The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has overhauled its consultancy framework for National Highway projects by introducing mandatory minimum salaries for engineering professionals and creating structured career opportunities for experienced field engineers.
Under the revised Standard Request for Proposal (RFP) documents, consultancy firms appointed as Authority Engineers (AE) and Independent Engineers (IE) will now be required to pay fixed minimum monthly remuneration to key technical personnel engaged on future contracts.
The revised payment structure sets a minimum salary of Rs 5 lakh for Team Leaders and Bridge or Structural Engineers, Rs 3.5 lakh for Resident-cum-Highway Engineers, Programme Schedule Reviewers, Senior Quality-cum-Material Experts and Senior Pavement Specialists, while Road Safety Experts will receive at least Rs 2.5 lakh per month.
The updated norms also provide minimum monthly remuneration of Rs 1.5 lakh for Sub-Professional Civil Engineers and Rs 1 lakh for Young Professional Civil Engineers. NHAI said these payments will be safeguarded through an escrow mechanism to ensure timely disbursement.
In a parallel move, the authority has revised its policy governing Site Engineers, removing earlier limitations that restricted their engagement and creating a clearer pathway into consultancy roles.
Under the new framework, at least 20 per cent of the Sub-Professional engineering workforce deployed by AE and IE consultancy firms must comprise experienced Site Engineers or Young Professionals previously associated with NHAI, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) or the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
Professionals with five or more years of relevant experience will also be entitled to a minimum monthly remuneration of Rs 1.5 lakh.
To further strengthen quality standards, NHAI has introduced mandatory empanelment and interview requirements through the NHAI Skill Bridge portal before key professionals can be deployed on consultancy assignments.
According to the authority, the reforms are designed to retain experienced engineering talent within the highway sector, improve continuity in project supervision and enhance the technical capabilities of consultancy firms, ultimately supporting faster delivery and higher-quality National Highway infrastructure projects.
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