Four firms win construction contracts for Jalna – Nanded Expressway in Maharashtra

Mumbai, India (Urban Transport News): On May 24, 2024, four civil engineering firms emerged as the lowest bidders for six construction contracts of the 179.85 km Jalna – Nanded Expressway project. These firms include APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd., Montecarlo Ltd. (MCL), PNC Infratech, and Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd. (RSIIL). This expressway will be a six-lane access-controlled highway developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), designed to connect with the 701 km Mumbai – Nagpur Expressway (Samruddhi Mahamarg or ME-2) at its northern terminal.

The Jalna – Nanded Expressway, with a designed speed limit of 120 km/h, aims to reduce travel time between Nanded and Mumbai from 11 hours to 6 hours. The project is divided into six packages (JNE-1 through JNE-6), each with its own specific length and budget estimates.

Here are the financial bid details for each package:

Package JNE-1:

• Length: 36.09 km
• Chainage: 0.090 to 36.000
• Estimated Cost: ₹1,949.67 crore

Bidders

• APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2,763 crore (L1)
• Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC): ₹2,740 crore (L2)
• Afcons Infrastructure Ltd.: ₹2,798 crore (L3)

Package JNE-2:

• Length: 30.55 km
• Chainage: 36.000 to 66.550 
• Estimated Cost: ₹1,870.52 crore

Bidders

• APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2,522 crore (L1)
• Montecarlo Ltd.: ₹2,589 crore (L2)
• Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC): ₹2,639 crore (L3)
• IRCON International: ₹2,677 crore (L4)

Package JNE-3:

• Length: 32.44 km
• Chainage: 66.55 to 98.99
• Estimated Cost: ₹1,904.33 crore

Bidders

• Montecarlo Ltd.: ₹2,562 crore (L1)
• Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC): ₹2,678 crore (L2)
• APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2,723 crore (L3)

Package  JNE-4:

• Length: 28.85 km
• Chainage: 98.99 to 127.84
• Estimated Cost:₹1,807.70 crore

Bidders

• PNC Infratech Ltd.: ₹2,508 crore (L1)
• Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2,599.72 crore (L2)
• J Kumar Infraproject Ltd.: ₹2,634 crore (L3)
• Montecarlo Ltd.: ₹2,688 crore (L4)

Package JNE-5:

• Length: 32.19 km
• Chainage: 127.84 to 160.03
• Estimated Cost: ₹1,935.95 crore

Bidders

• Montecarlo Ltd.: ₹2,663 crore (L1)
• Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd.: ₹2,753 crore (L2)
• PNC Infratech Ltd.: ₹2,788 crore (L3)
• IRCON  International: ₹2,857 crore (L4)

Package JNE-6

• Length: 24.3 km
• Chainage: 160.03 to 179.85
• Estimated Cost: ₹1,974.19 crore

Bidders

• Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd.: ₹2,560.60 crore (L1)
• G R Infraprojects Ltd. (GRIL): ₹2,743.07 crore (L2)
• Montecarlo Ltd.: ₹2,785 crore (L3)
• APCO  Infratech Pvt. Ltd.: ₹2,801 crore (L4)
• IRCON International: ₹2,856 crore (L5)

The lowest bids for each package significantly exceeded MSRDC's estimated costs, leading to a potential deadlock. For example, APCO's bid for Package JNE-1 was 35.87% higher than the estimate, and for Package JNE-2, it was 34.86% higher. Due to the substantial differences between the bids and the estimated costs, MSRDC faces a challenging decision. They can either revise their budget to award the contracts and commence work or scrap the bidding process and invite new bids, potentially leading to delays.

In addition to the Jalna – Nanded Expressway, MSRDC also opened financial bids on May 21, 2024, for the Pune Ring Road and the Virar-Alibaug Multi-Modal Corridor projects. The outcomes of these bids are also awaited.