ABSTRACT
Since China has undertaken economic reform towards becoming a market economy, the impact of changes has hit every sector of the economy including the construction industry. In the past, the design institutes were the sole representatives of the government-owner and commissioned/constructed building projects for the country. The role of the design institutes and their functions/operations have changed over the years, moving away from the regimental control by the government to a more autonomous role which requires them to take on initiatives and new skills to compete in the market economy. This paper reviews the role of the design institutes in the fast developing construction industry in the China and examines the framework in which evaluation of their operational effectiveness can be performed.
