To the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Departments of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development (Management) Commissions of municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the construction project cost management institutions of relevant departments of the State Council, and all relevant units:

In order to implement the Notice of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of Separating Permits from Licenses and Further Stimulating the Vitality of Market Entities (Guofa [2021] No. 7), continue to deepen the reform of delegating power, improving regulation and optimizing services, abolish the qualification approval for engineering cost consulting enterprises, innovate and improve the regulatory approach for engineering cost consulting, and strengthen ongoing and ex-post supervision, the relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:

I. Abolish the qualification approval for engineering cost consulting enterprises. In accordance with the requirements of Guofa [2021] No. 7, as of July 1, 2021, housing and urban-rural development authorities shall stop approving the qualifications of engineering cost consulting enterprises. Engineering cost consulting enterprises shall conduct business according to the scope of business stated in their business licenses, and administrative organs, enterprises and public institutions, and industry organizations shall not require enterprises to provide qualification certificates for engineering cost consulting enterprises. As of June 3, 2021, housing and urban-rural development authorities shall no longer process the renewal of qualifications for engineering cost consulting enterprises; for enterprises whose qualifications need to be renewed upon expiration, the validity period shall be automatically extended to June 30, 2021.

II. Improve the enterprise information management system. Housing and urban-rural development authorities at all levels shall strengthen communication and coordination with market regulation and other relevant departments, combine engineering cost consulting statistical survey data, improve the directory of engineering cost consulting enterprises, and actively carry out the collection, sharing and disclosure of enterprise information within their administrative regions. Enterprises are encouraged to voluntarily complete and timely update relevant information in the National Engineering Cost Consulting Management System, for the reference of clients in selecting according to the actual circumstances of construction projects. Enterprises are responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of the information they fill in and shall accept social supervision. For engineering cost consulting enterprises that provide false information, the misconduct shall be recorded in the enterprise social credit file.

III. Advance the development of the credit system. Housing and urban-rural development authorities at all levels shall further improve the long-term integrity mechanism for engineering cost consulting enterprises, strengthen credit management, promptly collect information such as administrative penalties and effective judicial judgments into the National Engineering Cost Consulting Management System, and fully use information-based means to implement dynamic supervision. Implement punishment for dishonesty in accordance with the law, raise the integrity awareness of engineering cost consulting enterprises, and strive to create an honest and trustworthy market environment.

IV. Build a new pattern of coordinated supervision. Improve the coordinated supervision pattern featuring government leadership, enterprise self-governance, industry self-discipline and social supervision. Explore the establishment of a mechanism linking enterprise credit with practitioner credit, strengthen the management of individual professional qualifications, implement the lifelong quality responsibility system for engineering cost consulting results, and promote the professional insurance system. Support industry associations in raising their level of self-discipline, improving members' self-discipline conventions and professional ethics codes, conducting member credit evaluations, and strengthening the restraint and management of member behavior. Fully leverage social supervision to participate in the governance of market order. Encourage third-party credit service institutions to carry out credit business.

V. Enhance the service capacity of engineering cost consulting. Continue to implement the spirit of the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Whole-Process Engineering Consulting Services (Fagai Touzi Gui [2019] No. 515), deepen the supply-side structural reform of consulting services in the engineering field, actively cultivate engineering cost consulting enterprises with whole-process consulting capabilities, and improve enterprises' service levels and international competitiveness.

VI. Strengthen ongoing and ex-post supervision. Housing and urban-rural development authorities at all levels shall attach great importance to ongoing and ex-post supervision after the abolition of qualifications for engineering cost consulting enterprises, implement the requirement of combining delegation with regulation, improve the mechanism for linking approval and supervision, improve working mechanisms, innovate regulatory means, intensify supervision, and perform regulatory duties in accordance with the law. Comprehensively implement "double random, one open" supervision, implement differentiated regulatory measures based on the results of enterprise credit risk classification, promptly investigate and deal with relevant illegal and non-compliant acts, and disclose supervision and inspection results to the public.

General Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development

June 28, 2021