The construction sector has been facing a number of problems, mainly arising from the liquidity constraints caused on account of their payments not being released by the Government Departments/ Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) pursuant to the arbitral awards. In order to discuss the problems of the construction sector, detailed deliberations/ consultations were held with the representatives of the construction industry, banks, major government PSUs and concerned Ministries/ Departments.
Based on the above deliberations/ consultations, the NITI Aayog placed a proposal before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for its consideration suggesting various immediate and long-term measures required for addressing the issues ailing the construction sector. The CCEA, chaired by the Prime Minister, has considered the proposals of NITI Aayog in its meeting on 31st August 2016 and approved the same for the revival of construction sector.
The NITI Aayog has separately issued instructions on the subject with regard to the immediate measures to be taken by all concerned. In addition to the said instructions, the CCEA has also directed that the following measures may be expeditiously examined by all the concerned Departments/ Ministries /PSUs:
*Item-rate contracts, may be substituted by EPC (turnkey) contracts, wherever appropriate. Such contracts have been in vogue for over two decades in the developed world and Federation Internationale Des Ingenieurs-Conseils (FIDIC ¬ an International Federation of Consulting Engineers, known by its French acronym) has also published such contractual frameworks;
*Model bidding documents and Model EPC contracts, suitably revisited or modified wherever required to suit the requirements of particular sectors, may be adopted by PSUs/ Government Departments for construction works;
*Ministry of Finance has issued model bidding documents for RFQ, RFP etc. which may be adopted (with appropriate changes wherever required) in all sectors. Model EPC contracts have been developed for Highways and Railways and published by the erstwhile Planning Commission also. NHAI has already adopted this document and all construction contracts are currently being structured on this model. NIT! Aayog shall assist the concerned departments, wherever required, in this regard.
*The method of conciliation has proved more effective in settling disputes as per experience of some of the PSUs. All PSUs/ Departments issuing public contracts may consider setting up Conciliation Committees/ Councils comprising of independent subject experts in order to ensure speedy disposal of pending or new cases. Recourse to such conciliation may be open before, during or after the Arbitration proceedings. A provision to this effect would also need to be made in the Contract Agreements in future as a mechanism for resolution of disputes.
IndianBureaucracy.com wishes the very best.
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