The key focus of outsourced investment promotion is project implementation.

Three years ago, the Ministry of Commerce provided support. For some time, governments and industrial parks sought out market-oriented agencies to carry out commissioned investment promotion.

After several years of practice, some regions are still stuck in the old playbook, unable to write a new chapter.

Innovative methods have been adopted; project proposals have been followed up on; investment promotion agencies have been commissioned… yet in the end, the projects may still fail to materialize.

In outsourced investment promotion, how can we ensure projects are successfully implemented? Where does the confidence come from? Who should we partner with to provide investment promotion solutions?

01 Previously, projects were bundled and promoted in bulk

The difficulty in investment promotion lies in obtaining project information.

Based on this, there was a shift toward a “pay-per-project” model.

This outsourcing model essentially amounts to “selling resources.” However, there is no guarantee that the projects will actually materialize.

Simply put, while the quantity of projects is guaranteed, the quality falls far short.

Some companies may seek investment consulting from third parties. This information is firmly held by the consulting firms.

Conversely, their core business is not investment promotion.

Only when a project is successfully implemented does it truly generate revenue through investment promotion.

Therefore, when outsourcing investment promotion, it is essential to first clarify the partner organization’s industry sector and the sources of project information.

In recent years, the investment promotion agencies that governments and industrial parks have engaged with fall into a few categories:

trade associations, consulting firms, big data companies, and various investment promotion agencies.

Generally speaking, while chambers of commerce and associations can bring businesses together, they cannot guarantee that those businesses have investment intentions. As for big data companies, most of their data pertains to business registration rather than investment information.

As for investment promotion agencies:

While their core business is investment promotion, their end-to-end service capabilities are often underdeveloped, and their experience may not be sufficient to ensure project implementation. Furthermore, some small and medium-sized agencies are newly established and lack both credibility and a track record of successful collaborations.

This raises a question: what criteria should be used to evaluate and select an investment promotion agency?

Industry Experience

This is straightforward: the longer an agency has been in the investment promotion business, the better it can demonstrate its capabilities.

Project Sources

The quality of a project is determined by its source; with the right channels, follow-up and implementation will proceed naturally.

Level of Expertise

This primarily refers to the expertise of the staff, including experience in evaluating business locations and coordinating with industrial parks.

Products and Services

Evaluates internal organizational structure, product and service offerings, and operational performance to ensure they are comprehensive and reliable.

Collaboration Cases

Focus on understanding the details of project implementation, verifying the authenticity of case studies, and evaluating the outcomes of the park’s services.

02 Now, providing investment promotion solutions

From a different perspective, what investment promotion actions are needed to ensure project implementation?

Early Stage: Regional Research, Industry Analysis, Marketing and Promotion

Mid-Phase: System Setup, Project Identification, Screening and Evaluation

Late Stage: Coordination, Meetings, and Closing Deals

What is this? A full-cycle investment promotion solution!

So, what does this solution include? Essential components are: a big data system and industry consulting services.

First, the big data system.

Its core value lies in the precise capture and effective delivery of information.

In addition, it provides an intuitive display of project information and progress, comprehensively enhancing the efficiency of investment decision-making.

Why was this system developed?

First, the cost of digitizing investment promotion is relatively high, and it is difficult to achieve centralized management of investment projects.

Second, many local investment promotion efforts face limitations, making it difficult to promptly track corporate investment trends.

For Guchuan United, we have integrated the "Internet+Investment Promotion" concept and built our own industrial big data system.

Projects in the system come from two sources: the investment promotion network and XuanNai.

Through online platforms, companies with site selection intentions reach out directly with their specific needs. In essence, this represents “companies proactively coming to us.”

Simultaneously, after verification and screening, these leads are entered into the system and classified as valid projects. This represents the key distinction from conventional industrial and commercial data.

As a service provider for regional economic development, GuChuan United facilitates over 800 effective project matches daily, providing robust support for industrial investment promotion.

Simply put, this reflects the volume of projects.

Project quality lies in “precision.”

This precision is reflected in both accurate positioning and project matching. Furthermore, we adhere to the “Three Major Matching” principles:

namely, aligning the enterprise’s core business and investment sectors with local key industrial planning; aligning the enterprise’s investment direction and needs with local distinctive industries and resource advantages; and aligning the enterprise’s investment projects and factor requirements with the layout of major local projects.

How is “precision” achieved? Industry research is the first step.

What is present in the industrial chain? Which companies are the industry leaders? What is missing from the industrial chain across the entire region?

Who are the strategic investors in domestic and international industrial chains? Which enterprises should be prioritized for recruitment, and how can the chain be extended and strengthened?

Only by using this as a guide and conducting targeted investment promotion can projects have a realistic chance of being implemented.

Today, the “flood irrigation” approach to investment promotion can no longer meet the demands of high-quality development. The key for governments and industrial parks to shift from quantitative growth to qualitative transformation lies in how to quickly focus on a specific industry and concentrate efforts there.

Under these circumstances, the lack of systematic industrial research and insufficient understanding of the details of industrial development has led to a mismatch between industrial planning and spatial planning.

Once it is clear which industries to develop and what types of enterprises to attract, it naturally becomes evident how to formulate preferential policies, design development platforms, and improve supporting infrastructure.

It is for this reason that Guchuan United established its Industry Research Institute—to assist governments and industrial parks in tracking industry trends and providing truly tailored solutions.

Based on field research, we strengthen our “industry + enterprise” analysis—from individual project evaluations to in-depth industry-specific analyses—to thoroughly understand the “industrial pulse” of local governments and industrial parks. We map out development pathways and clarify investment attraction strategies around leading industries, staying rooted at the forefront of project implementation.

By following the map to find the horse, our elite team sets out to precisely identify projects based on industrial planning, provide investment promotion plans tailored to local conditions, and efficiently facilitate government-enterprise collaboration—which is also the key to ensuring project implementation.

When a region’s industrial resources align with a company’s site selection requirements, the efficiency of government-enterprise collaboration increases significantly.

Guchuan United has been active in the investment promotion sector for 14 years. To date, we have maintained deep partnerships with over 100 government agencies and industrial parks across China, becoming a key partner for local governments, industrial parks, and state-owned platform companies in implementing targeted investment promotion and driving industrial development. Additionally, we have provided site selection and investment consulting services to over 1 million enterprises and successfully facilitated the implementation of more than 7,500 projects.