Towards Global Standards: Assessing the Feasibility and Readiness of RICS Standard Implementation in Bhutan’s Construction Sector
- Author
- Lungten Tshering
- Academic context
- MSc Quantity Surveying, Kingston University London
- Supervisor
- Dr Sa’id Ahmed
- Report date
- 5 August 2025
- Type
- Master’s dissertation
The question
How ready was Bhutan’s construction sector to adopt internationally recognised standards in quantity surveying and cost management, and what would a practical route to adoption require?
The approach
The dissertation combined a practitioner survey with a three-round Delphi consultation, in which industry experts considered challenges and implementation options. It examined estimating practices, awareness of RICS standards, professional capacity and views on a phased approach.
The themes explored here
The series considers how professional experience becomes shared practice, how project-specific assumptions support an estimate, and how training and pilot projects could inform standards adoption. Practical checklists and suggested working methods in the notes are the author’s interpretation of these themes.
How to read the findings
The study used convenience and snowball sampling and relied on self-reported practitioner information. It provides a view of the participating professionals and the study period, rather than a national project audit. Associations between reported variables cannot establish cause and effect.
The work focused on quantity surveying and cost management. It did not comprehensively assess property valuation standards or test the effectiveness of an implementation programme. Findings and recommendations should be read within that scope.