Guides for contractors
The questions that come up on every railway and PWD contract — answered properly, with the arithmetic worked through. No sign-up, no email required.
SOP 2018 rate reduction: what happens when you execute more than the agreement quantity
How Railways cuts your rate when executed quantity passes the agreement: the 125% and 140% slabs, the 2% and 4% cuts, minor-value items, and a worked example.
7 min read
GST TDS on works contracts: who can deduct it, and what happens down a sub-contract chain
GST TDS under Section 51 for civil contractors: who may deduct 2%, how to claim it, and what it means when a main contractor deducts it from you.
8 min read
How to write an extension of time letter that gets granted
What an EOT letter to Indian Railways must contain, the grounds that succeed, when to send it, and the mistakes that get it refused. With a format.
6 min read
Reading an IREPS tender: schedules, advertised value, and the percentage you should quote
How a Railways e-tender is laid out (SOR and NS schedules, advertised value, percentage or item-rate bids) and how to work out a quote that earns money.
8 min read
BOCW cess: what the 1% is, who pays it, and what you get for it
BOCW cess for contractors: the 1% rate, what value it is charged on, who deducts it, and why it is the one deduction you never get back.
5 min read
Security deposit and retention money: how much is held, for how long, and how to get it released
Security deposit, retention and performance guarantee on railway and PWD contracts: the rates, when each is released, and how to chase overdue money.
7 min read
Price variation and escalation: how the clause works and how to claim it
How price escalation works on railway and government contracts: which carry it, how the index formula is applied, what to submit, and why it goes unclaimed.
7 min read
How a running account bill is measured, checked and paid
What happens between finishing work and being paid: measurement books, previous-billed quantities, the deductions, and the mistakes that send an RA bill back.
8 min read
TDS on contractor bills: the 1% and 2%, when it applies, and how you get it back
TDS on contractor bills: 1% or 2%, the ₹30,000 and ₹1 lakh limits, why it is on the amount before GST, what changed in April 2026, and a worked example.
6 min read
How to prepare a bar bending schedule: cut length, weight per metre and a worked stirrup
How to prepare a bar bending schedule: the columns, the d²/162 weight formula, bend deductions, a worked stirrup cut length, and mistakes that cost steel.
7 min read