Office of the Chief Secretary
Government of West Bengal
Memo No. 2535-F(Y) Dated: 13th July, 2026
CIRCULAR
Sub: Guidelines regarding timely initiation of tenders for engagement of agencies and prevention of contract extensions.
It has been observed that Government Departments and Offices under their administrative control repeatedly seek approvals from the Finance Department for extensions of contracts with agencies engaged by them for various purposes. Some authorities have even been approving these extensions without prior consultation with the Finance Department.
Such practices constitute a violation of established financial discipline and compromise the integrity of the competitive bidding process.
To ensure fairness and transparency in the selection process, the Governor is pleased to direct the following:
- Procuring authorities must initiate the process of floating fresh tenders for selection of agencies no later than 3 (three) months prior to the expiry of the existing contract. Head of the Departments will hold monthly review of all existing contracts. List of contracts will be shared with the Finance Department.
- Proposals for extension or renewal of existing contracts will not be entertained under any circumstances and cannot be fait accompli due to lack of timely due diligence.
- Any unauthorized extension of contracts or delay in initiating fresh tenders will be viewed as a serious breach of financial discipline and be dealt with accordingly.
- This directive shall also be applicable for the Local Bodes, State Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Statutory Bodies and other parastatals.
- Heads of Departments/ Subordinate Offices shall be personally responsible for ensuring strict compliance with these directives within their jurisdictions.
This is issued in public interest with immediate effect and shall remain in force until further orders.
(Manoj Kumar Agarwal)
Chief Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal