Tamil Nadu Mandates Online Deposits for Civic Work Tenders to Boost Transparency
मुख्य बातें
- •The Tamil Nadu government has made it mandatory for all urban local bodies to accept Earnest Money Deposit and other financial deposits only through online modes.
- •Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Additional Chief Secretary, MAWS Department, issued the directive on May 25, 2026, to the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation and other officials.
- •The order emphasizes adherence to the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act, 1998, and the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Rules, 2000.
- •Tender conditions are no longer permitted to require site certificates or machinery availability certificates from ULB engineers; instead, self-certification by bidders will be accepted.
Chennai, May 29, 2026: The Tamil Nadu government has issued a strict directive to all urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state, making it mandatory for tender-inviting authorities to accept Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), security deposits, bank guarantees, and all other financial deposits solely through online modes. This move, aimed at enhancing transparency and fairness in public procurement processes, was communicated by Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Additional Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, in an official order dated May 25, 2026.
The order, addressed to the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, the Director of Municipal Administration, and the Director of Town Panchayats, mandates strict adherence to the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act, 1998, and the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Rules, 2000. The MAWS Department emphasized that tender conditions should no longer include site certificates or machinery availability certificates issued by ULB engineers as qualifying criteria. Such practices, the department noted, could potentially lead to misuse by revealing the identities of bidders before the formal bidding stage. Instead, bidders will be required to provide self-certified declarations regarding site visits and the availability of machinery.
