Recurring audit findings in government construction projects may be less about procurement rules and more about the growing shortage of the experienced workforce. This was flagged following the review of audit reports for the last 15 years by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. As such, the Parliament, following an extensive deliberation, directed the Royal Audit Authority to carry out a performance audit of human-resource gaps across the civil service.
Year after year, audit reports flag the same problems in government construction – poor planning, weak supervision, delays, and financial irregularities. According to the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, these are primarily linked to critical shortages of senior architects and engineers in the civil service.
According to the Civil Service Statistics 2025, Bhutan has 1,005 personnel in engineering services. However, 432 are in the Professional and Management Executive category – the group responsible for specialised technical, analytical, and managerial functions within the government. Further, as per the report, 62 per cent of professionals in this category are concentrated in P3 and P4 positions, generally representing officers with less than 10 years of experience.
“The situation is even more concerning in architectural services, where only eight of the 40 architects in the professional category are in the senior P1 and P2 positions. In survey engineering, only 35 out of 172 personnel are in the professional category. Urban planning, which is critical for proper pre-project planning, has a total national workforce of just 40 people,’’ said Jamyang Namgyal (PhD), Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee.
This shortage, according to the Committee, has resulted in work overload with an engineer assigned to an average of 15 to 20 works at a time. Overstretched staff also risks quality compromise and increased exposure to financial errors. Besides, junior engineers supervising projects led to supervisory mismatch as they oversee the standards of senior private engineers executing the contracts.
While the Committee’s Review Report provided recommendations, such as workload rationalisation, outsourcing, and long-term planning, the members called for addressing the shortage more urgently.
“We must ask ourselves how to resolve this issue. The government needs to engage in proper dialogue with the RCSC and come up with solutions. Isn’t it time we addressed this? If we fail to act now, we will be discussing the same issue again next year,” said Tempa Dorji, MP, Menbi_Tsenkhar, Lhuentse, NA.
The concerns come at a time when the government is implementing an ambitious 13th Five-Year Plan with an outlay of more than Nu 512bn, which is around 65 per cent larger than the previous Plan. Many warn that infrastructure delivery could be undermined if technical capacity is not strengthened.
“The human resource shortage is not limited to procurement alone; it exists across all ministries and agencies. We have allocated a higher budget for the 13th Five-Year Plan compared to the 12th Five-Year Plan. However, due to a shortage of personnel and a lack of experienced staff, implementation remains a major concern. Based on my experience, this issue cannot be resolved immediately; it will take time. Nevertheless, it is important to address it as soon as possible,” said Tandin Wangchuk, Health Minister.
Last month, the RCSC waived the Preliminary Examination (PE) requirement for engineering graduates in an effort to attract critical talent.
“Engineers study for 6–7 years in this field. We are facing a shortage of engineers. After completing their studies, they are required to sit for the RCSC exam. Do they really need to sit for this examination? What value does it add? I don’t think engineers should be required to sit for the RCSC exam when the human resource shortage is already evident,” said Naiten Wangchuk, MP, Monggar, NA.
However, the suggestion may be only a part of the solution against the concerns over rising attrition among professionals.
“The committee’s recommendation to rationalise the workload of engineers and architects is good. However, how can we rationalise workloads and align them with increasing infrastructure plans and project values? Many experienced professionals are resigning, and attrition is increasing. So how can we realistically rationalise the workload?” questioned Tashi Tenzin, PM, Radhi_Sakteng, Trashigang, NA.
“The biggest challenge we face today is the shortage of human resources across the country. The attrition rate is about 16 per cent. I acknowledge that this is a significant issue in my ministry. In general, we are short of around 260 personnel as of recently,” said Chandra Bahadur Gurung, Infrastructure and Transport Minister.
To determine the true scale of the problem, the Public Accounts Committee recommended an independent and comprehensive review of human-resource gaps across the civil service. The Parliament subsequently directed the Royal Audit Authority to conduct a performance audit and submit its findings during the summer session, next year.
As Bhutan embarks on its largest development plan to date, the findings could determine whether recurring audit findings are symptoms of deeper capacity gaps or signs of a system struggling to keep pace with the country’s development ambitions. More importantly, the bigger question is the price the country is paying through delayed projects, unspent budgets, and missed development opportunities.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
