Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is one of the largest public sector organizations in Bangladesh entrusted for planning and implementation of local level rural urban and small scale water resources infrastructure development programs. LGED works closely with the local stakeholders to ensure people’s participation and bottom–up planning in all stages of project implementation cycle. The broad objectives of LGED’s development activities are to improve the socio-economic condition of the country through supply of infrastructures at local level and capacity building of the stakeholders. LGED promotes labour-based technology to create employment opportunity at local level and uses local materials in construction and maintenance to optimize the project implementation cost with preserving the desired quality. LGED works in a wide range of diversified programs like construction of roads, bridges/ culverts and markets to social mobilization, empowerment and environmental protection. The organizational background of LGED can be traced back to early sixties when implementation of works program (WP) comprising Rural Works Program (RWP), Thana Irrigation program (TIP) and Thana Technical Development Committee (TTDC) was started. A ‘‘Cell’’ was established in the Local Government Division (LGD) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative (MLGRD&C) in 1970s. To administer WP nation wide, the Works Program Wing (WPW) was created in 1982 under the Development Budget. It was reformed into the Local Government Engineering Bureau (LGEB) under Revenue Budget of the Government in October, 1984. LGEB was upgraded as the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in August, 1982. The organizational evolution of LGED can be illustrated as follows.

LGED is highly decentralized organization where ninety nine percent of total manpower works at District and Upazila (Sub-District) level. The Chief Engineer is the head of the organization supported by four Additional Chief Engineers with subsequent supporting manpower. The total manpower under permanent payroll is 10287 both at head quarters and field levels. The detail organogram is described under the section of ‘Organization of LGED’ The thematic functional areas of LGED can be illustrated as follows.