Cost of mega infrastructure projects may go up as BBMP looks to tweak SR value

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has formed an eight-member committee to formulate specific Schedule of Rates (SR) for Bengaluru. 

The SR — the base price fixed for every material used for a particular work or a project — defines the total cost of the project based on which private companies quote their prices in tenders. 

So far, the BBMP was following the SR prescribed by the Public Works Department, which is also followed by all other departments across the state. However, it is not clear whether the BBMP has the power to draft its own SR values. 

The order is learnt to have been issued by the BBMP with approval from the state government. 

The committee will be headed by retired BBMP chief engineer Somashekar, and its members will include engineers from both the BBMP and the PWD. 

Officials said there is a need to fix the SR value for Bengaluru so that big companies participate in the tenders. 

“Bengaluru will be witnessing a transformative makeover with proposed mega infrastructure projects in the next coming years. The projects need accurate estimations, modern technologies, innovative designs, specialised building structure plans and underground parking lots using the PPP model and other methodologies. These initiatives will be helpful for Bengaluru’s growth, enhancing its infrastructure and the quality of life of its citizens,” the BBMP order states. 

The BBMP noted that private companies specifically expressed concerns that the common Schedule of Rates is overly general in nature and not specific to the complexities of Bengaluru. 

“The area weightage provided for Bengaluru is deemed to be conservative, failing to take into account for the city’s unique challenges, inadequate pricing for infrastructure projects, traffic congestion, difficulty in mobilisation of labour gangs, housing facilities for labour gangs, limited time period of work hours, restricted entry of heavy and goods vehicles, lack of availability of land, and high transportation costs for disposal of construction waste,” the order explains.