Structural Engineering (SEng) Registration in Bangladesh

What is SEng Registration?

Registered Structural Engineers or SEngs are expected to play a vital role in designing resilient
structures, which also possess seismic resiliency, in the rapidly expanding cities of Bangladesh.
The proven competence and technical knowledge of SEngs will be an important resource for
designing and constructing new resilient and earthquake-resistant structures, and also improving
the resiliency of existing structures.

Structural Engineering or SEng registration is probably best explained by drawing a distinction

between the existing PEng registration and SEng, which are not equivalent credentials.

In the medical field, every practicing physician in the United States must have a State medical
license. In addition, every specialist must be certified by one of 24 Member Boards (for 24
medical specialty areas) of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Bangladesh also
has a two-tier setup for the medical profession. However, the setup is significantly different in
that there is no certification of specialists, as explained below.

The Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BM&DC) registers doctors to practice in
Bangladesh. By the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act, 2010, no one is permitted to
engage in medical practice in Bangladesh without being registered by BM&DC. This registration
is equivalent to a State medical license in the U.S.

There is no licensing or certification system for physicians or surgeons in Bangladesh, which is

equivalent to the U.S. Board Certification system. Mostly, medical professionals still go for
British credentials: MRCP (Member of the Royal College of Physicians) or FRCS (Fellow of the
Royal College of Surgeons). There is the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS),
which offers fellowships (FCPS) in 22 specialty areas, such as Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, etc.
However, FCPS does not appear to have acquired the prestige associated with MRCP or FRCS. It
certainly does not have the authority or the legal mandate underpinning Board Certification in
the U.S.
A Bangladesh PEng is analogous to a State medical license in the U.S. or BM&DC registration in
Bangladesh, with one very important difference. It is not possible to practice medicine without
a State license in the U.S. or a BM&DC registration in Bangladesh. A PEng registration, however,
is not required to be able to practice engineering in Bangladesh. This is probably justified in
view of the following.

The major difference between the medical and engineering professions is that a medical
graduate has completed a residency program and thus has on-the-job training. An engineering
graduate may not typically have that, although some graduates may have acquired on-the-job
training through internship or employment concurrent with their studies. Thus, PEng or SEng
cannot be made a requirement for practicing engineering. The reasonable thing to restrict is the
authority to sign drawings and other documents, where the signature conveys that the
signatory is assuming responsibility for the soundness of the design on which the drawings are
based.

It is proposed that SEng registration in Bangladesh be modeled after SE registration currently

available in roughly half the states of the United States. The registration will be official
affirmation of the competence of an individual to practice structural engineering. However,
structural work that is legally mandated to be done only by licensed SEs varies from state to
state. In some states, there is no difference between a PE Civil (a professional engineer who is a
civil engineer) and an SE in terms of the work they are allowed to do. On the other hand, in two
of fifty states, only a licensed SE is allowed to take responsibility for structural design. In that
sense, SE registration is different from medical Board Certification in all but two states. It is
proposed that Bangladesh strike a balance between these two extremes.

In summary, PEng affirms that an engineer has the required awareness of the responsibilities
and duties of a general professional. On the other hand, SEng is supposed to certify
competence and knowledge of a civil engineer in the specialized field of structural engineering.

Probable Elements of Compulsion

a) Without having PEng, SEng, or equivalent, an engineer will not be permitted to sign RAJUK’s
Construction Permit drawings for Category IV buildings of BNBC-2020 Table 2.3.3. RAJUK’s
Electronic Construction Permitting System (ECPS) can be programmed accordingly.
The same procedure can be adopted by other Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) in
Bangladesh. DMINB enlistment or similar enlistment by other AHJs will be considered
equivalent to SEng if the enlisted engineer has at least 15
years of relevant structural engineering experience, as verified by BPERB. Other DMINB
engineers will be given five years from the date of the first Structural Engineer
examination to acquire PEng or SEng. Failure to do so will result in the discontinuation of
their enlistment.

b) Without having PEng, SEng, or equivalent, an engineer will not be permitted to sign any
technical or financial proposal for any tender, Expression of Interest (EOI), or similar document.

c) Without having an SEng, an engineer cannot hold a position higher than Executive Engineer
(XEn) in the Design Circle of a Government agency. This will be applicable only to new
recruits. Outside of Design Circle, an engineer will not be able to hold a position higher
than XEn without a PEng. This will only be applicable to new recruits.

d) Public Procurement: For projects requiring approval from the Executive Committee of the
National Economic Council or ECNEC (presently those having project cost of 250 million
BDT or more), if the civil construction budget (excluding road projects) is more than 50%
of the project cost, the team leader of the civil engineering design tender must be an SEng.
e) Private Procurement: There should not be any compulsion on private organizations in
their procurement process. However, an awareness program should be targeted at
private corporations to impress upon them the importance of hiring SEngs for ensuring
quality of design of civil construction.

Probable Monetary Incentives

a) Offer additional salary increments for PEngs and SEngs in all public service, irrespective of
departments. Suggest one increment for PEng and two additional increments for SEng.

b) Facilitate one time “soft bank loan” for PEngs and SEngs to purchase a flat (SEngs) or a car
(PEng). It is recommended that IEB pursue this with the Ministry of Finance.

c) Request RAJUK to give preference to SEngs in allotting flats/land.

Eligibility Requirements of Candidates for Structural Engineer (SEng) Examination

1. Be an IEB Member or Fellow in good standing (requires bachelor’s degree in civil

engineering from BAETE accredited university or equivalent + at least two years of civil
engineering experience).
2. Successfully complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of structural analysis and
design courses from a BAETE accredited university or equivalent, of which at least 6 are
structural design courses.
3. Gain four years of acceptable work experience (including the two years required for IEB
membership), of which two years must be structural engineering experience.
4. Produce at least three referee recommendations in prescribed format, one of which
must be from the candidate’s academic/professional supervisor. At least two of the
referees must be IEB Members or Fellows in good standing.
5. Attend a minimum of 30 out of 48 sessions in the SEng training program.
6. Attend at least 5 out of 8 seismic sessions in the SEng training program.

To-Do List for Candidates for Structural Engineer (SEng) Examination

1. Apply through the online PRP (Professional Registration Program) portal in response to a
specific advertisement.
2. If, based on the criteria given, you feel you are an eligible candidate for the SEng exam,
fill in eligibility checklist on the PRP Portal.
3. If you satisfy all the requirements on the checklist, you will be directed to the
application process.