According to 2.0.1 of the “Construction Project Engineering General Contracting Management Regulations” (GB/T50358-2017), the general contracting of the project refers to the whole process or several stages of contracting on the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the construction project in accordance with the contract. The general contracting scope, contracting methods, powers and responsibilities are stipulated in the contract.
The general contracting of the project has the following modes:
1. EPC/turnkey project general contracting, that is, according to the contract,
EPC companies needs to undertake the design, procurement, construction and commissioning work, and in full charge of the quality, safety, cost and progress of the contracted project.
2. Design-Construction General Contracting (D-B), that is, the general contractor of the project undertakes the design and construction work according to the contract, and is fully responsible for the quality, safety, cost, progress, occupational health and environmental protection of the contracted project.
3.In light of the different scales, types of the project and employers' requirements, the general contracting also has modes of design-purchase general contracting (E-P) and procurement-construction general contracting (P-C).
According to the definition and interpretation in above regulation, EPC usually refers to the contracting of the entire process of design, procurement, construction and commissioning, while the general contracting can be performed in the whole process or only in several stages, and the detailed scope and mode will be specified in the contract by employer and contractor. It needs to pay special attention to the purchase-construction contract (PC) model. The general contracting also includes the procurement of materials, but mainly on the building materials, such as steel bars, concrete, etc. The procurement in the PC mode refers to large-scale equipment, usually includes the installation and commissioning of equipment, which is substantially different from the procurement in general contracting. They cannot be confused.
