NHAI Puts Under-Bidding Highway Projects in Public Domain to Improve Transparency

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun publishing detailed updates on all highway projects currently under the bidding stage, in a move aimed at improving transparency and reducing information gaps for contractors and investors. The information, now available on the NHAI website, covers 55 projects spanning approximately 2,269 km, with a cumulative capital cost estimated at ₹1.19 lakh crore.

According to the authority, the disclosures list key project parameters, including length, estimated cost, and the mode of implementation—whether under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) or Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) routes. The platform also hosts data on land acquisition progress and status of mandatory clearances related to environment, forests, and railway crossings.

Officials said the updates will be refreshed every two weeks, giving bidders real-time access to project readiness and approval stages. The expectation is that clearer visibility of project status will allow companies to assess risks more accurately and place more realistic bids, reducing delays typically caused by uncertainty around permissions or land handover.

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Infrastructure developers have often flagged gaps between bid timelines and actual project preparedness as a major cause of disputes and cost escalation. By publicly disclosing approval stages and bottlenecks, the authority hopes to reduce litigation and improve the pace of awards under both public funding and Public–Private Partnership (PPP) models.

The move is also expected to help investors and industry analysts track upcoming opportunities across the highway expansion programme, which remains one of the government’s largest infrastructure initiatives. With the data now available in the public domain, stakeholders can monitor project progress and upcoming tenders without relying solely on official announcements or internal communication loops.

NHAI officials said the measure aligns with broader efforts to strengthen accountability in the highway development ecosystem. Regular visibility into the pipeline of works, they added, could also help reinforce public confidence in the sector’s execution pace.

The initiative marks one of the authority’s more significant attempts to streamline information flows around project preparation, a stage often cited as critical to timely roll-out of national highway upgrades.