Islamabad, July 16, 2025: To bring in more bidders and boost competition, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has made changes to the rules for the Shaheen Chowk underpass project. Earlier tough conditions had kept most construction companies away from the bidding process.
At first, the CDA set very strict rules for the Rs. 1.3 billion project, which led to only one company submitting a bid. But after checking that company’s technical documents last Friday, the CDA turned down the bid and decided to update the conditions to allow more firms to apply.
A CDA official shared that the earlier rule—asking companies to finish work worth Rs. 1.5 billion within 100 days in the past five years—was too difficult. Now, firms that have finished projects of similar value in 180 days during the same time can also get marks in the experience section.
“We’ve made the work experience rule easier, and we think more companies will now take part. This will help create fair competition,” a CDA spokesperson said.
This change came after people criticized the CDA for having rules that seemed to benefit only a few contractors. The updated tender with the new rules is already out, and the deadline to send bids is July 28.
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As per usual process, CDA will first look at technical bids and then open financial bids before choosing the winning company.
Interestingly, the only company that had applied before started bringing its equipment to the site last Friday to do test drilling, thinking they would get the project easily due to no rivals. But their hopes ended when the CDA rejected their bid and reopened the bidding.
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The project includes building an underpass where Khayaban-e-Iqbal and 9th Avenue meet. The goal is to finish the work in 180 days. This plan is similar to other fast-track CDA projects like Jinnah Square (earlier Serena Interchange) and the F-8 Interchange. Both of those projects were also planned to finish quickly but faced issues—Jinnah Square had water drainage problems, and the F-8 Interchange raised concerns about its design.
A senior CDA official confirmed the rule change, saying that now companies who have completed Rs1.5 billion worth of work within six months will get full marks in the experience part.
This change shows a shift in strategy, aiming to increase competition, fairness, and better work on important city projects.
