NHAI Releases First-Ever DPR Consultant Ratings

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has released its first provisional ratings of consultants preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for national highway projects, identifying Chaitanya Project Consultancy, Pentacle Consultant, L&T Infrastructure Engineering, MSV International Technology and Transys Consulting as the top five firms.

This marks the first time NHAI has formally rated DPR consultants. The rankings are provisional and may change if firms submit representations with supporting documents seeking re-evaluation.

A total of 56 consultants were assessed and scored on a scale of 100. The highest score recorded was 80.75, while the lowest was 23.33. NHAI said the ratings are expected to influence future DPR contract awards to improve the quality of reports for upcoming highway projects.

The authority stated that the evaluation was carried out using approved criteria and assessment parameters to enhance transparency, consistency and performance in consulting services. The review also comes at a time when several highway deficiencies—linked to safety issues and accidents—have been attributed to poor-quality DPRs.