New European Chamber Study: Calls on Continued Reform of China’s Fragmented Public Procurement System Go back »

2011-04-20 | All chapters

Beijing, April 20th 2011 - The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China today launched a unique new study examining China’s public procurement market. Titled Public Procurement in China: European Business Experiences Competing for Public Contracts in China, the study is the first ever business-led report on public procurement in China. The study estimates that the overall public procurement market in China represents over 20% of the country’s rapidly growing economy. The regulatory framework governing this enormous and increasing amount of economic activity is fragmented, i.e. inconsistent and unevenly implemented. This is a significant drag on efficiency and innovation for the Chinese economy as a whole and leads to substantial missed opportunities for European business in China.

Said European Chamber President Jacques de Boisséson, “Our study starts by showing how large a market public procurement in China is overall. Currently European companies are barred from much of this estimated US$1trillion market through poor implementation of overlapping regulations. It is vital that this enormous market be regulated in a transparent and non-discriminatory way. This will ultimately support the goal of higher quality growth, as set out in the recently approved 12th Five Year Plan. This study aims to offer possible next steps to make this happen.”

Common challenges encountered by European business when competing for public contracts in China include (among others):

• Difficulty in obtaining timely, accurate information about upcoming projects;

• Lack of communication of detailed evaluation criteria for projects;

• Trend towards decentralization of tender information leading to more costs, less transparency;

• Unfair implementation of public procurement awards;

• Unsatisfactory appeals procedures.

Said Gilbert Van Kerckhove, Chair of the European Chamber Public Procurement Working Group, “The Chamber has been working with the Chinese authorities to continue improving the procurement framework in China since 2004. European companies could contribute even more to support Chinese government plans, especially in areas of expertise such as transportation, civil engineering or renewable energy. For this to happen however, they need to be allowed to compete for public procurement in China. This means fixing the little things, often at the local level, which get in the way of healthy competition.”

The fifty-page study offers a detailed analysis of the typical tendering process and non-market barriers encountered by European companies bidding for public contracts. Three sectors provide examples of Public Procurement in China: medical devices, ICT and windpower equipment.   Drawing on the knowledge and experience of the European Chamber’s 1,600 member companies, Public Procurement in China: European Business Experiences Competing for Public Contracts in China concludes by making a series of constructive, concrete suggestions. These aim to improve the legal framework for public procurement in China, as well as its implementation in the short-, mid- and long-run. Such reform would bring immediate benefits to the Chinese economy as a whole and to the European business established in China. Improved regulation would also accelerate Chinese companies’ grasping the opportunities presented by accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

The full study is available for download at the European Chamber website – please visit here for details.  

中国欧盟商会调查呼吁中国公共采购系统深化改革

北京，2011年4月20日 – 中国欧盟商会今日发布了首部研究中国公共采购市场的调查报告。《中国的公共采购：欧盟企业在中国参与公共采购合同竞标的经验》是第一部由商界牵头的关于中国公共采购的报告。根据本调查估算，在中国快速发展的经济中，中国的公共采购占的比重超过20%。这类经济活动数量庞大，而且还在不断增长，但相关的监管框架却显得杂乱无章，例如政策不一致，实施情况也参差不齐。这严重阻碍了中国整体经济的效率和创新，并导致在华欧盟企业因此错失许多商机。

中国欧盟商会主席戴杰说：“我们的研究开篇展示了中国公共采购市场之大。据估算，现在在华欧盟企业由于重复的政策法规以及差强人意的政策执行与价值一万亿美元的市场无缘。透明、一视同仁的监管方式对于这个巨大的市场至关重要。这将促进最近通过的十二五规划中提及的高质量经济增长。本调查旨在为这一转变提供可行意见。”  

在参与公共采购合同竞标时，欧盟企业所面临的常见挑战包括（但不限于）：  

• 对于即将开展的项目，难以获得及时和准确的信息

• 对项目的具体评估标准缺乏沟通

• 招标信息下放的趋势，导致更高成本和更低的透明度

• 公共采购授标流程的不公平

• 申诉程序差强人意

中国欧盟商会公共采购工作组主席范克高夫评论道：“欧盟商会从2004年起就与中国政府一道推进中国采购框架的改善。欧盟企业可以为中国政府的规划做出更多贡献，特别是交通、民用工程和可再生能源产业，欧盟企业都有许多值得借鉴的经验。然而要达到这一效果，中国必须向他们开放公共采购市场。这意味着中国需要清除一些通常存在于地方层面的障碍，以建立一个健康的竞争环境。   这本60余页的调查为读者详细分析了典型投标程序、以及欧盟企业在竞标公共采购合同时遇到的非市场壁垒。调查以医疗器械、信息与通信技术和风能设备行业为示例，进行了案例分析。   凭借1600余家会员企业的专业知识和行业经验，欧盟商会在《中国的公共采购：欧盟企业在中国参与公共采购合同竞标的经验》中提出了一系列有建设性的具体建议。这些建议旨在促进中国公共采购的法律框架建设，及其短中长期的政策实施。这些改革会对中国整体经济和在华欧盟企业起到立竿见影的积极效果。   改进后的法律法规也会加快中国加入世界贸易组织《政府采购协定》，进而帮助中国企业此后抓住更多海外发展机会。

本调查全文可在中国欧盟商会网站上免费下载，请点击这里查阅详细信息。

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