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 Indian Railways reduces your rate when executed quantity exceeds the agreement: the 125% and 140% thresholds, the 2% and 4% cuts, the minor-value exception, 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 explained for civil contractors: who is allowed to deduct 2%, how to claim it, and what it means when a main contractor passes the deduction down to 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 extensions refused. With a format you can follow.
6 min read
Reading an IREPS tender: schedules, advertised value, and the percentage you should quote
How an Indian Railways e-tender is structured — SOR and NS schedules, advertised value, percentage versus item-rate bidding — and how to work out the quote that actually earns you money.
8 min read
BOCW cess: what the 1% is, who pays it, and what you get for it
The Building and Other Construction Workers cess explained for contractors: the 1% rate, what value it is charged on, who deducts it, and why it is a cost 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
How security deposit, retention and performance guarantee work on railway and PWD contracts: the rates, the maintenance period, when each is released, and how to chase money that is overdue.
7 min read
Price variation and escalation: how the clause works and how to claim it
How price escalation clauses work on railway and government contracts: which contracts carry them, how the index formula is applied, what to submit, and why most escalation 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