An Exploration of the Conditions Required of Social Organizations to be Contracted by Government as Service Providers: A Study Based on Analysis of Local Government Documents

In the Guidelines of the State Council General Office on Government Procurement of Services from the Private and Non-governmental Sectors, “public service provider for the government” is broadly defined; it is stated that npos, businesses, and industry organizations have equal opportunity to be public service providers. A comparison of local eligibility requirements on npos serving as public service providers shows that the eligibility requirements focus on such aspects as service provider qualifications, time of establishment, organizational management, human resources, financial management, professional qualifications, annual inspection, evaluation, and honors. On the whole, the requirements are not demanding; the quality of public services is also secured through institutional design and innovation. The lax eligibility requirements imposed by local governments on npos as public service providers indicate that the social governance system will feature diversity, and reflect the government’s intention to support and develop npos. However, there are also some problems in local policies, such as 1) too much is at the discretion of the government; 2) the eligibility requirements are not good for the development of grassroots organizations; 3) no standards have been defined on eligibility for public service provider; and 4) related laws and regulations lack authority. Therefore, it is necessary to make government procurement of public services law-based and provide continued theoretical and institutional support for the implementation of the most authoritative policy.