Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government is set to revolutionise the functioning of its Works Department by introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the tender management process, said Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan today.

Speaking on the department's upcoming reforms, Harichandan said the entire tender evaluation system, from bid submission to project commencement, will soon be driven by AI-based software and moved fully online. This is expected to drastically reduce the current bid evaluation period from 2 to 2.5 months to just one week, enabling faster project commencement and timely completion.

"With this system, services will reach people in a shorter time and delays in project execution will be minimised," the Minister said, adding that the initiative will also enhance transparency.

To support this transformation, the department has already begun steps to enable online applications. A discussion was held with a research team yesterday to finalise the technical roadmap. The proposed AI system will handle bid evaluation, comparison of technical and financial bids, identification of responsive bids, and monitoring of the entire tender process. Until now, all these tasks were being handled manually, causing a delay of 4 to 5 months between the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and the commencement of work, said Harichandan.

In another major decision, external agencies will now be required to register in the Contractor Database before undertaking any work in Odisha. Unregistered outside contractors will not be allowed to execute government projects in the state. The government is expected to take a final call on this soon, he said.

To ensure accountability and transparency, the department is also developing a Project Monitoring Dashboard that will provide real-time updates on project progress. The e-procurement system will also be strengthened further to bring more clarity to the bidding and work allotment process, the Minister added.