On Jan 21, the General Office of the State Council issued the Measures for Management of National Government Administration Informatization Project Construction, to regulate procedures involved in relevant projects, ranging from planning, approval and construction to supervision, and assign specific responsibilities to government departments.

These measures apply mainly to national government administration information systems in the charge of State Council departments and units, including the national unified e-government network platform.

Planning and gaining approval involving various departments are necessary before project construction begins, according to the document.

The National Development and Reform Commission will take the lead in compiling the plan for the informatization of national government administration, before submitting it to the State Council for approval.

A feasibility study report may be compiled and submitted directly if a project is already included in the plan for national government administration informatization.

Unless approved by the Commission or submitted to the State Council for approval, national government administration informatization projects, like those approved only by related departments and involving new construction, renovation and expansion of a project, are subject to review and approval as required and record filing by the Commission.

Departments jointly constructing and sharing the same project should create a collective framework plan and jointly submit it to the Commission.

Project construction units should prepare the catalog of information resources and make sure they are shareable.

Launch of new projects by each department should be based on approval or record-filing at the platform for project management concerning the informatization of government administration, which belongs to the national online approval and monitoring platform for investment projects.

The document also specifies work project construction units should complete throughout the construction process.

A project construction unit should set up a sound project management system to clarify issues like the implementing agency and person-in-charge, and strictly abide by regulations relating to bidding, government procurement, engineering supervision and contract management, among others.

Each project needs the corresponding unit commissioned by the construction unit to perform engineering supervision.

If problems occur during project construction, such as a long delay in engineering and heavy investment losses, the construction unit should make a timely report to the approval-granting department.

Within half a year after a project finishes, the construction unit should apply to the approval-granting department for acceptance testing in accordance with relevant national regulations.

The document also pays attention to supervision of projects, including whether they comply with the country’s requirements for administrative information sharing.

In this regard, the General Office of the State Council, the Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the Cyberspace Administration of China will assume their respective functions with related departments.

Also, auditing organs should ensure stringent examination of the national government administration information system by law, and that special funds serve desired purposes.

The measures will take effect on Feb 1, 2020, when the Interim Measures for Management of National E-Government Construction Project released by the Commission on Aug 13, 2007 will be abolished.