The Revised Government Procurement Regulations Have Resulted in Significant Changes to These Provisions!

On July 11, 2017, in order to implement the relevant decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adapt to the needs of government procurement system reform and development, and implement the relevant provisions of the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Government Procurement Law of the People's Republic of China," the Ministry of Finance revised the "Measures for the Administration of Tendering and Bidding for Government Procurement of Goods and Services" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"). Before the revision, it consisted of 6 chapters and 90 articles. After the revision, it consists of 7 chapters and 88 articles, with 36 articles deleted, 34 new articles added, and 54 articles revised compared to the previous version. The revised "Measures" will come into effect on October 1, 2017.

The key points of the revision are as follows:

1. Addressing the issues of insufficient fulfillment of procuring entities' primary responsibilities and inadequate exercise of procurement autonomy in government procurement activities, this revision clarifies the responsibilities of procuring entities in key aspects such as implementing procurement policies, strengthening internal control, preparing procurement requirements, disclosing procurement information, and conducting performance acceptance. At the same time, it increases the procuring entities' participation in procurement activities and their procurement autonomy.

2. Addressing prominent issues such as high prices for low-quality goods, hidden kickbacks, and low efficiency, this revision further improves the system design and standardizes procurement practices. It specifically proposes targeted measures to strengthen procurement demand and performance acceptance management, enhance oversight of review processes, improve the transparency of government procurement, and reinforce the legal responsibilities of all parties involved.

3. To promote the reform of government procurement and implement policies such as tax and fee reductions and support for the development of the real economy, this revision further protects the legitimate rights and interests of suppliers and reduces their economic and time costs of participating in bidding.