Introduction:
Construction Industry in India is growing rapidly, which opens up a wide opportunity for investment. Government sectors and private sectors both are investing in construction projects simultaneously. Many large buildings, dams and bridges are constructed by State and central government agencies alike. India is reported as the fastest growing large economy in the world. And for these large projects, the government agencies in India sought to engage Structural Engineering experts. This article analyses the procurement of structural engineering services undertaken by government agencies in India during the year 2023-24.
Yearly Analysis of Structural Engineering Tender:
During the previous year, a total number of 1224 tenders for structural engineering services were published by the government agencies in India, along with 1 international tender. Among these, the maximum numbers of tenders were published in Jammu and Kashmir, which was 197 tenders. Maharashtra had 120 and Delhi has 79 recorded tenders last year, which made them second and third in the list respectively. Of these 1224 tenders, 194 tenders were published by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) making them the top ranked agency in advertising most tenders last year for structural engineering services. Indian army published 132 tenders and ranked second in the list.
Structural Engineering for New Buildings:
Most of the government buildings are old and beyond repairing. So, the government often demolishes those existing old and hazardous buildings and construct a new one. During the last year, 50 tenders for the construction of new buildings were published by the government agencies. For example, the Central Public Works Department released a tender in Meghalaya seeking consultancy services for comprehensive architectural and structural planning and design for construction of new building after demolition of the existing structure of Punjab National Bank. The University of Calicut in Kerala released a tender for the construction of a new academic block in the campus. Hence, new buildings are not only constructed for repairing purpose, but it is also used in upgrading the infrastructure. Apart from buildings, new fire stations are also established. Such as, the UT Administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli released a tender for consultancy services for the preparation of master plan for the construction of new fire station.
Structural Engineering for Bridges:
For the upgradation of the transportation system of this country bridge construction and maintenance are much required. Last year, the government agencies advertised 32 tenders for the construction and maintenance of the bridges in India. Some of them included other construction works as well. Among these, PWD published 15 tenders all together (11 in Jammu and Kashmir, and 4 in Uttarakhand) for the structural design of various bridges. The South Central Railway advertised 6 tenders, along with Eastern Railway, North Central Railway and Central Railway 1 tender each. The Military Engineer Services also released a tender in Meghalaya for the planning and design of road bridge culvert, drain, retaining wall.
Structural Engineering for Dam Construction:
A proper design or plan is needed before the construction of complex structures such as dams. There are many factors that should be kept in mind before starting the construction process. For this purpose, the government agencies engaged structural engineering experts. In the previous year, 7 tenders were published by the government agencies for dam construction. For example, HP Irrigation and Public Health advertised 4 tenders for the construction of rain water harvesting structures or check dams and pond structures in different regions of Himachal Pradesh. Apart from this, PWD in Uttarakhand, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) in Odisha and Chief Engineer Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands also sought for structural engineering in dam construction.
Structural Engineering for Tower Construction:
Towers are constructed mainly for security monitorization. These towers are also known as watch towers. To construct these towers, the designs and planning are done by the structural engineers. This is often required in the defence sector. In 2023, the government agencies released 16 tenders for tower construction. For example, the Indian Army released 2 tenders last year in West Bengal for the construction of watch tower with permanent specification. They also published a tender in Kerala for the design of integrated watch tower. Even in the education sector it is required. Such as, the Department of Higher Education in Uttarakhand invested in rehabilitation and retrofitting work of a watch tower. Besides this, PWD released 3 tenders for the construction work of clock towers in different regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Structural Engineering for Amusement Purpose:
The government is constructing many new museums and parks for these attract a great number of visitors, and also increase the value of tourism. During the last year, the government agencies published 32 tenders for the construction of parks and 7 for museums. For example, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) advertised 2 tenders in Chhattisgarh and 1 tender in Madhya Pradesh for the construction plan of museum building. They have also published 6 tenders (2 in Jammu and Kashmir, 2 in Kerala, and the remaining 2 in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) for the construction design of amusement parks.
Contract Value of Structural Engineering Tenders:
The estimated contract value of structural engineering tenders widely varied. It started from only Rs. 1 thousand and went up to Rs. 527 crores. The tender published by Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore in Madhya Pradesh is the highest budget project in this category with estimated worth of Rs. 526.9 crores. However, the majority of the tenders had the contract value of Rs. 1 to 30 lakhs.
Live Tender Analysis:
As of March 28, 2024, there were 48 live tenders for structural engineering. Of these, Maharashtra ranked top with the maximum numbers of live tenders at 12. Jammu and Kashmir ranked second in the list with 9 live tenders, followed by West Bengal with 8 live tenders. Until March 30, 2024, the State government agencies and the Public Sector Undertakings published 1611 Structural Engineering Tenders, Structural Audit Tenders and five Structural Stability analysis Tenders.
Conclusion:
As discussed in the above analysis, all construction projects require a professional planning, which is provided by the structural engineering consultancy services. And construction is an industry with endless demand. Government invests several thousands of crores of rupees is constructing complex civil structures for which it requires structural engineering experts. Hence, the firms with required resources must make an effort to win structural engineering opportunities advertised by the government agencies in India