NHAI has picked out 17 national highway jobs that were won at more than 15 per cent below the official estimate, and it is sending retired engineers to inspect them while they are still being built. These NHAI special quality checks are aimed at contractors, but they land on machines. On a highway the layers that get sampled and tested are the ones the compaction and paving train produces. A contractor who bid low and saved money on passes, plant or testing is the one most exposed.
The quick facts
- 17 under-construction national highway projects selected, announced on 30 September 2026.
- Three filters: construction cost above Rs 500 crore, a tender discount of more than 15 per cent, and physical progress between 35 and 80 per cent.
- Teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from the road ministry, Railways, Defence and state PWDs.
- First round to finish by December 2026, then a re-inspection about six months later by a different team.
What NHAI announced
PSU Watch and the IANS wire both carried the decision on 30 September, and Autocar Professional ran it the next day. All three give the same three filters, the same 39-engineer pool and the same December deadline. The projects include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses, and four- and six-laning works across Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Teams will check materials, workmanship, construction methods, sampling and testing records, road safety, traffic management and environmental safeguards against the approved drawings. Work that falls short goes to corrective action under the contract. The list of 17 projects and their contractors has not been published.
Why does a quality inspection matter to equipment owners?
Look at the progress band. A job that is 35 to 80 per cent done has finished most of its embankment and is laying subgrade, granular sub-base, wet mix macadam and bituminous courses. Density, thickness and level on those layers come from road rollers, soil compactors, motor graders and pavers. If an inspector finds low density or a thin course, the fix is milling, re-laying and more rolling. That means extra machine hours, and the contractor pays for them.
The money involved is large. Every project on the list costs more than Rs 500 crore to build, so the set covers at least Rs 8,500 crore of works. A 15 per cent discount on a Rs 500 crore estimate is Rs 75 crore the contractor has to find somewhere. Often that comes out of the fleet: older rollers, fewer passes, hired plant kept on site for less time.
Our take: owners who hire out plant to these 17 jobs should watch their payment terms. A contractor facing rectification has less cash to spare, and late hire payments are usually the first sign of it. The bigger effect may come later. If NHAI keeps inspecting deep-discount awards twice, bidders will have to price the cost of passing those inspections, and very low bids should become less common. That would help contractors who price in a proper road construction equipment fleet. We see this as the next step after the ministry’s earlier move to bring in a third-party auditor.
What to watch
- Whether NHAI publishes the 17 project names and contractors, which would show who is most exposed.
- Findings from the December round, and whether any lead to penalties or debarment rather than just correction.
- Whether the 15 per cent discount filter shows up in future bid rules, which would change how low contractors can price.
Running a paving or compaction fleet on NHAI work? Compare roller and grader options and sort out equipment finance before a rework order forces a rushed decision.
FAQ
Which highway projects will NHAI inspect?
Seventeen under-construction projects costing more than Rs 500 crore, won at more than 15 per cent below estimate and 35 to 80 per cent complete. NHAI has not published the names.
Who will carry out the inspections?
Teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from the road ministry, Railways, Defence and state PWDs, supported by technical experts.
Is this the same as the EIL highway audit?
No. The EIL audit is a road-ministry plan to bring in an outside agency across about 5,000 km. This is NHAI’s own inspection of 17 deep-discount projects.
Related on DesiMachines: PNC Infratech NHAI Debarment: What a 3-Year Bid Ban Means
Source: Autocar Professional
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