Technical audit lab on anvil for infrastructure work

KATHMANDU Sept 26:

The National Vigilance Centre (NVC) has geared up preparations to set up a Technical Audit Lab within this fiscal year to conduct quality assessments for any public infrastructure projects such as highways, local roads, government buildings, irrigation works, hydropower facilities and drinking water systems.

The governance watchdog´s homework for establishing the advanced technical audit test lab comes amid criticisms from multiple quarters regarding rampant corruption resulting in poor quality at state-owned construction projects in recent years.

Acting Chief Officer of NVC, Ramesh Kumar Sharma, said that the quality of infrastructure projects will be subjected to experimentations during the technical audit, and for that purpose samples of raw materials will be taken from such projects. He informed that in the first phase, NVC will conduct technical audits on the quality of some national pride projects which are moving at slow place despite the government´s yearly allocation of sizeable funds.

"We will in particular be testing raw materials in the lab after taking samples from construction projects such as highways, local roads, buildings, irrigation, hydropower works and drinking water supply systems," Sharma told Republica.

After concluding its tests, NVC will report to the CIAA for further action if any project is found to have indulged in substantial corruption over quality in the course of the construction. NVC will take up such anomalies with the ministries concerned and stakeholders.

The test lab will be housed at a new NVC secretariat to be established next to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The government has allocated Rs 45 million in the current fiscal year for setting up the technical lab. "The Ministry of Finance has released the given amount as announced in the fiscal year budget," Sharma said. He also informed that another Rs 50 million was released to NVC as part of an annual budget.

Sharma said that a staff of over 22 including civil engineers, experts and government employees will be deployed to examine the quality standard of construction projects.

"We will hire some local consultants and civil engineering experts on contract basis by March next year as well as third party consultants if needed," Sharma added.
NVC is currently gearing up to finalize the bidding process to install software and essential materials for the test lab.

NVC and the CIAA receive hundreds of complaints every year over irregularities by government officials and engineers during the construction of various public infrastructure projects.

"Adequate concentration is never given towards the quality of development activities and better services," Sharma further said.

What is technical audit?

Technical audit is the process of maintaining sustainability in the quality of any public development activities through the assessment of cost effectiveness.

The main purpose of such audits is to examine how well the design criteria are met by the projects within the stipulated deadline and budget. Technical audit depends upon the nature and volume of public development activities.

"Due to lack of concentration in technical audits, the cost of planning is increasing and the need for variation arises, resulting in an increment in costs and maintenance expenditure, which is reducing the sustainability of the project," NVC officials said.

Source: Republica