Evaluating Bids: A Method That Survives Scrutiny

A bid evaluation is judged twice: once when the contract is awarded, and again years later by an auditor, a vigilance enquiry or a writ court reading the file cold. This report sets out a working method for the evaluation stage of an Indian public works tender, grounded in the General Financial Rules as consolidated to 31 January 2026, the Manual for Procurement of Works (Second Edition, 2025) and the CVC's circulars, and it separates what those instruments require from what they merely commend. It is procedural, not a re-argument of the lowest-price rule.

Part of AECS Research Global's publications programme — drawing on ARG's work across cost management, EPC advisory and integrated project delivery. Download the full report below.