NHAI has invited bids for six-laning 181.30 km of the Hyderabad–Vijayawada NH-65 corridor under BOT mode at an estimated ₹6,792.52 crore.
NHAI has invited bids for six-laning 181.30 km of the Hyderabad–Vijayawada NH-65 corridor under BOT mode at an estimated ₹6,792.52 crore.
New Delhi, September 28, 2026: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited bids for the six-laning of a 181.30-km section of NH-65 between Hyderabad and Vijayawada, with an estimated project cost of ₹6,792.52 crore.
The project, identified as Package 1, covers the section from chainage 39.85 to 221.15 across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and is being procured under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.
The tender was published on 23 September 2026. Bids are scheduled to close on 23 November 2026 at 11:00 AM, with technical bids due to be opened on 25 November 2026 at 11:30 AM. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for 26 October 2026.
The procurement covers design, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of the project highway under the concession framework.
The works include highway widening and pavement construction together with rehabilitation of existing pavement and construction or rehabilitation of associated structures such as bridges and culverts.
Road intersections, interchanges, drainage and other highway infrastructure also form part of the project scope.
This makes the package a substantial multi-discipline road-construction programme rather than a standalone pavement-expansion contract.
The Hyderabad–Vijayawada section forms part of the wider Hyderabad–Vijayawada–Machilipatnam development programme on NH-65.
The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee gave final approval to the wider programme at its 150th meeting on 8 August 2026.
That programme includes the Hyderabad–Vijayawada section as well as the Vijayawada–Machilipatnam stretch, with the current ₹6,792.52-crore tender covering Package 1 of the Hyderabad–Vijayawada component.
The current procurement should therefore be described specifically as a tender for Package 1 rather than as an award for the complete NH-65 programme.
Unlike a conventional EPC contract, the BOT structure places a broader set of responsibilities on the selected concessionaire.
The concessionaire will be expected to develop and finance the project and subsequently operate and maintain the highway under the concession framework.
The project is currently only at the bidding stage, and no selected concessionaire, L1 bidder or contract award has been established.
That distinction is important because the project should not be reported as awarded until the procurement process reaches that stage.
Equipment Brief analysis: A 181.30-km highway six-laning programme can create demand across a broad road-construction equipment chain.
Potential requirements may include excavators and loaders for earthworks, graders for formation and finishing, crushing and screening equipment for aggregates, asphalt plants and pavers, compactors, concrete-production equipment and lifting systems for structures.
Actual equipment quantities and models have not been disclosed and will depend on the selected concessionaire’s construction methodology, sequencing, subcontracting strategy and site conditions.
The BOT structure can also put greater emphasis on lifecycle economics. Machine utilisation, uptime, fuel consumption, service support, component availability and maintenance costs can become important alongside initial acquisition price when contractors plan equipment fleets for a multi-year highway programme.
The next formal milestone is the pre-bid meeting on 26 October, followed by the bid-submission deadline on 23 November.
Technical bids are scheduled to open on 25 November. Evaluation, selection of the successful bidder and the subsequent concession process would follow.
Until those steps take place, the correct procurement status remains: NHAI has invited bids for the project.
The tender adds another large road-construction opportunity to India’s current highway procurement pipeline and provides a significant potential workfront for road contractors, materials suppliers and construction-equipment companies as the project moves through bidding and, subject to award, into execution.
Equipment Brief is also tracking the ₹3,144 crore Shamli–Gorakhpur highway tender and explains the machinery used in these programmes in its guide to road construction equipment.
Sources: Government eProcurement System / NHAI tender ID 2026_NHAI_291809_1; NHAI tender and concession documents; Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee records.
