The provincial government of Yunnan has released a set of guidelines for the construction of electronic trading venues used in government procurement by centralized procurement agencies.
The document, titled "Yunnan Province Guidelines for the Construction of Government Procurement Electronic Trading Venues by Centralized Procurement Agencies," was issued to implement the spirit of the State Council General Office's notice on the three-year action plan for the government procurement sector and relevant requirements from the Ministry of Finance.
The guidelines aim to instruct centralized procurement agencies in building standardized electronic trading venues, promote orderly electronic trading activities in government procurement, and advance the building of a unified national market in the government procurement field.
Scope of application
The guidelines apply to electronic trading venues built by provincial-level and prefecture-level centralized procurement agencies, including those that perform centralized procurement functions. County-level centralized procurement agencies may refer to the guidelines based on actual needs.
Requirements for venue construction
Trading venues should include enclosed review areas, waiting areas, and sample display areas. Where conditions permit, overnight review areas may be added. A dedicated bid opening area is not required. High-definition infrared cameras should be installed in all areas and corridors to achieve uninterrupted audio and video monitoring without blind spots. Trading venues should be physically separated from office areas, and review discipline and confidentiality rules should be posted in prominent locations.
Enclosed review area configuration
The review area should be equipped with access control systems, item storage lockers, review rooms, and dedicated restrooms. A dedicated access control point should be set up at the entrance, equipped with identity verification terminals used to authenticate review personnel. Only experts scheduled for that day's review, authorized on-site organizers, and procurement representatives should be allowed entry. Item storage lockers should be provided to collectively store communication devices and other personal items unrelated to the review. A dining area for experts may be set up within the review area, and dining at review workstations is encouraged. Each review room should have no fewer than five review workstations or review booths, with high-definition video surveillance systems installed at diagonal positions. Each workstation should be equipped with fully or partially enclosed physical partitions or soundproofing facilities, generally with a width of no less than 1 meter and a partition height of no less than 1.8 meters. Lightweight partition materials should be preferred to ensure independent review. Head-mounted noise-canceling headsets should be provided to ensure clear, low-latency voice communication during reviews. Each review workstation should be equipped with a dedicated computer and necessary peripherals such as cameras. Computers should be pre-installed with software essential for electronic trading, digital certificate drivers, and security management software, with the Yunnan Provincial Government Procurement Electronic Trading Platform reviewer operation instructions stored on the desktop. Desktop screen recording software should be enabled on computers to record all review computer operations throughout the process, stored synchronously with audio and video recordings. Computers at remote cross-location review venues should also have video conferencing software installed and connected to the platform to support synchronous audio and video recording and online interaction between primary and secondary venues. Where conditions permit, electronic signature pads may be provided to reduce system compatibility risks.
Other area configurations
The waiting area should be physically separated from the enclosed review area and office areas, equipped with seating and drinking water facilities. Where conditions permit, LCD screens may be installed to display review information for the day. The sample display area should be equipped with dedicated shelves or display tables, with protection against moisture, dust, and damage, and sample labels should be posted. Where conditions permit, sample display terminals may be provided to support remote sample viewing. The overnight review area should be under closed management, equipped with basic rest facilities to meet the overnight rest needs of review experts. Communication devices and internet access terminals are strictly prohibited. Dedicated personnel should be assigned for supervision to ensure the safety and confidentiality of overnight review work.
Environmental requirements for trading venues
The power supply system should be stable and reliable, with critical equipment equipped with backup power sources such as United Parcel Service Inc (NYSE: UPS) uninterruptible power supply systems. The network system should have high-speed, stable internet access lines, high-performance core network equipment such as switches and routers, and network security equipment such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and intrusion prevention systems. Appropriate redundancy measures may be adopted based on actual conditions, such as primary and backup lines and mobile network backups, to prevent network interruption risks.
Related requirements
Demonstration and leadership. Provincial-level and prefecture-level centralized procurement agencies should complete the construction of standardized government procurement electronic trading venues in accordance with the guidelines by the end of June 2027. Social procurement agencies are encouraged to refer to the guidelines when building government procurement electronic trading and remote cross-location review venues.
Resource sharing. Regions with favorable conditions may explore models such as intensive construction, resource sharing, and service procurement to rationally allocate remote cross-location review venue resources and avoid redundant construction. Centralized procurement agencies may share trading venues with public resource trading centers and with centralized procurement agencies at different regions or levels to further improve resource utilization efficiency.
Strengthened supervision. Prefecture-level finance departments should make the construction of electronic trading venues a key focus in their assessments of centralized procurement agencies. For situations where trading venues do not meet the guidelines' requirements or where audio and video recordings are unclear or incomplete, rectification should be firmly urged. Any opinions or suggestions should be promptly reported to the Government Procurement Management Division of the Provincial Department of Finance, and the guidelines will be updated and improved in due course. Contact number: 0871-63956097.
Comments