Central Govt plans to standardise highway contracts

NEW DELHI : With highway contractors coming in for strong criticism, the Centre plans to standardise national highway contracts by including provisions contained in numerous circulars issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) into schedule D of the highway contract document.

Schedule D of national highway contracts includes specifications and standards to be followed by highway contractors and provided specifics in terms of deviation from standards permitted under certain conditions.

With a view to standardise the specifications and standards in line with various elements included under circulars issued by MoRTH from time to time, it is proposed that all these elements will now be included in the schedule of contract agreement itself, so that contractors get a clearer picture of work to be and do not deviate from specialisations added at various intervals based on changes in construction parameters.

The contract agreement of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) stipulates that the design, construction and maintenance of highways must follow the specifications mentioned in Schedule D, said an official aware of the development.

Further, clause 1.4 of the 2/4/6-laning manual stipulates that all norms for the design and construction of the project will follow Indian Roads Congress (IRC) codes, MoRTH specifications, any other standards referred to in the manual, and any supplement issued with the bid document. Also, specifications contained in MoRTH’s policy circulars issued time to time, will be included in the contract document, the official added.

In 2013, the ministry published MoRTH Specifications for Road and Bridge Works (Fifth Revision), after which several circulars were issued based on the experience gained over the years, feedback from stakeholders, keeping uniformity and eliminating inconsistencies among the manual, specifications and IRC codes. The official said these circulars will be considered for the feasibility study and Detailed Project Report (DPR) and included in Schedule D of the contract agreement.