering Quality and Safety in Hefei, Anhui Province, on May 7. Vice Minister Wang Ning attended the conference and delivered a speech.

　　The meeting pointed out that, as China’s new-type industrialization, informatization, and urbanization continue to deepen, the construction industry will face new circumstances and tasks. First, we must implement the Central Committee’s Decision on Comprehensively Deepening Reform and foster a sound environment in the construction market; second, we must accelerate the transformation and upgrading of enterprises to promote the sustainable development of the construction industry; and third, we must steadfastly uphold the bottom line of ensuring the quality and safety of construction projects.

　　The meeting pointed out that, under the new circumstances and new tasks, we must proceed with a strong sense of responsibility and urgency, adhere to the principles of the market economy and the requirements of industry development, focus on key issues and principal contradictions, and thereby promote the better and faster development of the construction industry. Over the coming period, eight key issues will require focused research and resolution in the reform and development of the construction industry.

　　First, with regard to establishing a unified and open construction market: all localities must resolutely eliminate market barriers, abolish all unreasonable regulations and requirements, and strictly prohibit the collection of any type of security deposit that lacks a legal or regulatory basis. Standardize filing and record-keeping procedures, and strengthen ongoing and ex post supervision. It is essential to shift the management mindset, moving the focus from “emphasizing approval while downplaying supervision” to “de-emphasizing ex ante regulation and placing greater emphasis on ongoing and ex post oversight,” thereby adopting a policy of “easy entry, strict regulation.”

　　Second, with regard to enhancing the level of architectural design, we must take action on four fronts: fostering a mindset that positions design firms as the primary drivers of innovation; promoting high-quality, exemplary designs; strengthening the cultivation of innovative talent in architectural design; optimizing the market environment for architectural design; and actively exploring mechanisms for decision-making on design proposals for large-scale public buildings as well as post-assessment systems. By doing so, we can elevate the overall standard of architectural design in China.

　　Third, regarding the reform of engineering procurement and bidding: We will advance this reform by lifting the mandatory bidding requirement for projects funded by non-state capital, strengthening oversight of bidding for state-funded projects, guiding enterprises to engage in orderly competition, and intensifying regulation of project owners’ contracting practices.

　　Fourth, regarding the reform of the administrative approval system: the overarching goal is to streamline administration and delegate power, gradually reducing the role of administrative approvals. The current priority is to revise existing enterprise qualification standards, further delegate qualification approval authority, improve administrative approval procedures, and enhance service-oriented approaches.

　　Fifth, the issue of building a credit integrity system for the construction market. The focus should be on accelerating the development of three core databases—enterprise, personnel, and project—establishing a mechanism for sharing credit information, increasing the transparency of information disclosure, and putting in place mechanisms for rewarding good faith and punishing bad faith.

　　Sixth, the issue of building a robust workforce for the construction industry. The focus should be on sound top-level design, strengthened policy guidance, and the establishment of a diversified construction labor employment system; improving the training and skills certification mechanisms for laborers to enhance their professional competence; safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of laborers and ensuring that enterprises fulfill their responsibilities; increasing the organizational level of the labor force and establishing a unified information management system for laborers.

　　Seventh, we will advance the modernization of the construction industry. This will be achieved by leveraging the guiding role of policies, strengthening research and development, technology promotion, and standard-setting, fully harnessing the role of market entities, and developing supporting quality and safety regulatory systems.

　　Eighth, we will address the supervision and regulation of engineering quality and safety. The focus will be on urging enterprises to fulfill their primary responsibility for quality and safety, establishing a system under which project managers are held accountable for quality throughout the entire process—from surveying and design to construction—and making full use of information technology to promptly disclose quality and safety information about enterprises and personnel. We will also study ways to reform the methods of quality and safety supervision, including adopting random unannounced inspections; improve the mechanisms for identifying and addressing quality and safety hazards and ensuring effective rectification of identified problems; and develop regulations on quality management throughout the entire life cycle of engineering projects to ensure safety during the operational phase. In addition, we will strengthen capacity building for engineering quality and safety supervision and conduct research on issues such as the exemption from liability for supervisory personnel who perform their duties diligently. At present, priority should be given to strengthening quality and safety supervision of affordable housing projects, shantytown renovation projects, and urban rail transit projects.