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For time-bound and faster completion of National Highway (NH) projects in Kerala, all works including improvement, development, and maintenance of roads and bridges on NH stretches passing through the State, will be taken up in the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode. The decision to adopt the EPC mode instead of the item rate contracts comes in the wake of the latest guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transports and Highways (MRTH), say sources.

Till now the roads in the state were mainly built through conventional item rate contracts where the government provides the detailed design as well as the estimates of quantities for different items of work (It is called Bill of Quantities).

The Union government has made it mandatory for bidders to participate in the scheme for annual pre-qualification to be eligible in the bidding process of National Highway projects implemented through the Ministry, the National Highways Authority of India, the State Public Works Department (PWD), and the Border Roads Organisation. Only those bidders qualified under the above process can submit proposals for NH works in Kerala through the EPC mode, sources said.

The PWD is in receipt of the communication from the Ministry in this regard and steps have been taken to inform the contractors. The Union Ministry has also made it mandatory for applicants to pay Rs 10,000 towards fee for the request for annual qualification (RFAQ) document. The EPC mode had been adopted by the Ministry as the annuity-based projects are comparatively expensive and conventional contracts are prone to time and cost overruns.