May I ask, during the entire process of designing and building a pharmaceutical factory, when should geological surveys be carried out?

Once the site plan is ready, you can proceed with the project once you have the land; it’s easier to find local companies with geological surveying qualifications.

Is this qualification similar to that for preparing environmental impact assessment reports, with categories such as Class A and Class B?

Generally, it’s the client who approaches them, though there are also cases where design firms take care of everything. Once the planning drawings are ready – indicating how many floors there will be, their heights, and where the building will be constructed, etc. – work can begin without having to wait for any other procedures. Of course, you need to have the necessary qualifications for inspections. Usually, there are a few companies doing this in your area; you can ask people around you, or seek recommendations from planning departments or design firms, and then proceed with negotiations.

For excerpts of relevant materials, please refer to them. I. Administrative approval matters prior to construction. 　　 1. Site selection, red line. After the land is allocated for the project, the owner must first go to the Land Planning Section of the Planning Bureau to obtain a \"Site Selection Opinion Letter for Construction Projects\" and have the red line map of the land area drawn up. The relevant documents that need to be provided include: a power of attorney, a copy of the authorized representative’s ID card, a paper application form for the \"Project Site Selection Opinion\", stamped with the official seal; an application report outlining the reasons for submitting the request, the scale of the construction, and the plans for implementing the construction project; and a letter from the Land Planning and Construction Bureau granting approval for the site selection. The processing time is 20 working days. 　　Once the site selection is completed, the owner should immediately commission a qualified design institute to carry out the overall layout design of the plant area, and determine the requirements for electricity, water supply, and communications. 　　2. Project initiation. The Planning Commission handles the procedures for initiating construction projects; the materials required include: an application form for construction projects submitted by the Development and Economic Affairs Bureau, a copy of the legal representative’s identification, a copy of the investor’s business license, copies of the site selection report and the boundary map, as well as the overall layout plan for the expansion project. The processing time is 7 working days. 　　3. Environmental impact assessment approval. Environmental Supervision and Management Section of the Environmental Protection Bureau: processing time is 3–10 working days (3 working days for registration forms, 5 for report forms, and 10 for comprehensive reports). The relevant materials to be provided include an application report, a feasibility study report, approval for project initiation, an overview of the basic information regarding the construction project along with floor plans, boundary maps, site selection recommendations, general layout plans, and pipeline layout diagrams. Alternatively, a letter confirming the building’s intended use functions, an environmental impact registration form, or an environmental impact assessment report prepared by a qualified assessment agency (including the preliminary opinions of the relevant industry authorities), or a full environmental impact assessment report prepared by such an agency (in draft form for submission for approval) (including the preliminary opinions of the relevant industry authorities as well as the expert reviews of the environmental impact assessment report) ； The registration form, report form, or report is determined at the preliminary environmental impact assessment stage. 　　4. Final approval entails the issuance of the «Construction Land Planning Permit». Land Planning Section of the Planning Bureau; processing time: 20 working days. The documents to be submitted include: the original power of attorney, a copy of the agent’s ID card (not required if the agent and the person responsible for site selection are the same person), an application report, the application form for the \"Construction Land Planning Permit\" stamped with the company’s official seal, copies of the site selection opinion letter and its attachments, eight copies of the general layout plan drawings at a scale of 1:500 along with one CD containing the corresponding electronic files, a copy of the approval document for project initiation, a copy of the business license, and a copy of the \"Enterprise Legal Person Registration Certificate\" (applicable only to newly established enterprises for which such a certificate was not provided during the site selection stage). For projects that require opinions from relevant departments, the original opinions from those departments must be submitted. 　　After the final approval, a qualified geological survey agency should be commissioned to carry out geological exploration prior to the design of the construction drawings. Once the geological survey report is ready, a design institute should be hired to develop the construction drawings; following their review by the drawing review agency (which is to be appointed by the design institute), the planning bureau will organize a joint review of the comprehensive pipeline layout plan and conduct another round of drawing reviews.

There are also categories A and B; generally, it’s advisable to look at several local options, compare them, and consider their advantages in that area, as well as their qualifications and **connections**.

Geological exploration is divided into two stages: preliminary exploration and detailed exploration. Preliminary investigation stage: This is carried out after the site has been approved. Its purpose is to comprehensively investigate the engineering geological conditions of the selected site, to provide a quantitative assessment of the stability of various construction areas within the site as well as of the engineering geological issues, and to supply sufficient engineering geological data for determining the form and scale of the construction project, the construction methods for the main building foundations, and the measures needed to address any adverse geological conditions. Its main tasks are: a. Initially determining the stratigraphy and lithology of the site, the structure, the physical and mechanical properties of the geotechnical materials, the hydrogeological conditions, and the depth of the frozen layer ； b. Determine the cause types, distribution ranges of adverse geological phenomena at the site, their impact on site stability, and their development trends ； c. For buildings designed for an earthquake intensity of level 7 or higher, the seismic effects on the site and foundation shall be assessed ； d. Conduct a preliminary inspection of natural building materials located near the site of hydraulic structures.

Detailed investigation: refers to a thorough examination. Following the preliminary survey, the engineering geological conditions of the site have been largely determined. The purpose of the detailed survey is to address the shortcomings identified in the preliminary survey, so as to fully clarify the foundation conditions under each building. This provides design data and information for foundation design, foundation treatment and reinforcement, as well as for measures to address adverse geological conditions. In other words, drilling is carried out on the foundations of specific buildings or to address specific geological issues, thereby supplying engineering geological data for the preparation of construction drawings and the actual construction process. For individual projects or expansions of existing projects, the survey work should proceed from the outset at the detailed survey stage. Its main tasks are: a. To determine the stratigraphic structure of the site, as well as the physical and mechanical properties of the soil and rock, and to assess the stability, compressibility, and allowable bearing capacity of the foundation ； b. Determine the type of groundwater, its burial conditions, and its erosiveness; if necessary, also determine the permeability of the strata, as well as the range and patterns of water level changes ； c. Provide the data and information required for the design and implementation of projects to address adverse geological phenomena ； d. Data necessary for determining and identifying the possible changes and effects of the foundation soil and groundwater during the construction and operation of buildings, as well as for measures to address them ； e. Conduct a detailed investigation of natural building materials in the vicinity of the hydraulic structure area.

For projects with a small site size and no special requirements, the survey phases can be combined. When the building layout has been determined and there is existing geotechnical data for the site or its vicinity, a detailed investigation can be carried out directly based on the actual conditions. The results of the detailed investigation should meet the requirements of the construction drawing design; therefore, it should provide detailed geotechnical data as well as the geotechnical parameters necessary for design and construction ； An geotechnical evaluation of the building foundation is conducted, and recommendations are provided regarding foundation type, foundation design, foundation treatment, shoring for excavations, dewatering during construction, and mitigation of adverse geological effects. For details, refer to the requirements specified in the \"Code for Geotechnical Investigation\".

It was explained very well; thank you so much!