4 min readMumbaiJun 5, 2026 08:43 PM IST
First published on: Jun 5, 2026 at 08:43 PM IST
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee on Friday approved two proposals allowing the administration to appoint external agencies at a cost of Rs 3 crore without inviting tenders for two civic projects.
The approvals come weeks after corporators across party lines questioned the BMC’s practice of spending substantial public funds on Project Management Consultants (PMCs) instead of utilising the expertise of its own departments.
A PMC is a third-party organisation that prepares a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for civic projects. The DPR forms the basis for project planning and construction, after which contractors are appointed. PMCs also supervise project execution. While such agencies are generally selected through a tendering process, the BMC administration can directly appoint consultants in special cases with the standing committee’s approval.
On Friday, the administration sought permission to directly appoint two agencies: the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) as a proof-checking agency for a proposed transit hub in Dahisar at a cost of Rs 55 lakh, and Ernst & Young (E&Y) as technical and management consultant for the BMC’s Participate Mumbai initiative for Rs 2.45 crore.
Through these proposals, the administration requested exemption from the standard tendering process.
“The initiative of appointing IIT Bombay as a fact checking agency is a routine move. Usually, these kind of agencies are appointed without any tendering process by taking approval from the civic standing committee,” a civic official told The Indian Express.
The proposed Dahisar transit hub will include hotels, eateries, ticket-booking centres and transfer facilities connecting private vehicles, waterways and metro services. Civic officials said the facility is being planned as an integrated transit point for long-distance bus services.
The second proposal pertains to the appointment of E&Y as consultant for the BMC’s Participate Mumbai campaign — a unified digital platform and civic engagement initiative designed to connect citizens, non-profits and corporate entities. The platform aims to streamline volunteering, facilitate civic participation and channel Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds into city development projects.
“In a note submitted to the civic standing committee, the administration stated that the proposal highlights that municipal responsibilities extend beyond core civic functions to areas such as. Social and cultural development, educational initiatives, welfare measures for disadvantaged groups, environmental sustainability and awareness. Therefore, the committee is requested to relax the rules for general tendering,” the civic administration stated.
Both proposals were approved by the standing committee.
The decision comes days after the BMC defended its move to appoint a single PMC for nine of 14 separate water infrastructure projects collectively valued at more than Rs 30,000 crore.
Congress seeks report on landfill management
With Mumbai’s Kanjurmarg dumpsite facing global scrutiny over methane emissions, senior Congress corporator and standing committee member Ashraf Azmi on Friday demanded that the civic administration present a detailed report on landfill management.
“The BMC administration has been giving out permission for carrying out construction work along the Kanjurmarg dumpsite despite the fact that there needs to be a buffer zone. These actions have affected the health of thousands of residents living in Kanjurmarg, Vikhroli areas. Therefore, it is my demand that the BMC must present a detailed presentation about how they plan to tackle this issue,” Azmi demanded.
Sidestepping standard bidding processes, BMC approved the direct hiring of external agencies for a new Dahisar transit hub and a digital engagement platform. (File) 
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