MAWS Department Floats Over 1,000 Tenders, Saving Up to 30% on Civic Works

The Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department has floated more than 1,000 tenders for civic projects across 25 corporations and municipalities, leading to increased competitive bidding that has saved the state exchequer up to 30% in project costs.

The large-scale tendering initiative was rolled out 100 days after the administration took office. The floated tenders encompass a wide range of civic infrastructure tasks, spanning both low-value and high-value projects with financial outlays ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 100 crore.

A review of random tenders from several municipal corporations and local bodies—including Madurai, Salem, Trichy, Karur, Vellore, and Nagapattinam—showed a pattern of negative bidding. Up to 10 contractors participated in the bidding process for individual works, reflecting widespread participation across different tiers of municipal contracts.

The civic works covered under these contracts include road laying, biomining initiatives, water supply schemes, and the digging of wells across urban local bodies. Department officials noted that the open bidding process has actively helped restrict cartelisation among contractors, allowing both smaller and larger players to compete on equal footing.

A senior official confirmed that the increased participation has created significant savings for the public exchequer while maintaining a competitive environment for contractors undertaking both small and large-scale civic works.

To prevent financial overruns, the department has issued strict directives to project engineers and administrative staff. Officials have been instructed to ensure that all initial project estimates are accurately prepared in accordance with the established schedule of rates.

Under the new instructions, any future escalation in project costs will not be cleared routinely. The department has mandated that any proposed cost escalation must receive prior written concurrence from higher authorities before work proceeds.