Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) public works department proposed approval of tenders quoted at significantly lower-than-estimated rates. Two key proposals — with bids 38.90% and 37.18% below the base cost — have been forwarded to the standing committee, raising questions over whether such contracts will compromise construction standards.The proposals are expected to come up at the standing committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Of the 6 proposals tabled by PWD, 3 relate to administrative approvals, 1 to inviting tenders, and 2 to approve cement road works.Civic officials said intense competition has driven contractors to aggressively underbid and quote rates far lower than the sanctioned project cost has emerged in recent months. A cause for concern stems from the dept itself forwarding such low bids for approval.In Dharampeth zone’s prabhag 12, a cement road project at Shastri Nagar Gond Mohalla, Surendragad, received administrative sanction of Rs42.09 lakh. The tender was floated at Rs34.74 lakh, with four contractors participating. The lowest bid stood at Rs21.22 lakh — 38.90% below the estimated cost — and has been recommended for work order issuance.Similarly, in Laxmi Nagar zone’s prabhag 38, a proposal has been sent to approve a 37.18% below-estimate bid of Rs31.17 lakh for construction of a box cell bridge at Jaitala Maldongre Layout.This is not the first instance of unusually low bids raising concerns in the city’s tendering process. In several cases from the previous calendar year (2025), civic works were awarded at sharply discounted rates, triggering scrutiny over both cost assessments and contractor practices. TOI too had highlighted this. In one such tender for I-block installation, a bid was quoted as much as 41.62% below the estimated cost. The project, estimated at Rs28.99 lakh, saw the lowest quote drop to Rs16.92 lakh, with as many as 28 bidders participating and most quoting 30–40% below estimates, indicating a growing “race to the bottom”.Leader of opposition Sanjay Mahakalkar expressed concern. “While the tendering process itself remains transparent, the figures have triggered a larger debate, whether the PWD is inflating project estimates, or contractors are undercutting costs to an unsustainable level just to secure work orders,” he pointed out.
