Insurance Surveyors to Be Selected Through Automated System, Companies No Longer Free to Choose

Kathmandu — The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has introduced a system to select insurance surveyors through an automated process, ending the practice of insurance companies choosing surveyors at their own discretion. The initiative follows the Prime Minister’s Office’s interest in making the process more transparent, with the Nepal Insurance Authority responsible for regulatory oversight.

According to the office, development of dedicated software to coordinate insurance companies and surveyors has reached its final stage. The new information technology-based system is designed to automate surveyor selection using predefined criteria and reduce discretionary decision-making.

The government has developed an ‘Automatic Surveyor Deputation System’ to automate the assignment of surveyors for insurance-loss assessments. The Nepal Insurance Authority began testing the system on the evening of September 29, 2025.

The move comes amid complaints that some insurance companies have been assigning work primarily to surveyors of their choice, while others receive fewer opportunities. The new system is intended to promote greater transparency, equal opportunity and accountability in the assignment process.

Profiles of all surveyors have been prepared in the system, including information on their expertise, seniority, availability, geographical location, portfolio and previous assignments. Once an insurance claim is registered, the system will determine the appropriate surveyor for the case based on established criteria.

The system considers factors such as expertise, availability, location, seniority and portfolio when making assignments. It will also record how many assignments each surveyor has received, which cases have been completed and whether the surveyor is available for additional work. This is expected to make it easier to monitor workload distribution and identify repeated assignments to the same surveyor.

Currently, individual surveyors may handle up to five assignments, while institutional surveyors may handle up to 10. However, maintaining effective records of assignments has been difficult. Data on 680 surveyors have so far been entered into the system, including 88 institutional surveyors and 592 individual surveyors.

The Authority is also conducting training on the new system. On September 30, 2025, 36 IT and claims chiefs from non-life insurance companies are receiving online training. Surveyors will subsequently be trained as well. The Authority also plans to include reinsurance companies in the system.

The system was developed following consultations with various stakeholders, including chief executive officers of insurance companies, surveyors, claims chiefs and IT chiefs. Their feedback was used to establish the criteria and parameters for surveyor selection and guide the software development process.

Insurance companies are currently submitting surveyor-related information to the Authority for inclusion in the system. After the system becomes operational, its performance and stability will be closely monitored. The Authority has also said that security assessments, including firewall and VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing), will be conducted.

The automated process is expected to reduce delays and costs associated with claims, including problems related to surveyor selection, reassessments and disputes with customers. Because the system will retain the basis for each assignment, it will also create an auditable record of the selection process.

In the longer term, the system will generate a substantial database on surveyors and their work. The data could support future policy development and help the Authority assess surveyor performance, service delivery and the experience of insurance customers.