Drinking Water Tenders in India; Their Types and Uses

Drinking water is vital to sustenance of human beings and it means water of high quality that could be consumed with low risk to health and well being. While in most of the developed countries the drinking water that is supplied for household consumptions are of required standards. It is the developing and underdeveloped countries that suffer from lack of quality drinking water. Providing drinking water is also one of the responsibilities of the governments in Center and States and that is why most of the drinking water tenders originate from these sources.

Indian Tenders for Drinking Water Supply
Indian tenders for drinking water can be broadly classified in the following categories depending on the locations; urban and rural.

Drinking Water Supply in Urban Areas
Indian tenders for drinking water supply in urban areas normally relate to the following sources.

• Supply of drinking water in urban area habitations that generally refers to providing pipe water supplies to households in the cities and towns for which a small sum towards water charges are collected.
• Usually large overhead tanks are erected at different sites and from there water is supplied either to the domestic overhead tanks or to the taps used in the households where there are no overhead tanks.
• Piped water supply in form of drinking water is also provided to different offices, public places and at specific distances on the roadsides for use by people while on the move or at work.
• Drinking water tenders are normally related in these sectors to laying of pipelines, maintain them, construction of tanks; and providing and maintaining electric motors for the purpose.

Drinking Water Provision in Rural Areas
In rural areas the Indian tenders for making provisions for drinking water are not normally pipe water and overhead tanks but other sources like tube well and drinking water well.

• Making provisions for drinking water in rural areas where only in a very few locations pipe water supplies could be provided and in these areas the major source of drinking water are the tube wells and drinking water wells.
• Most of the drinking water tenders in rural sectors come for installation, repair, and maintenance of tube wells and at times bore wells or drinking water wells.
• In a few place pipe water supplies using electric or diesel pump sets have been resorted to due to proximity of river or large streams to the locality.

Industrial and Transport Sector
Several drinking water tenders also originate from the upcoming industries where they require huge amount of drinking water for the employee colonies, offices, and workshops and in the plant area. Another important sector is the transport and communication sector, especially the Indian Railways that is the source of many Indian tenders on drinking water required to be installed in major stations for supply to trains and for individual uses in the station itself.

Three Types of Tenders

• Drinking water tenders would basically be of three types.
• Tenders for installation and construction of pipe water supply systems.
• Tenders for installation of tube wells and drinking water wells.
• Tenders for maintenance of either of the above two types.

Drinking water is a basic requirement for human sustenance and neither the requisitioning authorities nor the providing agencies can afford to come up with sub standard items as it may adversely affect the lives of thousands of people even due to the smallest lapse on their part.

Economically Poor, Rich in Resources Orissa Tenders Offer Huge Opportunities for Business

Ninth largest in terms of area and eleventh largest in terms of population, Odisha that was earlier known as Orissa is rich in natural resources, minerals and forestry but is still poor economically. However, of late there is rapid industrialization and many big commercial houses are coming over to invest in the state where they expect rich benefits. Orissa tenders; especially those originating from the upcoming industrial sectors, offer huge opportunities for the bidders.


Predominance of Free Tenders

With the aim of industrialization and for attracting industrial houses from abroad, Orissa has been following the policy of free tenders where everyone can bid and contest for winning them. Latest industrial policy of 2007 makes it clear that the state wishes to encourage foreign investors and will provide many relaxations so that they will consider investing in the state beneficial. That is why there is almost a predominance of free tenders in the tender market in the state.


Main Sources of Tenders

Main sources of Orissa tenders are as follows –

• Agriculture and allied sectors as nearly 70% of the people in the state are still dependent on the predominantly agrarian state;
• Industrial and allied sectors with many industrial houses coming up in the state with their projects;
• Forest and allied sectors as the state is very rich in forestry and forest products;
• Construction and real estate sectors with rapid growing urbanization in the state and growth of road communication;
• Telecom and Information Technology sector where the state has made rapid strides of late;
• Education sector with numerous educational institutions cropping up;
• Railways with many new railway lines coming up; and
• Irrigation sector that is one of the major requirements for agriculture.

Change in Trends

In the past most of the Orissa tenders originated in the public sector and at best from the public sector undertakings like the NALCO, MCL, NTPC, Paradip Ports, Rourkela Steel Plant, different Dam projects including Hirakud, Mandira, Rengali, Machchkumd, and Indravati projects, works, rural development, and water resources departments. Some free tenders were also generated by the Housing and Urban Development department and its subsidiary units like Housing Board, different development authorities, municipalities and notified area councils. With major influx of private organizations and rapid growth of many indigenous commercial centers, the equation has changed quite a bit and at least half of the Orissa tenders now originate from the private sectors unlike in the past.


Sector Wise Tender Sources

If one goes by the sector wise Orissa tenders sources then the result would be as follows.

• Tenders floated by iron and steel industries like Xindal, Monet, Vedanta, Aditya, Bhoosan, Visa, and others;
• Tenders floated by Aluminum industries like Nalco, Aditya Alumina, Utkal Alumina, and others;
• Tenders floated in power generation and distribution sectors by NTPC, CESU, NESCO, WESCO, SOUTCO, VISA, and others;
• Construction tenders floated in the real estate industries by government, private organizations, and individual builders;
• Tenders for construction, improvement, and maintenance of buildings, roads, bridges, railway lines, electric lines, telecommunication lines, pipe lines, and others;
• Forest related tenders;
• Tenders in the agricultural sectors;
• Irrigation works related tenders floated by Water Resources Department;
• Tenders by local self governments like Panchayats, municipalities, Panchayat samittes, DRDAs, ITDAs and others.

There are multiple other sources but aspirants for major Orissa tenders including the free tenders could do well to grab opportunities offered by these sectors.


In fact; the opportunities are huge.