To advance further the urban-rural integrated development and to elevate the quality of basic public services, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs has released the Notice on Issuing the Work Task List for Pilot Regions in Government Procurement of Services from Social Organizations (hereinafter referred to as the Notice), as the reporter learned from the Department on August 29. This document delineates the work tasks for pilot regions, aiming to achieve tangible outcomes through these reforms.

Prior to this, the Department of Civil Affairs had designated six counties (county-level cities, districts) — Wenjiang District in Chengdu, Dujiangyan City in Chengdu, Kangding City in Ganze Prefecture, Shifang City in Deyang, Luxian County in Luzhou, and Fushun County in Zigong — as pilot regions for the government's initiative to purchase services from social organizations. Issuing the Notice aims to prompt pilot regions to improve their policies and measures, compile and disseminate experiences obtained from the pilots, and ensure the timely and high-quality completion of all assigned tasks. The Notice encompasses the implementation plans for the six pilot regions and a task list consisting of 61 items, addressing specific content related to general requirements, primary objectives, key tasks, and supportive measures, among other aspects. In terms of key tasks, with a focus on significant strategies and people's well-being areas, such as rural revitalization, integrated urban-rural development, care for the elderly and children, and support for groups with special difficulties, the six pilot regions will prioritize the development of mechanisms for aligning supply with demand, transparent information disclosure, whole-process oversight, performance assessment, and supportive incentives, among others. Simultaneously, the initiative guides and supports the rest of the province in meticulously examining the implementation plans for the pilot regions, encouraging them to proactively apply for their participation and strategize ahead, thereby establishing a robust foundation for the subsequent comprehensive rollout of government procurement of services from social organizations.

In recent years, the Department of Civil Affairs has adhered to both guiding its work through Party building and focusing on cultivation and development, along with both enforcing stringent regulation and delivering effective governance. It has placed particular emphasis on advancing government procurement of services from social organizations and on improving the service delivery capabilities of these organizations. The Department proposes that, by 2025, the pilot counties (county-level cities, districts) refine their policy supply for government procurement of services from social organizations, foster and incubate a number of social organizations that are well-structured, operate with standard procedures, and possess robust capabilities to undertake services, so that these organizations will offer life services in urban and rural settings, including elderly care, child-rearing, and support for people with disabilities, thereby effectively enhancing community-level governance in these regions. By 2027, the pilot counties (county-level cities, districts) will establish a comprehensive system that can be promoted across the province, encompassing a framework for government procurement of services from social organizations, a mechanism for the incubation and cultivation of social organizations, and a structure for maximizing the roles of these organizations.