On September 2, 2022, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) issued its latest update on the Classified Catalogue of Government Procurement Items (hereinafter referred to as “the Catalogue”). The Catalogue is a significant document in China’s government procurement management system. The first version of the Catalogue was published in 2012 and was based on the former Classified List of Government Procurement Items (which was first issued in 2000 for the purpose of supporting the government procurement system reform). 

In this latest revised version, the Catalogue made the following main changes:

·   The item code is unified with the national standard GB/T 14885 Classification and codes for fixed assets (the currently effective version is GB/T 14885 2010 but the most recently revised draft is under approval review)

·   Optimize the item classification method in the “cargo category” and the latest Catalogue contains 8 types of products (house, construction, equipment, exhibits, books, office supplies, furniture, etc.)

·   “Service category” is revised into 25 types of products. This sector is now integrating and aligning its item list and relevant contents with other government procurement regulations including the Guidance Catalogue of the Central Government Purchase Service and the Interim Measures for the Administration of Procurement under the Government Procurement Framework Agreement, and National Standards for Basic Public Services (2021 Version). This new version of Catalogue has included all items of the Guidance Catalogue of the Central Government Purchase Service. 

In general, the latest revision is unifying all relevant regulations regarding the latest management system of government procurement to avoid the confusion caused by different coding methods. Foreign stakeholders, especially those who has or intends to become the supplier of China’s government procurement items, should review the latest Catalogue and evaluate any possible impacts on the business. If you need more information on the topic, please contact: assistant@bestao-consulting.com