NHAI to Conduct Special Quality Checks on Projects with Abnormally Low Quoted Bids

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways NHAI to Conduct Special Quality Checks on Projects with Abnormally Low Quoted Bids Project inspections to strengthen quality, ensure compliance with technical standards and facilitate timely corrective action

Posted On: 30 SEP 2026 4:55PM by PIB Delhi To strengthen quality control and adherence to the highest quality standards during construction of National Highway projects, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is undertaking special quality inspections of 17 under construction National Highway projects, whose bid value was lower than the estimated project cost by over 15 percent. The inspections are in addition to NHAI’s regular quality checks and are aimed at identifying any quality-related issues at an early stage so that corrective action can be taken on time. The first round of inspections is scheduled to be completed by December 2026.

NHAI will re-inspect the identified projects after 6 months with a different team of experts to ensure quality and adherence to construction standards.

17 projects selected based on specific criteria The 17 projects have been selected using three criteria: construction cost of more than ₹500 crore, tender discount of over 15% and physical progress between 35% and 80%. These criteria help focus quality checks on projects that are at an important stage of construction and adopt an objective, data-driven approach.

The projects include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses, as well as four and six laning works in the states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Experienced engineers to conduct inspections In order to reinforce quality mechanism and ensure compliance, NHAI has created a pool of experts. The inspections will be carried out by specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from various government organisations, including the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and State Public Works Departments. Technical experts will also support the teams during the inspections.

Quality of construction, materials and safety to be checkedThe teams will check construction work against approved drawings, technical specifications, contract conditions and project-specific quality plans. They will examine the quality of construction materials, workmanship, construction methods as well as records of sampling and testing.

The inspections will also cover road safety measures, traffic management and environmental safeguards, wherever applicable. Any work that does not meet the required standards will be identified and followed up for corrective action as per the applicable contract provisions.

The specialised inspections will also help NHAI to identify common quality issues, construction practices and areas where greater accountability is required from contractors, consultants and other project stakeholders.

The initiative is part of NHAI’s continued efforts to strengthen quality monitoring of ongoing National Highway projects and ensure timely corrective action, with the objective of developing a world class National Highway network across the country.

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