Engineers’ Professional Competencies for the Efficient Management of Public Budgets from the Perspective of MunicipalExperts

[e-2613]: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23357464

Abstract

Engineers’ professional competencies are predominant for the efficient management of public budgets from the perspective of municipal experts. Objective: To project, from the perspective of project and budget experts in a Peruvian municipality, the competencies civil engineers should develop to manage the public budget efficiently and the educational strategies that would make this possible. Methodology: Qualitative, exploratory, and propositional study. A semi-structured interview guide, reviewed by specialists, was designed for eight experts selected through purposive sampling, and the thematic analysis was organized into six categories. Based on documentary evidence and the guide’s axes, training proposals were projected for validation with the experts. Results: Three lines of proposals are projected: (1) training in costing, technical files, investment, and public procurement; (2) learning through real municipal cases and projects, with mentoring and internships; and (3) integrating risk management, ethics, and community communication. Two public building projects are also proposed as learning cases. Conclusions/Contributions: Low local investment execution and the small share of budgeting in civil engineering programs suggest linking curricula and municipalities. A replicable interview guide and a proposal matrix for validation are provided.