GBA introduces time-bound, digital system for contractor bill payments

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, on Saturday, directed the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to overhaul the works bill processing system to make contractor payments faster, time-bound, and transparent.

The reforms will be implemented uniformly across Bengaluru’s five city corporations for works funded through both government grants and the corporations’ own resources. The new system will move bill processing to a streamlined, digital, and time-bound process with defined responsibilities at each stage.

Under the revised system, bills will move through the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS). Further, the scrutiny will be done by the Project Management Consultant (PMC); verification and certification will be conducted by field engineers; and pre-audit and approval will be done by the Chief Engineer before payments. Each stage will have a prescribed timeline.

If an officer fails to act within the stipulated period, the bill will be deemed approved and will be moved to the next level. The rejection of any bill will require reasons to be recorded in the system. Payments will be made directly to contractors’ registered bank accounts through IFMS using OTP-based authentication, replacing manual RTGS transactions.

Contract management would also be integrated into the IFMS. It would allow work to be tracked from award and execution to bill processing and final payment, the GBA said. Bill processing would be linked to physical progress recorded by engineers in the Real-time Information Monitoring System.

The GBA will also launch a public dashboard to allow citizens to track the status and progress of ongoing and completed works. The name of the engineer in charge and the contractor will be displayed at each worksite.

Further, it will establish an Internal Audit Wing to conduct periodic audits, supplementing the annual audit by the Chief Auditor. The reforms, the GBA said, were aimed at reducing procedural delays, fixing responsibility, improving financial oversight, and strengthening quality control in public works.