In India, the government’s infrastructure spending has crossed ₹12.2 lakh crore annually for FY 2026-27. Such huge spending directly translates to more work being executed and more tenders being released. One thing is clear: the government is leaving no stone unturned to build roads and highways that can drastically reduce travel time.

Initiatives, such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana, Gati Shakti, and state-led corridor expansion, are not just policy ideas anymore. Both the state and central governments are rapidly executing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously to drive growth and build the required infrastructure.

At the centre of this momentum sit NHAI tenders, PWD tenders, road and highway tenders, expressway tenders, etc. While the National Highways Authority of India is pushing large corridor projects, the state PWDs are expanding regional and urban connectivity.

As the demand for smooth and seamless connectivity is growing, tender volumes are rapidly rising. In such a scenario, businesses with a proper, prior understanding of PWD and NHAI tenders can stay ahead of the competition. This blog offers comprehensive insights into the infrastructure boom in India and the upcoming NHAI and PWD tenders.

How Do PWD Tenders Differ from NHAI Tenders?

PWD tenders differ from NHAI tenders in terms of scope, project nature, project size, works, scale, funding, risk, and how bids are evaluated. The difference is as follows:

In terms of scope, PWD tenders are released to build, maintain, and repair city roads, government buildings, and utility infrastructure works. On the other hand, NHAI tenders focus on national highways, access-controlled expressways, economic corridors, greenfield highway projects, etc.

In terms of project size and value, NHAI typically executes projects ranging from a few crores to thousands of crores. On the other hand, PWD projects usually range from lakhs to mid-level crores. While PWD Himachal Pradesh tenders, PWD Rajasthan tenders, PWD Madhya Pradesh tenders, etc., typically come in large project packages, smaller states like Goa and Odisha release comparatively low-value projects.

The eligibility criteria are also different for each. PWD requirements include basic turnover criteria, past local project experience, standard registrations, etc. Whereas for NHAI projects, businesses are often required to have high turnover thresholds, lane-km experience, experience in similar large-scale highway projects, and strong financial backing.

In terms of competition, regional contractors typically dominate PWD tenders. On the other hand, NHAI tenders attract national and international players.

Which Expressway Projects Tenders Are Creating the Biggest Opportunities?

Multiple expressway projects across several states are creating the biggest tender opportunities in 2026, as follows:

• Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Highway (Punjab)
• Ujjain-Jhalawar Section (NH-552G)
• Kandla-Mundra 6-Lane Project (NH-41)
• Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
• Ganga Expressway
• Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway
• Badvel-Nellore BOT Project
• Gurgaon-Alwar Corridor
• Phulbani Bypass

For example, Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Highway alone is contributing to a manifold increase in NHAI tenders, NHIDCL tenders, and various other types of related tenders across Punjab and J&K.

Which States are Issuing the Highest Number of Road and Highway Tenders?

In India, several states consistently issue the highest number of road and highway tenders due to large highway networks, strong industrial activity, and heavy allocation of central and state infrastructure funds. The leading states are as follows:

• Uttar Pradesh
• Rajasthan
• Maharashtra
• Gujarat
• Karnataka
• Madhya Pradesh
• Andhra Pradesh

Businesses can use GeM tenders, State eProc tenders, and Central eProc tenders to timely track the opportunities across these states.

Latest NHAI Tenders to Track in 2026

At the present time, various works are being executed in India under the NHAI. The active ones are as follows:

• Construction of 6-lane Access Controlled Greenfield Highway from Ahilyanagar Km 290.000 to Hasapur Km 512.000 (Ahilyanagar Bypass Pkg 2).
• Construction of 4 Lane Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Navaikulam (Ch. 0.000) to Vizhinjam (Ch. 62.700) Section of NH 866. Design length is 62.7 Km in Kerala on BOT Mode.
• Development of 6-lane Access Controlled Greenfield Highway Starting from Junction with NH 60 at Adgaon Km. 138.00 to Ahilyanagar Km. 290.000 (Ahilyanagar Bypass Pkg I).
• Six-laning of Hyderabad-Vijayawada Section of Nh-65 Section Ch.39.85 to Ch.221.15 (181.30 Km) (pkg-1) in the States of Telangana And Andhra Pradesh under BOT Mode.
• Development of High Speed Access Controlled Greenfield Highway from Shamli-Gorakhpur from Ch. 662.400 to Ch.745.594 in the State of Uttar Pradesh on HAM Mode (package-12) (design Length 83.194 Km).
• Development of High Speed AC Gf Corridor from Shamli Gorakhpur from Ch. 579.950 to Ch.662.400 in the State of Uttar Pradesh on HAM Mode Package-11, Design Length 82.450 Km.
• Devel. of 6l Ac Gf Regional Expressway on Northern Side of Hyderabad from Girmapur Vill Ch 1.518 to Pragnapur Ch.82.000 for A Design Length of 83.518 Km in Telangana under Nh O on Hybrid Annuity Mode Pkg I.
• Development of High-speed Access Controlled Greenfield Corridor from Shamli-Gorakhpur from Ch. 510.700 to Ch.579.950 in the State of Uttar Pradesh on HAM Mode (package-10) (design Length 69.25 Km).
• Construction of 6 Lane Road Tunnel for NH 148ae Connecting Dwarka Expressway NH 248bb with Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, Delhi on HAM Mode.

Top PWD Tenders Active in 2026

The active PWD tenders across different Indian states in 2026 are as follows:

• Widening of Motor Road from Two Lanes to Four Lanes from Godavari Hotel Towards Sherpur (reliance Petrol Pump Mangalore to N.h.-58 Coer College Via Roorkee City, Other District Road) in Assembly Constituency Roorkee of District Haridwar under Crif.
• Improvement And Strengthening of the Jaspur-kashipur-bajpur Road under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (crif).
• Construction of ROB at Lc-99 in Merta Road – Degana Section at Km. 519/9-8 And Merta Road – Mertacity Section at C1 Ir Km. 1/0-1, District Nagaur in the State of Rajasthan.
• Construction Rob at Lc-239 on Jaipur – Phulera Section at Km 267/5-6.
• Construction of Flyover Bridge in Rewa City from College Chouraha (infront of Commissioner Bungalow) to Dhekha Tiraha (infront of Hotel Vishnu Empire) on Varanasi-Nagpur Road, Rewa in EPC Mode.
• Construction of Sihawal (bichi) Khairpur to Bichi, Bagdara, Gopla, Padri Gate Length of Cc Road 56,600 Meters (mdr 12-01) under Sub-division Chitrangi (m.p.).
• Construction of Rajarbag Motorstand, Udaipur, Gomati District, Tripura

Technologies Transforming Road and Expressway Tenders

At the present time, road and expressway tenders are being reshaped by various digital technologies to make projects faster to bid, tighter to execute, and easier to audit. The shift is visible from pre-bid planning to post-construction maintenance. The following technologies are leading the roads and highways tenders:

1) Building Information Modelling (BIM)

2) Drone Surveying

3) AI-Based Project Monitoring

4) Digital Twin Technology

5) IoT-Enabled Smart Roads

6) E-Procurement and Tender Analytics Platforms

7) Advanced Construction Equipment

8) Robotics and Automation

Conclusion

Over the last few years, robust infrastructure is one of the top priorities of the Indian government. To achieve this, it has been aggressively investing in both large-scale projects and small-scale initiatives through government authorities like NHAI and PWD.

While NHAI deals with the execution of mega highways and expressways projects, PWD issues steady volumes of tender opportunities to build and maintain public infrastructure.

This means that opportunities from NHAI and PWD are not just tender listings to browse; rather, they are signals of where government is pouring its efforts and resources.

Those looking to quickly identify the latest opportunities from these authorities should consider using Tender Grid, a reliable tender aggregator platform that comes with advanced features and functionalities to discover and track relevant tender opportunities with complete, up-to-date information.