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International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development( International Peer Reviewed Open Access Journal ) ISSN [ Online ] : 2581 - 7175 |
Due Diligence of Infrastructure Projects – Roads and Bridges: A Review
📑 Paper Information
| 📑 Paper Title | Due Diligence of Infrastructure Projects – Roads and Bridges: A Review |
| 👤 Authors | Ram Prakash Singh, Mr. Rajesh Joshi |
| 📘 Published Issue | Volume 9 Issue 5 |
| 📅 Year of Publication | 2026 |
| 🆔 Unique Identification Number | IJSRED-V9I5P126 |
📝 Abstract
Roads and bridges constitute the largest category of public infrastructure investment in India, increasingly relying on private capital through BOT, HAM, and DBFOT structures. Despite a mature policy framework anchored in the Model Concession Agreement, the sector continues to witness cost and time overruns, contract renegotiations, and premature concession terminations. A recurring diagnosis is the inadequacy of pre-award and pre-financial-closure due diligence.
This thesis develops and empirically applies a structured Due Diligence Assessment Instrument (DDAI) integrating six dimensions—technical/engineering, financial/commercial, legal/contractual, environmental/social, regulatory/statutory, and risk/contingency—identified through literature review and refined through a two-round Delphi exercise with twelve domain experts. AHP weighting assigned highest importance to technical/engineering (0.24) and financial/commercial (0.22) due diligence.
The instrument was applied to two illustrative case packages: a road-widening BOT/HAM package (Case A) and a major bridge construction package (Case B). The application surfaced sixty-four red-flag findings, dominated by land acquisition and right-of-way (28%), design and geotechnical uncertainties (19%), and contractual/legal ambiguities (16%). A simulated cost-trajectory comparison indicates that structured due diligence embedded before financial closure can materially compress the cost-escalation envelope.
The study concludes that due diligence should be institutionalised as a staged, weighted, and auditable process rather than a single pre-bid compliance exercise, proposing a governance checklist, red-flag escalation protocol, and integration pathways into NHAI/State Highway Authority workflows.
This thesis develops and empirically applies a structured Due Diligence Assessment Instrument (DDAI) integrating six dimensions—technical/engineering, financial/commercial, legal/contractual, environmental/social, regulatory/statutory, and risk/contingency—identified through literature review and refined through a two-round Delphi exercise with twelve domain experts. AHP weighting assigned highest importance to technical/engineering (0.24) and financial/commercial (0.22) due diligence.
The instrument was applied to two illustrative case packages: a road-widening BOT/HAM package (Case A) and a major bridge construction package (Case B). The application surfaced sixty-four red-flag findings, dominated by land acquisition and right-of-way (28%), design and geotechnical uncertainties (19%), and contractual/legal ambiguities (16%). A simulated cost-trajectory comparison indicates that structured due diligence embedded before financial closure can materially compress the cost-escalation envelope.
The study concludes that due diligence should be institutionalised as a staged, weighted, and auditable process rather than a single pre-bid compliance exercise, proposing a governance checklist, red-flag escalation protocol, and integration pathways into NHAI/State Highway Authority workflows.
📝 How to Cite
Ram Prakash Singh, Mr. Rajesh Joshi, "Due Diligence of Infrastructure Projects – Roads and Bridges: A Review" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(5): Page(923-927) September - October 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.
📘 Other Details