Insurance Surety Bonds for NHAI Cross Rs 10 Billion

16 Sep 2025 CW Team

Insurance Surety Bonds (ISBs) issued by insurance companies for National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) contracts have surpassed the Rs 10 billion mark. As of July 2025, twelve insurers have issued around 1,600 ISBs as ‘Bid Security’ and 207 as ‘Performance Security’, valued at approximately Rs 10.37 billion. NHAI has actively promoted ISBs as an alternative mode of submitting Bid Security or Performance Security deposits.

To encourage broader adoption of Insurance Surety Bonds and Electronic Bank Guarantees (eBG), NHAI organised a workshop in New Delhi. The session was chaired by Shri N.R.V.V.M.K. Rajendra Kumar, Member (Finance), NHAI, with participation from Shri Nilesh Sathe, former IRDA Member, senior NHAI officials, industry experts, and representatives from insurance and finance companies.

ISBs function as instruments where insurers act as ‘Surety’, providing a financial guarantee that contractors will fulfil obligations under contract terms. The Ministry of Finance has recognised eBGs and ISBs on par with traditional Bank Guarantees for all government procurements. These bonds are cost-effective while providing adequate security for NHAI projects.

With India poised to become the world’s third-largest construction market, the demand for Bank Guarantees in the infrastructure sector is projected to grow 6–8 per cent annually. Insurance Surety Bonds provide a viable, cost-efficient alternative, offering substantial financial relief for the sector.

Infrastructure Urban

09 Feb 2026

Eicher Delivers First 13.5 m Electric Intercity Sleeper Bus

Eicher Trucks & Buses, a business unit of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., has recently delivered its first 13.5 m electric intercity sleeper bus, marking a key milestone in India’s long-distance electric mobility segment. The first bus is being operated by LeafyBus, with plans to deploy 35 buses by March 2026 across high-demand intercity corridors in North India.The initial deployment will cover routes such as Delhi–Dehradun and Delhi–Lucknow, supporting LeafyBus’ expansion across environmentally sensitive and high-density travel corridors.Commenting on the partnership, Suresh Chettia..

HCSS Showcases Unified Construction Platform at CONEXPO 2026

HCSS will recently present the next evolution of its connected construction management platform at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, bringing together construction workflows, data and teams on a single platform across the entire project lifecycle. The event will be held from 3–7 March 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. HCSS will host two booths at the show, demonstrating how its integrated software ecosystem enables seamless collaboration between the office, field and shop, from bid stage through to project closeout. Steve McGough, President and CEO, HCSS, said, “For 40 years, we’ve done everything within..

Berger Paints Q3 Profit Declines Despite Volume Growth

Berger Paints India has reported a mixed performance for the quarter ended 31 December 2025, with healthy volume growth and margin improvement offset by softer demand conditions and cost pressures. On a consolidated basis, revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 29,840 million, compared to Rs 29,751 million in the corresponding quarter last year, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent. EBITDA (excluding other income) was Rs 4,710 million, slightly lower than Rs 4,717 million a year earlier. Net profit declined by 8.3 per cent to Rs 2,713 million from Rs 2,960 million. Sta..