《建设部关于外国企业在中华人民共和国境内从事建设工程设计活动的管理暂行规定》（建市【2004】78号）第4 条规定，外国企业承接中国境内建设工程设计业务时，必须选择至少一家中国境内的建设工程设计企业进行中外合作设计，不得独自为中国境内客户提供编制建设工程初步设计、施工图设计等服务。
面对中国境内庞大的建设工程设计业务市场，外国企业并购境内具备建设工程设计资质的企业进而去承接建设工程设计业务，是迅速打入中国市场的捷径。
本文通过简要阐述笔者曾经承接过的外资对位于北京的境内建设工程设计企业的并购案例，与大家分享我们的一些经验和体会。
Part 1对外商的特殊资质要求
并非所有的外国企业都可以收购境内建筑工程设计企业。《外商投资建设工程设计企业管理规定》（2002 年 12 月 1 日施行）第13 条规定，外商投资建设工程设计企业的外方投资者应当是在其本国从事建设工程设计的企业。
也就是说，在本国未从事建设工程设计业务的外国企业，无法收购中国境内的建设工程设计企业从事建设工程设计业务。
Part 2如何认定外商的资质
对于如何认定外国企业是在该国从事建设工程设计业务的企业，前述《外商投资建设工程设计企业管理规定》第11 条规定，在中国申请设立外商投资建设工程设计企业时，外国企业应当提交以下资料：
外国企业所在国从事建设工程设计的企业注册登记证明；
外国企业所在国的政府主管部门或者行业学会、协会、公证机构出具的企业建设工程设计业绩、信誉证明。
上述（1）相当于我国的营业执照，该证明的经营范围里载明从事建设工程设计业务即可符合（1）的要求。实务中，上述（2）要求的业绩证明比较棘手。实践中碰到的问题是，由于我们的客户是日本企业，而在日本却没有可以出具业绩证明的政府主管部门、相关的行业学会、协会或公证机构。
对此，我们与北京市规划委员会进行了沟通，得到的变通方法是，可以由业主，也就是接受了建设工程设计服务的客户出具证明。
Part 3并购后的设计资质的保留
外国企业并购具备建设工程设计资质的国内企业（以下简称“目标公司”）时，可能面临一个风险，即并购完成后，目标公司原有的建设工程设计资质是否可以延续使用。
《建设部关于外商投资建筑业企业管理规定中有关资质管理的实施办法》（建市【2003】73 号）第三条规定，“外国企业收购内资建筑业企业，企业性质变更为外资建筑业企业，企业资质按照其实际达到的标准重新核定。”根据该规定，并购完成后的目标公司原有的设计资质并非当然地可以继续使用，而是需要向建设行政主管部门申请重新核定。
如上所述，外国企业并购境内企业后，需要向建设部门申请建设工程设计资质的重新核定，而一般情况下，从申请核定到获得新的建设工程设计资质，至少需要数月时间。
该期间内，并购完成后的目标公司是否可以利用原资质从事建设工程设计业务，对此我国的法律规定并不明确。
对此，我们咨询了北京市规划委员会，得到的答复是，在重新核定期间，已经签署的建设工程设计合同，可以基于原有资质继续履行，但不得签订新的建设工程设计合同开展新的建设工程设计业务。
Part 4如何规避并购风险
外国企业并购境内建设工程设计企业和并购一般的境内企业不同，需要特别注意并购完成后目标公司是否可以继续持有设计资质。（此文发表在《商法》2015年3月刊上。）
★English Reading★
M&A of domestic engineering design enterprises by foreign counterparts
Article 4 of the Provisional Regulation of the Ministry of Construction on the Administration of Foreign Enterprises Engaging in Construction Engineering Design Related Activities in China stipulates that when a foreign enterprise undertakes construction engineering and design in China, it has to co-operate with at least one Chinese construction engineering design enterprise to proceed with the design undertaking, and it should not provide the services for compiling the preliminary design of construction projects, designing the construction drawings and other services to the clients within China by itself.
Faced with the huge construction design market within China, the shortcut for foreign enterprises to march into the Chinese market is to merge with an enterprise with a construction engineering design qualification, in order to proceed with the design undertakings.
This column will discuss some mergers and acquisitions (M&A) cases that this firm has handled, where foreign companies acquired construction engineering design enterprises located in Beijing, and we can share some experiences.
Requirements for foreign investors
Not all foreign enterprises can acquire construction engineering design enterprises within China. Pursuant to article 13 of the Administrative Regulations on Foreign Investment in Construction Engineering Design Enterprises, which came into effect on 1 December 2002, the foreign investor of the foreigninvested construction engineering design enterprises in China should be an enterprise engaging in construction engineering design in its home country.
This means that foreign enterprises which do not engage in construction engineering design in their home country cannot acquire Chinese construction engineering design enterprises to participate in relevant undertakings.
Determining qualifications
Regarding the determination of whether a foreign investor is an enterprise engaging in construction engineering design in its home country, article 11 of the abovementioned administrative regulations provides that foreign enterprises should provide the following documents when submitting an application for the establishment of a foreign-invested construction engineering design enterprise:
- The registration certificate of the enterprise engaging in construction engineering design in its home country;
- The proof of performance and credit of construction engineering design issued by the authorities or industry societies, associations or notaries in its home country.
The registration certificate is similar to a business licence in China. The first requirement can be satisfied once the business scope in such document includes the construction engineering design undertakings. In practice, the proof of performance in the second requirement may be a little tricky. We encountered a problem in a case where our client was from Japan, which has no such authorities, relevant industrial societies, associations or notaries to issue the required proof.
So we communicated with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, and the alternative approach we agreed on was to provide proof issued by the proprietors that had been provided with the construction engineering design service.
Qualification after M&A
When a foreign enterprise merges with or acquires a domestic enterprise with a construction engineering design qualification, it faces a risk that the qualification of construction engineering design of the target company may not continue to be retained after the M&A.
In article 3 of the Implementing Measures of the Ministry of Construction on the Qualification Administration in the Administrative Regulations on Foreign-invested Enterprises in Construction Industry, the domestic construction enterprises acquired by foreign enterprise s therefore become foreign-invested construction enterprises, and their qualifications must be re-examined according to the standard they had actually reached.
Under this provision, the qualification owned by the target company after the M&A cannot be retained with certainty, and it should apply for re-examination by the construction administrative authorities.
Regarding foreign inve stment in construction engineering design undertakings, China remains cautious and reserved. In practice, there are not too many foreign-invested construction engineering design enterprises. Foreign enterprises face the discretion of Chinese authorities in the re-examination, and the risk remains that the target company may not obtain, or cannot obtain in a timely fashion, the new qualification after the merger.
Re-examination
As discussed above, after the merger by the foreign enterprise, the domestic enterprise has to apply for the re-examination with the construction administrative authorities. In general, it will take at least some months from submission of the re-examination to getting the new qualification. During this period, whether the target company can engage in construction engineering design with the original qualification is not yet clearly defined under existing law.
We have consulted with Beijing Municipal Commis sion of Urban Planning on this, and received the reply that during the re-examination, the signed construction engineering design contract could continue to proceed with the original qualification, but the target company cannot sign a new construction engineering design contract and proceed with new undertakings.
Avoiding M&A risks
Unlike the M&As of general companies, attention must be paid to whether the target company can retain the design qualification after the M&A of the domestic construction engineering design enterprise with the foreign company. If the target company cannot obtain a new qualification after the M&A, this would be a failed M&A. To avoid such a risk to the greatest extent, foreign enterprises should clearly provide that the original shareholders of the target company should bear the responsibility when the company cannot obtain the new qualification in the acquisition documents, and guarantee the way that the foreign company can exit the target company conveniently.（This article has been published on China Business Law March, 2015. ）