Thinley Namgay 

Department of Engineering Services (DES) under the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS) launched the upgraded Construction Manager Software (CMS) yesterday in Thimphu.

CMS would benefit the engineers of government, corporate and private sectors in terms of project planning, contract administration and project monitoring.

CMS was previously developed by the school planning and building division, Ministry of Education in 2002. The DES upgraded the software following feedback and recommendations from various forums including the Engineers, Architects and Planners Conference held at Zhemgang in December, last year.

The system was needed to provide a uniform platform for project management.

After the DES upgraded the software, it had undergone multiple screening processes by various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance and the Royal Audit Authority (RAA). It was piloted in Thimphu and Samtse upon recommendations from the RAA.

So far, the MoWHS has trained 660 engineers from the local governments, RAA, regional offices, and other agencies on the usage of the software.

DES would continue to provide professional support to all the engineers as per the request once the Covid-19 situation subsides.

DES Director, Karma Dupchuk said that the software would simplify the complicated process involved in the construction industry to aid engineers who are shouldering multiple worksites. “This is stand-alone offline software designed to suit the conditions of our engineers working in remote areas where internet connectivity is farfetched.”

“CMS has features in aiding the preparation of estimates, analysing rates, and preparing running account bills. It can also generate physical and financial progress at any stages of work for better monitoring,” said Karma Dupchuk.

The software has broader objectives to professionalise the construction sectors, establishing common platforms for all engineers, enhancing transparency and accountability, maintaining measurement book and providing adequate time for site supervision.

Karma Dupchuk said that the software had eventually taken the desired form based on the feedback and comments from the users and expecting the same trend for the better enhancement.

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