Established in 1956, Southwest Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute of China is a comprehensive survey, research and design enterprise with A Grade directly subordinate to the Ministry of Construction. It was included into China National Real Estate Development Group Corporation in 2000. The institute is headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan, having 718 employees at present. Of them, 572 are professional technicians, 197 are professors and senior engineers, and 375 are mediate and junior technicians. 21 are experts at the national level or specialists with provincial prominent contributions, two are academic and technical leaders, three are candidates, three are provincial survey & design masters, and 182 are registered engineers (architects, consultants, utility engineers, structure engineers and supervising engineers). The institute is well equipped with reasonable equipment and technical power, boasting rich experiences, management systems and social credit rating.
Over the past 50 years, the institute completed more than 10,000 survey, design and research projects for municipal foundation works in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Qingdao, Tangshan, Xi’an, Taiyuan, Luoyang, Nanning, Hainan, as well as foreign projects like water supply and drainage, industrial and civil buildings, roads and bridges, city gas, urban planning, garden afforestation, electric automation control, mechanical equipment and hydraulic structure, urban sewage and industrial wastewater treatment, engineering measurement, landform aerial photography, hydrological geology, engineering geology, environmental assessment, dewatering works etc. It also completed more than 80 key research projects, and the results of 20 projects are widely applied. Over 100 general contract projects led by design and 700-odd supervision projects are completed. The institute was honored more than 100 awards including the State, ministerial and provincial excellent design awards, outstanding engineering quality awards, The National Science Conference awards and major technological fruit awards. Of those, five are State-level design awards, 26 are first prizes of consulting design competition at the provincial or ministerial level, 36 are second prizes, 29 are third prizes and municipal prizes, four are first prizes of State or provincial technology award, four are second prizes and six are third prizes.
Since the reform and opening up to the outside world, the institute has established good credit with its powerful technical power and rich experiences. Under the guideline of “standing in the southwest, oriented to the entire nation, exploring the coastal market and going global”, the institute has established braches in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shanghai, Xiamen, Kunming, Guiyang, Chongqing, Nanjing, Nanning, Urumqi etc. to reinforce quality management and improve post-stage technical services. It has made great contributions to the local municipal construction and yielded good comprehensive benefits. At the same time, the institute has strengthened the business and technical exchanges with international enterprises, and has established goodwill partnership with more than 20 countries and regions in the world. Under the assistance and support of domestic and foreign companies, the institute has completed Ethiopia water supply project, Mauritius wastewater treatment plant project, Angola water supply project, Niger water supply consulting and supervising project, Vanuatu villa project, Vienna “China Garden” project, Karachi wastewater treatment project of Pakistan, Nepal Kosu bridge project etc. In recent years, the institute participated in many large and medium-sized projects with loans by the World Bank and foreign governments throughout all phases. In particular, the institute completed the BOT Project of Chengdu Sixth Water Supply Factory, the first ever running water BOT pilot project of China in cooperation with the foreign owner—OTV company of France. Over the past 50 years, the institute has set up a design team made up by talented structured members. Under the leadership of the president of the institute, the institute passed the total quality management acceptance by the Ministry of Construction in 1990, which is featured with the responsibility of the chief engineer. And in 2000, the institute passed the ISO9001 certification. At the same time, the institute pays attention to the knowledge update and progress, enhance equipment input, and improve design conditions. It won the title of demonstration enterprise of CAD application, which improves the design benefits and quality, and lays solid foundation for sustainable development.