Paying an official to get one's work done

I am in the construction industry working in a private consulting firm where we work with the public sector (government). In some projects, hard cash has to be paid to a government official for certain processes to be done quicker then the normal waiting time. For example if the process of getting a document approved is 6 weeks, payment can be made to the individual to get it approved within a week such that the deadline can be met for the client (government). Does this count as bribery? If yes, what can be done to avoid such if your boss requires it to be done?