The General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Reform of the Approval System for Construction Projects" (GuoChangfa [2018]33)

Announcement of The General Office of the State Council

In order to implement the deployment requirements of the Party Central Committee and The State Council on deepening the reform of "delegating management services" and optimizing the business environment, promote the shift of government functions to reduce approval, strengthen supervision, and provide excellent services, and promote fair market competition, The State Council decided to carry out the pilot reform of the approval system for construction projects. Effective from 14 May 2018.

General Office of the State Council

May 14, 2018

The General Office of the State Council issued the Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Reform of the Approval System for Construction Projects

I. General requirements

(1) Guiding ideology.  The approval system of engineering construction projects will be reformed in the whole process and in full coverage, and strive to build a scientific, convenient and efficient approval and management system for engineering construction projects.

(2) Pilot areas. Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanjing, Xiamen, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Guiyang, Weinan, Yan 'an City and Zhejiang Province.

3. Reform contents The reform covers the whole process of approval of construction projects (including from project approval to completion acceptance and public facilities access services); It mainly includes housing construction and urban infrastructure projects, excluding special projects and major projects in transportation, water conservancy, energy and other fields; It covers administrative licensing and other approval matters and technical review, intermediary services, municipal public services and other types of matters such as filing, and promotes process optimization and standardization.

(4) Work objectives. In 2018, the pilot areas completed the construction project approval system framework and management system, in accordance with the prescribed process, the approval time was reduced by more than half, from the current average of more than 200 working days to 120 working days. In 2019, summarize and promote the pilot experience, carry out reform of the approval system for engineering construction projects nationwide, reduce the approval time to 120 working days in the first half of the year, and further reduce the approval items and time in pilot areas; Prefecture-level and above urban construction project approval system framework and management system. By 2020, a unified national construction project approval and management system will be basically completed.

Second, unify the approval process

5. Optimizing the approval process. The approval process of engineering construction projects is mainly divided into four stages: project land planning permission, project construction permission, construction permission, completion acceptance. Among them, the project land planning permission stage mainly includes project approval and filing, site selection submission, land pre-examination, land planning permission and so on. The project construction permit stage mainly includes design scheme review, construction project planning permit issuance and so on. The construction permit stage mainly includes the design review and confirmation of fire protection and civil air defense and the issuance of construction permits. The completion acceptance stage mainly includes the acceptance of planning, land, fire, civil air defense, etc., and the completion acceptance record. Other matters such as administrative licensing, mandatory assessment involving security, intermediary services, municipal public services and filing are included in the relevant stages or promoted in parallel with the relevant stages.

(6) Classification and refinement process. According to the type of construction project, investment category, scale, etc., the approval process is classified and the approval stage and approval items are determined. Simplify the approval of small and medium-sized construction projects for social investment, and no longer review the design scheme for projects with a plan to transfer land, and combine the construction permit and construction permit into one stage. For construction projects that transfer land, the examination and approval of construction land will be included in the planning permission stage of project land.

7. Vigorously promoting parallel examination and approval. Each examination and approval stage determines a lead department, the implementation of "one lead, parallel examination and approval, limited time to finish", by the lead department to organize and coordinate the relevant departments to complete the examination and approval in strict accordance with the limited time.

Third, streamline the examination and approval process

(8) Streamlining the items and conditions for examination and approval. The examination and approval items that do not comply with the above law and do not comply with the law shall be cancelled. Unreasonable and unnecessary examination and approval items will be abolished. For items subject to approval that are reserved, the preconditions for approval should be reduced and the list of items subject to approval should be published. Cancel the construction contract record, building energy efficiency design review record and other matters. For housing construction projects invested by the public, the construction unit may independently decide the mode of contracting.

(9) Delegating the power of examination and approval. In accordance with the principle of facilitating the handling of affairs by enterprises and the masses, lower organs have the ability to undertake the examination and approval, delegate to lower organs or entrust them with examination and approval. Relevant departments should strengthen communication and coordination, formulate supporting measures, improve the supervision system, carry out guidance and training, and improve the efficiency of examination and approval.

(10) Merging examination and approval items. Multiple examination and approval items with similar management contents or belonging to the same processing stage implemented by the same department shall be integrated into one examination and approval item. Joint inspection, joint surveying and mapping, joint drawing examination and joint acceptance inspection shall be carried out. Technical reviews such as fire design review and civil air defense design review will be incorporated into the review of construction drawing design documents, and relevant departments will no longer conduct technical reviews. Implementation of a government-purchased service approach to review construction drawing design documents. The supervision procedures of project quality and safety shall be combined with the construction permit. Planning, land, fire protection, civil air defense, archives, municipal public and other departments and units shall conduct joint acceptance inspection within a limited time, unify the completion acceptance drawings and acceptance standards, and issue unified acceptance opinions. For surveying work involved in acceptance inspection, "one commission, unified surveying and mapping, and sharing of results" shall be implemented.

11. Transforming management methods. For the approval items that can be replaced by soliciting the opinions of relevant departments, it is adjusted to the internal cooperation of the government. When the construction project planning license is issued, the design scheme shall be reviewed together, and the issuing department shall solicit the opinions of relevant departments and units, and other departments shall no longer conduct separate review of the design scheme. Regional assessment of seismic safety, geological disaster risk, environmental impact and energy conservation will be carried out under unified government organization.

(12) Adjusting the approval sequence. Implementation of the cancellation of the relevant requirements of delegated administrative approval matters, environmental impact assessment, energy conservation assessment, seismic safety assessment and other evaluation matters are not considered as project approval or approval conditions, seismic safety assessment can be completed before the project design, other evaluation matters can be completed before the construction permit. The pre-examination opinions can be used as land use documents to apply for the construction project planning permit, and the land approval procedures can be completed before the construction permit. The application for the installation of municipal public infrastructure such as water supply, power supply, gas, heat, drainage and communication shall be handled in advance after the issuance of the construction license, the construction of relevant facilities shall be completed in the construction stage, and the access matters shall be handled directly after the completion and acceptance.

(13) Implement the notification commitment system. The notification and commitment system shall be implemented for items subject to examination and approval that can be corrected for acts that do not meet the conditions for examination and approval and do not result in serious consequences through in-process and post-event supervision. Publish the list of examination and approval items and specific requirements for the implementation of the notification commitment system, and if the applicant makes a written commitment in accordance with the requirements, the examination and approval department may directly make an examination and approval decision. For construction projects that have carried out regional assessment, the corresponding approval items shall be notified and committed. In some engineering construction projects, the construction planning permission notification commitment system has been implemented.

Fourth, improve the approval system

(14) "One Blueprint" coordinates project implementation. Accelerate the establishment of a "multi-plan integration" business collaboration platform, and coordinate all kinds of planning. Based on the "one blueprint" of "multi-planning", coordinate and coordinate various departments to propose project construction conditions, construction units to implement the requirements of construction conditions, and relevant departments to strengthen supervision and management and assessment.

(15) Implementing unified management of "one system". On the basis of the existing national and local information platforms, the integration of the formation of a "horizontal to the edge, vertical to the end" project construction project approval management system, covering all departments and cities, counties, districts, towns (streets) at all levels, to achieve unified acceptance, parallel approval, real-time circulation, tracking supervision, information sharing. Among them, secret-related projects shall be executed in accordance with the relevant confidentiality requirements. The approval management system should be interconnected with information platforms such as the "multi-plan integration" business collaboration platform and the approval management system of various departments, so as to transmit the approval process and approval results in real time. Through the construction project approval management system, strengthen the guidance and supervision of local construction project approval work.

(XVI) "One Window" provides comprehensive services. Integrate the service Windows scattered by various departments and municipal public units, and set up a comprehensive service window for the approval of engineering construction projects. Establish and improve the "reception, background review" mechanism, integrated service window unified receipt and delivery, to achieve "one window" service and management.

(17) "One form" integrates declaration materials. Each approval stage implements the operation mode of "one guide, one application form, one set of declaration materials, complete a number of approvals", and the lead department develops unified service guidelines and declaration forms, and applicants only need to submit one set of declaration materials at each approval stage. Examination and approval departments at different stages of examination and approval shall share the application materials and shall not require applicants to submit them repeatedly.

(18) "A set of mechanisms" to regulate the operation of approval. Establish and improve the supporting system for the approval of engineering construction projects, clarify the responsibilities of departments, clarify the working procedures, standardize the approval behavior, and ensure the seamless connection of all stages and links of approval. Establish a review and approval coordination mechanism to coordinate and resolve departmental differences. Establish a supervision and inspection system, track the approval process in real time, and supervise the whole process.

Fifth, strengthen supervision and management

19. Strengthening operational and post-operational oversight. Establish a supervision system compatible with the reform of the approval system for engineering construction projects. Comprehensively implement "double random, one open" supervision, intensify supervision and inspection, and seriously investigate and punish violations of laws and regulations. For the examination and approval items subject to the notification of commitment system, the examination and approval department shall inspect the applicant's performance of the commitment within the prescribed time, and revoke the administrative examination and approval decision and investigate the applicant's corresponding responsibility if the applicant fails to fulfill the commitment.

20. Strengthening the credit system. Establish a credit information platform for the approval of engineering construction projects, establish a blacklist system, disclose the bad behaviors of enterprises and employees who violate laws and regulations and do not fulfill their commitments to the public, and build a joint disciplinary mechanism of "one place of broken trust and everywhere limited".

(21) Regulating intermediary and municipal public services. Establish a sound management system, implement a service commitment system, clarify service standards and procedures, and standardize service charges. Relying on the construction project approval management system to establish an online trading platform for intermediary services, the whole process supervision of intermediary services is implemented.

Sixth, overall organization and implementation

22. Strengthen organizational leadership. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development should shoulder the responsibility of organizing, coordinating, supervising and guiding the reform of the approval system of engineering construction projects, and all relevant departments should strengthen cooperation and close cooperation. The people's government of the pilot area should attach great importance to the reform of the approval system of engineering construction projects, set up a leading group with the main responsible comrades as the leader, improve the working mechanism, and consolidate responsibilities at various levels. Pilot areas shall prepare implementation plans according to this notice, refine and decompose tasks, clarify responsible departments, formulate schedules and road maps, ensure the orderly progress of pilot work, and submit the implementation plan to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development before June 15, 2018. Encourage reform and innovation, reform involves breaking through the relevant laws, regulations and policy provisions, in accordance with the procedure to report to the authority for authorization. We will support pilot areas in conducting trials within the scope of legislative authority and in advancing reform in accordance with the law and regulations. To study and promote the reform of the approval system for relevant construction projects in rural areas according to local conditions.

(23) Establishing an evaluation mechanism. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development shall, together with relevant departments, establish an evaluation and evaluation mechanism for the reform of the approval system for engineering construction projects, focus on the evaluation and evaluation of the whole process and the full coverage of the implementation of the reform in the pilot areas, evaluate and evaluate the unified approval process in the pilot areas, streamline the approval process, improve the approval system, and summarize the pilot practices in a timely manner to form replicable and scalable experience. The relevant information will be reported to The State Council. The people's governments of the pilot areas should strengthen the supervision and inspection of the reform work of relevant departments and follow up the implementation of the reform tasks. Pilot areas should regularly report the progress of their work to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. For those who do not promote the work effectively and affect the reform process of the approval system for construction projects, especially those who do not complete the phased work targets on time, they must be seriously held accountable according to law and regulations.

(24) Do a good job in publicity and guidance. Pilot areas should timely publicize and report the relevant work measures and achievements through various forms, strengthen public opinion guidance, enhance the public's understanding and support for the pilot work, respond to the concerns of the masses in a timely manner, and create a good public opinion environment for the smooth promotion of the pilot work.