Parliament Calls for Independent Review as Technical Capacity Gaps Drive Nearly Nu 1 Billion in Audit Irregularities

Parliament has called for urgent reforms to address deep-rooted technical capacity gaps within the civil service after audit findings revealed that procurement of works accounted for nearly Nu 1 billion in financial irregularities during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The issue emerged during deliberations on the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) Review Report on the Annual Audit Report (AAR) 2024-25, presented during the joint sitting of the Fifth Session of the Fourth Parliament on June 12.

According to the report, procurement of works, including construction, renovation, maintenance, and other infrastructure-related activities, recorded 421 audit observations amounting to Nu 996.093 million, the highest among all audit categories. As of March 31, 2026, unresolved irregularities under the category stood at Nu 291.909 million.

The PAC attributed the recurring irregularities largely to systemic weaknesses in Bhutan’s architectural and engineering services, warning that the country’s limited pool of experienced technical professionals is undermining project planning, implementation, supervision, and accountability.

Drawing on the Civil Service Statistics 2025, the committee noted that of the 1,005 personnel in engineering services, only 432 belong to the Professional and Management category. Of these, 62 percent are in P3 and P4 positions, representing professionals with less than 10 years of experience. Consequently, only a small number of senior engineers are available to oversee infrastructure projects across the country.

A similar trend exists in architectural services. Of the 40 architects in the professional category, only eight occupy senior P1 and P2 positions. In survey engineering, just 35 of 172 personnel belong to the professional category, while urban planning, a critical component of infrastructure development, has only 40 professionals nationwide.

“When measured against the volume and scale of infrastructure projects being implemented across ministries, agencies and local governments, the country’s senior technical workforce is critically small,” the committee stated.

The PAC observed that junior engineers are frequently tasked with managing multiple high-value and technically complex projects beyond their level of experience. This, it said, has contributed to poorly prepared cost estimates, incomplete technical designs, inadequate feasibility studies, weak site supervision, project delays, cost overruns, contract terminations and excess payments, issues that continue to recur in annual audit reports.

The committee also highlighted a supervisory mismatch within the construction sector. While contractors are often contractually required to deploy engineers with 10 to 15 years of professional experience, government agencies frequently assign relatively junior engineers to supervise those projects.

“This gap makes it difficult for agencies to enforce contractual standards, weakens accountability, and allows substandard work to go unchecked,” the PAC observed.

The committee said the persistence of unresolved audit observations despite repeated notifications points to deeper systemic problems. To address this, the PAC recommended rationalising engineers’ and architects’ workloads, strengthening technical competencies through a time-bound strategy, and conducting an independent third-party review of the civil service to assess capacity gaps and guide reforms.

According to the committee, the findings of such a review should guide broader civil service reforms, including targeted recruitment, competency-based deployment, rural incentive mechanisms and leadership development programmes.

During the deliberations, Members of Parliament raised concerns about the persistent shortage of technical professionals across government agencies.

Drametse-Ngatshang MP Kinley Wangchuk and Menbi-Tsenkhar MP Tempa Dorji questioned what measures were being taken to retain experienced engineers and architects. Opposition MP Tashi Tenzin of Radhi-Sakteng asked whether the government was considering outsourcing technical expertise to bridge the growing gap.

Several MPs expressed frustration that the issue has been repeatedly discussed in Parliament over the years without significant improvement.

Members noted that the shortage of technical professionals continues to affect the quality of infrastructure delivery and contributes to recurring audit observations, despite repeated recommendations and interventions.

Responding to the concerns, Infrastructure and Surface Transport Minister Chandra Bahadur Gurung informed Parliament that as of mid-June 2026, Bhutan faces a shortage of about 260 engineers and architects.

The minister said the government had explored outsourcing options but was constrained by the limited availability of qualified professionals in the labour market. He added that many experienced engineers continue to leave public service for the private sector, where remuneration packages are significantly more attractive.

The PAC concluded that unless Bhutan strengthens its technical workforce and improves project oversight mechanisms, financial irregularities in infrastructure procurement will continue to place pressure on public resources and undermine development outcomes.

Sangay Rabten, Thimphu

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