NH-169A Maintenance Tender: A Five Year PBMC from Thirthahalli to Malpe, Karnataka

Three stretches of NH-169A between Thirthahalli and Malpe go under a five year performance based maintenance contract, and the NH-169A maintenance tender closes at 03:00 PM on 30 November 2026.

Five years of keeping a ghat highway open

The contract covers km 1.40 to 15.98, km 30.75 to 51.60 and km 76.200 to 85.200 of NH-169A on the Thirthahalli to Malpe section, under the National Highway Division at Shivamogga. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is tendering it through its Bangalore regional office, reference NH-169A//NIT-01/2026-27/1630, as a lump-sum contract with a period of 1,800 days.

Under a performance based maintenance contract you are not paid for items done. You are paid for the road meeting defined standards month after month, with deductions when it does not. The 44 odd kilometres here run from the Malnad ghats down towards the coast, which means heavy monsoon rain, slips, choked drains and bituminous distress as the standing problems.

The value the portal does not state

The tender value is shown as NA. The deposit is Rs 54,57,152, so at the usual 2 per cent the estimate works out to roughly Rs 27.29 crore across the five years. Treat that as a guide and take the real figure from the bid document, because the deposit percentage on a long maintenance contract is not always 2. The fee is Rs 11,800 and bids open at 03:30 PM on 1 December.

For comparison, Uttarakhand has a five year PBMC on 54.7 km of NH-707A running on the same model, and Karnataka has blackspot grade separator work on NH-75 live as well.

Owning the machines beats hiring them

Five years changes the arithmetic. A contractor calling in hired machines every time a drain chokes or a patch fails will lose money on mobilisation alone, so most PBMC winners keep a small fleet parked in the division. A backhoe loader is the single most useful machine for drain clearing, slip removal and patch cutting. Add a small compactor for patch work, a motor grader for shoulder and berm dressing after each monsoon, and an excavator for the slips that come down in the ghat reaches. The road construction equipment guide covers how these are sized.

Key facts

How to apply

1. Open the official portal: Central Public Procurement Portal.
2. Search by tender ID 2026_MoRTH_932585_1 (reference no. NH-169A//NIT-01/2026-27/1630) under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
3. Register on the portal and keep a valid Class III digital signature certificate ready.
4. Download the bid document, confirm the estimated cost that the portal leaves blank, then check eligibility, the ₹54,57,152 EMD and the ₹11,800 fee.
5. Submit your bid online before 30 November 2026, 03:00 PM.

Machines for this kind of work: Road Construction: machines, models and comparisons

More on DesiMachines

A five year contract usually means buying rather than hiring. Compare backhoe loaders and motor graders, or work out the payment with equipment finance. See more live tenders in Karnataka or all live tenders.

FAQ

Tender details are summarised for convenience and may change. Always verify the latest dates, terms and documents on the official tendering portal before bidding. DesiMachines is not responsible for changes made by the issuing authority.