Public SystemsIMPROVEApproved
India-wide

Railway Board instructed zones to remove brand-specific conditions from tenders

13 Oct 2026

Indian Railways' Railway Board issued a directive to railway zones and production units to remove restrictive conditions from procurement tenders, including avoiding references to specific brands, trade names or trademarks wherever feasible. The instruction also says that where BIS-marked products are available, procurement must be restricted to such products, and existing item descriptions/specifications should be reviewed to replace brand-specific requirements with generic terms.

Why it matters

This changes how a large public procurement system writes and evaluates tenders, which can reduce brand lock-in and standardise purchases around BIS-marked products.

Railway BoardIndian Railways