Engineering consulting is a discipline that uses modern science and technology, integrates multiple disciplines, and provides consulting services for government departments and business operators to make investment decisions and implement in accordance with the principles of science and justice. After the 1990s, the engineering consulting industry in China has developed rapidly and the industry level has been continuously improved, while it is also facing enormous challenges.
From the 1950s to the early 1980s, the planned economy dominated the Chinese market, and the engineering consulting industry never emerged independently, and there was no professional engineering consulting market. Since the reform and opening up, the economic system has been transformed from a planned economy to a market economy. In order to carry out the reform of the investment system, the construction industry and the capital construction management system, and improve the investment efficiency, the pre project management must be strengthened. As a result, China's engineering consulting industry has really entered a golden period of development, and various types of engineering consulting institutions such as design institutes, engineering consulting centers, and engineering consulting companies are constantly emerging.
At the beginning, in accordance with foreign operation experience and in order to adapt to the requirements of economic system reform, the seniors in the engineering consulting industry began to set up their own engineering consulting institutions to undertake the preliminary feasibility study, construction scheme demonstration, technical and economic evaluation and other preliminary work of national key engineering projects. On the other hand, with the development of the country and the introduction of foreign capital, various international banks have begun to provide different types of loan projects for China. According to the requirements of international financial institutions and international practices, the loan agreement can only be signed after being reviewed and recognized by a qualified engineering consulting agency; Foreign invested projects must also undergo strict investment feasibility study and demonstration. Only after the review of professional engineering consulting institutions can foreign investors be willing to invest. Therefore, professional consulting institutions have been developed, and some international engineering consulting institutions have also entered the Chinese market.
In 1992, the formal establishment of the China Engineering Consulting Association marked the formal formation of the engineering consulting industry in China. The National Planning Commission (the predecessor of the National Development and Reform Commission) issued Decree No. 2 and Decree No. 3 in 1994, positioning the nature of engineering consulting units and implementing qualification recognition, which made the development and management of the engineering consulting industry more standardized and scientific, So as to gradually establish engineering consulting institutions that meet the requirements of China's socialist market economy and the reform of the investment and financing system.
The initial engineering consulting organization mainly includes four parts: first, the business derivation of the survey and design institute and other units; The second is the consulting company established by the engineering construction management department; Third, the business expansion of the original project supervision cost and other units; Fourth, joint-stock, Sino foreign joint venture private engineering consulting institutions. The scope of business gradually includes the feasibility study report, project supervision, cost consultation, project budget and final accounts, which have become the necessary procedures for project construction; Various professional intermediary service organizations such as engineering supervision, cost consulting, technical consulting, etc. have emerged as the times require, and China's engineering consulting industry has developed rapidly.
In the 21st century, China's continuous and in-depth reform and modernization drive have made China one of the engineering construction markets in Asia and one of the global engineering construction markets with potential and vitality. The engineering consulting industry has driven this ride into the fast lane. While developing rapidly, it also faces many problems: First of all, the domestic engineering consulting industry is still in the primary stage of emerging industries, and has not formed a perfect and standardized management system. There are not many multidisciplinary and large-scale comprehensive engineering consulting companies, and they have not yet formed competitiveness in the international market. At the same time, many engineering projects invested by SMEs have not received engineering consulting services, and the number of qualified engineering consulting practitioners among engineering technicians is also very limited, which cannot meet the needs of engineering construction; Secondly, it has a small share in the international engineering consulting market. The relevant competent departments of the state have included engineering consulting in the qualification management, and can carry out international business only after being reviewed, approved and issued certificates. At present, there are only dozens of units that can engage in international engineering consulting in China.
1. Cognitive gaps. In China, the main consulting business of the engineering consulting industry is mostly national investment projects and foreign-funded projects, and the market share is derived from the mandatory requirements of the policy rather than the pure market demand, which leads to the fact that many companies in the market who prepare feasibility reports provide consulting services that are not strictly professional for projects, but decisions made to meet the policy, This will affect the reputation of the overall consulting industry and will not be widely recognized by all sectors of society.
2. Service quality gap. At the present stage, China's engineering consulting industry still lacks the professional ability to provide comprehensive engineering technical services. Engineering consultants generally lack systematic knowledge and comprehensive coordination and management ability in project overall management, economy, commerce and law, which leads to deficiencies in project overall planning, overall process integrated management, market research, economic evaluation, risk analysis, etc, It affects the integrity and scientificity of project consultation.
3. Institutional gaps. Engineering consulting should have been an independent market subject to provide professional and technical services, as well as the basis and primary condition for scientific justice. As far as the situation in various countries is concerned, most countries do not have government led consulting agencies, but regulate the market through legal system, and restrict the market behavior of consulting engineers and the whole industry with the help of industry associations. The Chinese market is quite different. Most of the consulting work is not only directly managed by the government departments, but also in the situation of multiple governments, multiple management and fragmentation.
The author believes that the following points should be taken into consideration in order to comprehensively develop China's engineering consulting industry, make the whole industry embark on a healthy development direction, and thus improve the overall level of the industry.
1. Reform shall be carried out in accordance with the national practice, gradually abolish the government led engineering consulting institutions, break the original chain of interests, make it clear that engineering consulting enterprises are independent market entities, and the national engineering consulting industry shall be subject to centralized management and unified policies and regulations by industry associations and laws and regulations.
2. Focus on supporting and transforming a number of engineering consulting companies, encourage and support the integration of small and medium-sized engineering consulting companies through acquisition and merger, and improve economic strength and professional and technical capabilities. Strong engineering decoration companies should open up talent channels, vigorously attract relevant professionals, enable some outstanding economists, certified public accountants, lawyers to join the field of engineering consulting, improve their comprehensive ability to deal with complex problems and professional skills, so that they can compete with international engineering consulting companies.
3. Carry out the training of engineering consulting professionals to improve their professional quality, select high-quality talents to study abroad advanced experience, so that our engineering consulting technicians can master the professional knowledge and latest trends of international engineering consulting as soon as possible, and understand and be familiar with the practices of international engineering consulting.
4. Establish guidance mechanism and set up industry model. Encourage enterprises to carry out engineering consulting work before project investment and guide enterprises through taxation and subsidies, so as to establish good habits and atmosphere and drive more enterprises to enjoy engineering consulting services.
5. Standardize qualification approval and distribution, and reduce the cost of qualification acquisition. Many powerful small and medium-sized engineering consulting companies often fail to obtain consulting qualifications due to the gap in financial strength, and most of their resources are controlled by state-owned or state-owned consulting institutions, leading to the phenomenon that those who issue qualifications do not act, and those who act are unqualified. By reducing the cost of qualification acquisition, more enterprises can participate in the competition in the engineering consulting service market and the survival of the fittest, so that truly powerful Gansu consulting companies can obtain good and fair development opportunities.
