The Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangdong Province recently revealed that since Guangdong became a pilot province for the delegation of construction enterprise qualification approval authority this year, the department has carried out policy dissemination by specialty and region across the province, conducted in-depth policy interpretation and technical guidance in various localities, and guided and assisted enterprises in resolving issues encountered during the qualification application process. As of April 12, 536 pilot applications had been received from enterprises across the province, the highest application volume among the six pilot provinces nationwide.

536 pilot applications received from enterprises

On November 11 last year, the State Council deliberated and approved the Reform Plan for the Qualification Management System of Construction Engineering Enterprises. Subsequently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the plan and selected some provinces and cities as pilots for the delegation of approval authority. Guangdong is one of the six pilot provinces nationwide.

To effectively "take on" the national pilot, the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development formulated a "1+9" work plan, established a dedicated task force, upgraded the application system functions, optimized the approval process, developed a performance verification system, formulated supporting systems, and trained approval personnel. On January 1 this year, the application for pilot matters was launched as scheduled, and on January 14, the province's first electronic certificate for construction industry qualifications was officially issued.

How to "take it firmly"? Guangdong chose to continue using the mature "Three Databases and One Platform" system for applications, which is familiar to enterprises and easy to operate. It also achieved full-process electronic processing, allowing enterprises to "run zero errands." At the same time, electronic certificates are used, compressing the approval time limit to 20 working days, further improving approval efficiency.

As of April 12, 536 pilot applications had been received from enterprises. "Enterprises are highly motivated to apply, and Guangdong's application volume is the highest among the first batch of six pilot provinces nationwide," said the responsible person from the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Exploring Guangdong-specific practices to advance pilot implementation

Since March this year, the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has dispatched teams to multiple cities across the province to carry out the "Policy Dissemination Service Month" activity for undertaking the pilot delegation of construction enterprise qualification approval authority from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The responsible person introduced that, judging from the current approval situation, there are still many problems in construction enterprise qualification applications, mainly concentrated in the low quality of application materials, inaccurate filling of content, and insufficient understanding and grasp of new policies.

"Next, on the basis of strengthening policy dissemination, we will standardize approval behavior, innovate regulatory methods, and strengthen in-process and post-event supervision," said the responsible person from the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. They expressed the hope that qualified and capable construction enterprises in the province will seize the pilot opportunity period, accelerate transformation and qualification upgrading, and promote enterprises to become larger, stronger, and achieve high-quality development.

In the future, the housing and urban-rural development departments will standardize review points and standards, proactively disclose the basis for handling matters, enterprise application and approval information, and keep supervision channels open. They will also explore Guangdong-specific practices to further optimize the approval process and improve administrative approval efficiency. At the same time, they will ensure policy continuity and make preparations for work such as the renewal of enterprise qualification certificates in the second half of the year and the issuance of qualification review implementation rules.