The Economic Times

Higher performance guarantees from lower bids in highway projects: Road transport ministry

The government is tightening rules for highway project bids, demanding higher performance guarantees for offers exceeding 30% below original estimates. This move aims to prevent excessively low bids and protect the quality of national infrastructure. New guidelines, effective immediately, mandate E-Bank Guarantees for this additional security, explicitly rejecting surety bonds. This addresses a persistent trend of unusually low quoting in highway tenders.