Pune, 13th August 2026: The road department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is facing delays in awarding contracts, with only eight of its 102 tenders reaching the financial bid stage between April 1 and July 31. The delay comes as potholes and damaged roads continue to affect commuters across the city.
During the same period, PMC's road, building, electrical and sewage departments issued a total of 319 tenders. Of these, the technical or eligibility-related 'A' bids were opened for 233 tenders, while financial 'B' bids were opened for only 86.
Road Department: 102 tenders issued; 94 'A' bids opened; only 8 'B' bids opened (7.84%)
Building Department: 33 tenders issued; 28 'A' bids opened; 5 'B' bids opened (15.15%)
Electrical Department: 162 tenders issued; 93 'A' bids opened; 69 'B' bids opened (42.59%)
Sewage Department: 22 tenders issued; 18 'A' bids opened; 4 'B' bids opened (18.18%)
The figures show that the road department has recorded the lowest progress among the four departments in moving tenders from the eligibility stage to the financial bid stage.
PMC generally begins the tender process after preparing an estimate and securing administrative and financial approvals. After tenders are invited, officials first open the 'A' bid to verify the contractor's experience, financial capacity and ability to undertake the project.
Only contractors who meet these conditions are considered for the 'B' bid, which contains the financial offer. The contract is normally awarded to the eligible bidder offering to complete the work at the lowest cost.
Opposition leader Nilesh Nikam alleged that PMC has changed tender conditions in ways that are inconsistent with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines. He said disputes over contractor eligibility and tender conditions are causing bids to remain pending for months.
He further alleged, “some contractors may be receiving favourable treatment through changes in eligibility conditions,” and called for greater transparency in the process.
Nikam said the PMC should open the financial 'B' bid within 15 days of opening the 'A' bid wherever possible and should not relax conditions to favour specific contractors. He also demanded that contractors submitting incorrect documents be blacklisted.
He said he had raised these issues with the municipal commissioner and sought stricter implementation of CVC guidelines to prevent delays and bring greater transparency to the tender process.
With only eight road tenders reaching the financial stage out of 102, the slow progress has raised concerns over the PMC's ability to complete road repair and development works on time, particularly when potholes remain a major problem for Pune's commuters.