Railways orders end to brand-specific procurement tender rules

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  The Railway Board has directed railway zones and production units to remove restrictive conditions from procurement tenders.

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  The directive says tenders should avoid brand names, trade names and trademarks wherever feasible.

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  A vigilance investigation found that brand-linked tender practices were creating monopolistic situations.

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  Where products with Bureau of Indian Standards marks are available, procurement must be restricted to those products.

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  The directive also orders a review of existing item descriptions and specifications to replace brand-specific requirements with generic terms.

Who

The Railway Board issued the directive to railway zones and production units.

What

It ordered them to remove restrictive tender conditions and avoid brand-specific references wherever feasible.

When

The article was published on October 12, 2026. The directive's issue date is not stated.

Where

India’s railway procurement system.

Why

A vigilance investigation found that brand-linked tender practices were creating monopolistic situations.

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