The National Development and Reform Commission has released a general outline for preparing post-evaluation reports on major projects.

Recently, the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Notice on Issuing the General Outline for Preparing Post-Evaluation Reports on Major Projects of the National Development and Reform Commission” (NDRC Office for Evaluation and Supervision [ (Document No. 641 of 2025), the newly revised General Outline for Preparing Post-Evaluation Reports on Major Projects has been officially released to the public. This revision further categorizes post-evaluation reports into three types: government investment projects, projects requiring approval, and special-topic post-evaluations, marking the entry of China’s major project management into a new stage of closed-loop, full-process management.

I. Background of the Document
In 2024, the “Administrative Measures for Post-Evaluation of Major Projects by the National Development and Reform Commission” (NDRC Evaluation and Supervision Regulation No. 1103 [2024]) clearly defined, for the first time, the framework of the post-evaluation system and set forth the core objective of “standardizing post-evaluation work and enhancing investment efficiency.” The release of this new version of the outline represents a detailed implementation of the aforementioned administrative measures, aiming to promote precise evaluation of investment projects throughout their entire lifecycle—from initial decision-making to operation—by establishing unified standards.

II. Changes in the New Syllabus

1. Clearer classification   New edition outline breakthrough The 2014 edition, previously limited to investments by the central government, has expanded its scope to include: Approved Projects (such as corporate investment) and Post-Special Evaluation (Inter-industry multi-project synergy analysis), covering all areas of investment. This adjustment responds to the growing demand for diversified investment models in recent years and helps to achieve... "Hard investment" and "soft development" are being promoted in a coordinated manner.
2. More complete structure   New addition “Soft Construction” Chapter: For the first time, policy planning and institutional mechanism innovation have been incorporated into the evaluation, requiring an analysis. The alignment between “soft development” and “hard investment” maximizes project benefits.

Detailed Stage Evaluation ： From early-stage decision-making to sustainability, nine chapters have been established, with newly added elements including resource guarantees, carbon emission control, and debt-servicing capacity. More than 20 key indicators. For example, during the preparation phase of construction, it is necessary to assess the implementation status of plans ensuring land and sea use as well as resource and environmental factors.

3. A smarter approach The new syllabus emphasizes the application of information technology and remote sensing monitoring. Using modernized methods, it is required to compare the actual operational data of the project with the feasibility study report to achieve dynamic tracking. At the same time, this should be aligned with the “General Outline for Preparing Feasibility Study Reports for Government Investment Projects” ( (2023 Edition) to ensure seamless integration and form a closed-loop process of “decision-making—implementation—post-event review.”
4. More focused evaluation (Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development Become Key Priorities)

New addition Indicators such as “the reasonableness of carbon emission control plans” and “the efficiency of resource and energy utilization” explicitly require assessing the project’s contribution to achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals. In addition, the weight assigned to evaluating the social benefits of projects—such as their role in boosting employment and advancing social development—has been significantly increased.
III. Quick Comparison of the Old and New Syllabuses

The implementation of the new outline not only strengthens the standardization of major project management but also unleashes... The policy signal of “responsibility throughout the entire investment lifecycle and maximizing efficiency.” In the future, local governments and enterprises will need to place greater emphasis on the synergy between early-stage project planning and post-project reviews, using data-driven decision-making to achieve true optimization—ensuring that investments are well-targeted, construction is high-quality, management is effective, and overall returns are maximized.