With the development of engineering design industry, due to the influence of historical factors, the early organizational structure form is mainly based on the design institute of public institution, and only since 1990s has it begun to be partially converted into a joint-stock or wholly state-owned enterprise. However, after the transformation, domestic design institutes generally still follow the organization and management mode of public institutions, with slow development, many management problems, and lack of innovation and expansion of business models.
Under the overall background of the new urbanization construction and the continuous expansion of various infrastructure projects in China, the organization and management mode of traditional design institutes to some extent hinders the rapid and healthy development of the construction industry, which needs further transformation and development.
Three transformation directions of design institute
By referring to the characteristics of the development mode of the international engineering design industry and combining with the active transformation and development experience of some domestic design institutes in recent years, the current transformation and development direction of domestic design institutes is mainly based on the design business, through the forward and backward extension, horizontal expansion of various construction activities such as preliminary consultation, design, bidding and procurement, construction management and test run assessment. From providing single engineering design services, to providing whole process technical and management services covering all links of project construction.
At present, the national policy vigorously promotes the business model of general project contracting and the whole process of engineering consulting service, which provides favorable opportunities and directions for the transformation and development of traditional design institutes. The specific transformation direction mainly includes the following three aspects:
Design institute transformation project general contracting enterprise
General project contracting is a project management mode vigorously promoted by the national policy in recent years, and it is also the main trend of transformation and development of major domestic design institutes. That is, the design unit (design institute) accepts the business entrustment and contracts the whole process or several stages of the project's feasibility study, survey, design, construction, trial operation (completion acceptance) and other activities in accordance with the contract, and is fully responsible for the quality, safety, duration and cost of the contracted project.
Design institute transformation process engineering consulting enterprise
Like the general contract of the project, the whole process of the project consulting is also the key development of the domestic construction industry in recent years, the market development is greatly promoted by the national policy. The participation of the design Institute in the whole process of engineering consulting mainly means that the design unit (design institute), entrusted by the owner, is responsible for the overall engineering consulting business in the construction process of the project, including project planning, feasibility study, environmental impact assessment report, engineering survey, engineering design, bidding agency, project supervision, cost consulting and other engineering consulting services.
Professional design task or risk consulting management services
In addition to general engineering contracting and whole-process engineering consulting, related engineering design and risk consulting management in various subdivided vertical fields are also the main direction of transformation and development of some design institutes. For example, to undertake the design task of a certain profession or specialized technology; Another example is the IDI project quality potential defect insurance, production safety liability insurance and engineering guarantee insurance vigorously promoted by the state. The quality, safety and credit risk management services involved in the insurance types are all market business opportunities for the transformation and development of traditional design institutes.
Design Institute transformation advantage problems and solutions
Although the above mentioned three main development directions of traditional design institute transformation, objectively, in the concrete transformation and development process, on the one hand, design institute has some advantages of transformation and development, on the other hand, there are also problems of transformation and development that cannot be ignored.
Transformation advantage
As a knowledge and talent intensive enterprise, the design institute has strong technical advantages, especially in the general contract of the project and the whole process of engineering consulting services, often more accustomed to the quality and safety as the focus, pay attention to the safety of the design scheme, so as to better ensure the quality and safety of the project, effectively prevent and avoid the quality and safety risks of the project.
As the representative of the professional and technical force in the field of engineering construction for a long time, the design Institute is more likely to gain the trust of the owners whether it carries out the general contract market business or provides the whole process of engineering consulting services.
When carrying out the general contracting business of the project, the design institute as the core can, on the one hand, maintain effective communication with the construction department in the early stage, carry out reasonable design for various problems in the construction process in advance, and carry out design and construction interspersed in the process to reduce the construction period; On the other hand, for key projects involving new technologies and new materials, the construction personnel can be trained in advance to effectively improve construction efficiency and reduce construction costs.
Transformation problem
In addition to the above transformation advantages, there are also some development problems in the transformation and development process of design institutes. Specifically, it mainly includes two aspects: the design institute's own management and the transformation and expansion of marketing business.
In terms of self-management
The more prominent problem is that the old habits of management methods of institutions in early design institutes are still retained. On the one hand, the management is not scientific and transparent, and it has been in the blind area of market supervision for a long time. On the other hand, due to the lack of effective talent management methods, grass-roots designers have high work intensity and pressure, low salary income, and lower basic contract salary than other industries. Verbal performance income not only lacks contract guarantee, but also lacks fairness due to opaque internal management.
In terms of marketing business transformation
Professional technology, talent, management strength and management experience are the main problems facing the transformation and development of design institutes. Take general project contracting as an example. The general project contracting project has large investment capital, more management links and higher responsibility risk. Objectively, enterprises with professional general project contracting technology, talents, management strength and management experience are needed to avoid corresponding risks to the maximum extent and complete the project construction. It is the lack of most domestic design institutes. Taking whole-process engineering consulting as an example, the design institute lacks mature whole-process engineering construction experience, so it is naturally impossible to talk about whole-process engineering consulting services.
Solution idea
For the current design institute's own management problems
On the one hand, relevant departments should strengthen their market supervision to ensure the fair and transparent management of design institutes; On the other hand, the design institute itself should change the traditional management mode of public institutions, attach importance to talents, establish a fair salary system, and avoid brain drain.
For the design institute market business transformation problem
The main body of each design institute should choose the appropriate transformation and development direction according to its own technology, talent and management strength. For example, large and medium-sized design institutes can explore the development of general contracting and whole-process engineering consulting. Small design institutes can explore the development of professional design tasks or risk consulting management services.
Accordingly, large and medium-sized design institutes should increase the cultivation of the corresponding technical talents for the general contract management of the project. For example, they should solve the talent gap required by the current enterprise transformation through external recruitment of talents. For example, they should guide the internal talents of design institutes to develop into compound talents through the establishment of incentive mechanism, and cultivate their own talents in business, procurement, construction and project management through the dispatch study. As for small design institutes, they should cultivate specific professional and technical fields, such as professional quality risk management talents, safety production risk management talents or other professional and technical talents, so as to accumulate talents for transformation and development.
At present, with the continuous increase of policy support, the transformation direction of domestic design institutes to general contracting and whole-process engineering consulting has become a done deal. Many large and medium-sized design institutes are gradually increasing their transformation efforts. At the same time, with the increasing demand for technical risk services in various special engineering fields, small design institutes also usher in their new development opportunities.