Since the beginning of this year, the Administrative Service Center of Yichang High-Tech Zone (FTZ) has implemented the handling of 2,836 cases with “notice of commitment” or “conditional acceptance”, achieving a commendable approval rating of 99.6%. The public has thumbed up for their services, owing to the streamlined and flexible procedures.

　　In recent years, Yichang High-Tech Zone (FTZ) has been actively creating a super optimized approval mode and firstly proposed the “notice of commitment” or “conditional acceptance” model in Hubei Province. This initiative effectively addresses the approval dilemma due to incomplete documents and significantly reduces processing time, which facilitates the administrative departments to provide swift services in a more friendly way.

　　Norms and standards are unified for improvement of service quality. The introduction of working norms such as the Trial Implementation Measures for Administrative Services Notice of Commitment in Yichang High-Tech Zone and the Trial Implementation Measures for Administrative Services Conditional Acceptance in Yichang High-Tech Zone has been initiated. The administrative approval departments have organized efforts around high-frequency matters concerning market entities and the public, systematically reviewing and publishing a list of service items.

　　According to the differences of the items to be handled, the “notice of commitment” is categorized into four types: commitment with immediate approval, commitment with document notification, exemption from site visits, and record management. The “conditional acceptance” includes two types: post-supplement and pre-review. This hierarchical classification allows for a shift from multiple reviews to expedited approvals. Simultaneously, clear guidelines for the application, implementation, and oversight of the “notice of commitment” and “conditional acceptance” have been established. Standardized templates for notices, commitment documents, and completion notifications have been developed, and these materials are made available to the public through online and offline channels.

　　Simplified process makes the procedure more enterprises-friendly. Under this initiative, administrative procedures in 11 areas have been streamlined, including market supervision, construction management, education, and human resources, to reduce steps, time, paperwork, and trips. Citizens can download standard documents by scanning the QR code in the service guide through WeChat for immediate and efficient processing.

　　Comprehensive implementation of the commitment-based system for operating permits in the fields of food and drugs, small-scale catering, and medical devices, enabling a commitment to market operation readiness. The approval process has been streamlined from the previous 5 stages to the mode of “commitment with immediate approval” and “post-issuance supervision”, reducing the approval time to just one working day. Compared to traditional approval methods, the average approval time has been reduced by more than 80%.

　　In terms of construction permits, a “notice of commitment” combined with “conditional processing” service mechanism is utilized. As of now, the area has six provincial-level key projects and fourteen municipal-level key projects, all of which have achieved a 100% commencement rate.

　　At the same time, the Administrative Service Center of the FTZ has introduced “four free” services, including “free assistance for application”, “free delivery(dual way)”, “free seal engraving” and “free printing”, thereby advancing the “one time completion” reform further.

　　Regulatory enforcement is strengthened to enhance the market confidence. The comprehensive utilization of credit records and credit reports in the field of administrative approvals ensures market confidence. Independently developed, the Yichang Area of the China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone Credit Service Platform combines corporate credit profiles with “Trust plus Convenience” and pro-business services.

　　Prior to approval, strict verification is conducted, and a “green channel” is opened for enterprises with a good credit history, offering services such as conditional pre-review and expedited approvals.

　　Besides, a robust credit repair mechanism is established. Online, the Yichang High-Tech Zone (Pilot Free Trade Zone) has introduced the “Trust plus Convenience” series of services on its credit service platform, including “Trust plus Convenience Loan”, “Trust plus Convenience Lease” and credit repair. Offline, the district’s Administrative Service Center has opened an enterprise credit repair window, offering multiple channels of assistance for discredited companies to return to markets.

　　At present, Yichang High-Tech Zone (Pilot Free Trade Zone) has taken the lead in numerous reform and innovation efforts, setting the pace at the national and provincial levels. The “Standardization plus Notice of Commitment” reform was included in Hubei's Pilot Free Trade Zone as part of the second batch of institutional innovation practice cases, and has been promoted throughout the province. The region was the first in the province to introduce the “Special Work Hour Notice of Commitment” reform, becoming the only area acknowledged by the provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security. To date, a total of 274 institutional innovation achievements have been accumulated, with 10 being replicated at the national level and 74 at the provincial level. (Reporter/Deng Yuqin, Correspondents/Zhou Tingting & Liu Xiaolu)