The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may soon take its tendering process for highway projects online.

The move is aimed at improving transparency and speeding up the bidding process.

The Road Transport and Highways Minister, Mr C.P. Joshi, has asked NHAI to try and implement electronic-tendering as early as possible.

Currently, NHAI invites bids online, and at times, publishes the list of shortlisted bidders on the Web.

However, the actual process of submitting bids at request for qualification (RFQ) level and request for proposal (RFP) level is done physically.

“We are already in talks with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for implementing this. We would try to start e-tendering by April,” a senior NHAI official requesting anonymity told Business Line .

To start with, NHAI is considering the option to have e-tendering at the RFP level (financial bids).

“The shortlisted bidders can be asked to submit the bids online. For this, the NHAI officials and the concessionaires have to be trained.

Also the concessionaires need to get digital signatures,” said the official.

Taking the e-tendering system to the RFQ level would be relatively difficult because the work involves verification of documents submitted. This will be difficult to adopt online immediately.

However, if NHAI were to move to the system of having an annual qualification round for concessionaires – a proposal that was recommended by the committee, headed by Mr B.K. Chaturvedi – then e-tendering can be implemented at RFQ level as well with relative ease.

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