Jingzhou’s practice of enabling access to bidding processes via a single website enters a top-10 list of the best reform cases concerning improving business environment in pilot zones within Hubei Province. The application of electronic business licenses in tendering and bidding has overcame the deficiencies in CA digital certificates, indicating that the city has become a forerunner driving the province’s pilot reform.
At the local public service center, a person surnamed Zhu in charge of a company’s tendering and bidding affairs was inquiring about the procedures for applying for an electronic business license in front of a counter window of Jingzhou Public Resources Trading Supervision Bureau. After instructions, she completed the application process within five minutes.
The CA digital certificate mentioned by Zhu is actually a physical electronic key. In the past, bidders had to contact a third party to apply for a CA digital certificate. CA certificates can’t be used across the country and bidders had to use the CA certificates to download tendering documents, formulate bidding documents, and open tenders. Bidders need multiple CA digital certificates when they submit multiple bids or get involved in opening of tenders at the same time.
“It costs RMB 200 to apply for a CA digital certificate, but an enterprise possibly need dozens of or even more than 100 CA digital certificates, increasing their operation costs,” said Fan Yong, a person in charge of the Regulations Section of the Jingzhou Public Resources Transaction Supervision Bureau.
“Among the enterprises we visited, the most impressive is that one enterprise was deprived of the bidding qualification due to the loss of its CA digital certificate, which tugged at our heartstrings. A CA digital certificate has caused so many troubles and inconvenience, so we are determined to carry out the reform,” said Li Rui, deputy head of the service section of the Jingzhou Government Service Center.
To resolve the pressing difficulties besieging enterprises in tendering and bidding processes and lower their financial burdens, Jingzhou launched the pilot task of introducing electronic business licenses across the province in 2022, which means that enterprises can access to bidding services via a single website. The “all-in-one bidding practice” enables the market entities nationwide to complete the procedures of identity registration, downloading files, preparing document, and signing agreements only with their electronic business licenses. On August 16, 2022, Jingzhou’s “all-in-one bidding platform” was put into operation, first of its kind in the province, but failed to be well-received as expected. Even though a growing number of enterprises begin to know electronic business license, they are hesitant to abandon the currently used CA digital certificates. Worries still exist.
In order to ensure safety, a special work team has overcome more than 30 technical difficulties, formulated per-arranged plans to deal with potential system problems, and coordinated with relevant technical service providers to launch the 24-hour customer service.
The wider application of electronic business licenses broke down barriers to bidding time, locations and terminals. The whole process imposes no charges and makes participation in the tendering and bidding process more convenient.
Up to now, 677 enterprises in Jingzhou have completed the registration of electronic business licenses, and 78,139 pieces of information concerning electronic business license have been handled.
“Next, we will try hard to extend the application of electronic business license to more areas, including government procurement and state-owned property rights, as well as land bid invitation and auction,” added Fan.