The Roads and Buildings Department is executing 441 road works under Phase One of the HAM programme at an estimated cost of about Rs 130.06 billion (bn), covering nearly 6,092 km across 34 packages that include major district roads, state highways and connectivity corridors. The Panchayat Raj Department is implementing more than 2,100 rural road projects covering around 7,450 km under separate packages. The broader expansion seeks to strengthen inter?district connectivity, reduce travel time and support industrial and logistics movement.

The revised tender norms follow instances of higher?than?estimated financial bids in recent months, with technical evaluations for several projects already completed while financial bids remain under review. Officials noted that excess bid percentages in the state were comparatively lower than in some other states executing HAM projects and emphasised the impact of higher construction input prices, including bitumen, diesel, GST?related expenses, transportation charges and long?term maintenance liabilities. Contractors were reported to be factoring inflation?linked operational costs when quoting.

Authorities expect the five per cent cap to help maintain financial discipline in upcoming contracts, prevent award delays caused by abnormal premiums and foster a more competitive tendering environment for future highway and road infrastructure projects. The HAM, which shares project costs and risks between government and private developers, has been widely adopted across several states to boost private participation while limiting funding pressure on contractors during execution.