Compared to contracts awarded in March 2009, April saw a considerable drop in number of contracts and their total value. While in March, Indian companies bagged 55 contracts worth Rs 13,671 crore, April saw a mere 39 contracts worth Rs 10,134 crore being awarded. However, in April, Indian companies bagged nine overseas contracts as against only two bagged in March 2009.

Man Industries secured a contract valued at Rs 1,340 crore from a Middle East based company. Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) and Gammon India bagged individual contracts from Punatsangchhu-I Hydro Electric Project Authority in Bhutan. L&T bagged a contract worth Rs 1,245 crore for construction of the Dam Package, a part of the 1,200 MW Punatsangchhu-I project. A Rs 688 crore contract was won by HCC for Package MC3 of the project while Gammon India's Rs 400 crore contract was for the construction of approx 7,500 mtrs long 10 mtrs finished dia, circular-shaped concrete lined Head Race Tunnel at Wangdue.

The Power sector saw 14 contracts being awarded at an aggregate value of Rs 4,569 crore. A consortium of Siemens and Siemens AG, Germany, secured a Rs 1,380 crore contract from Adani Power.

The scope of work included installing a High Voltage Direct Current transmission system of 2,500 MW capacity at either end - Mundra in Gujarat and Mohindergarh in Haryana. ABB India secured orders worth Rs 425 crore and Rs 127 crore from Power Grid Corporation of India and NTPC respectively.

The Metallurgy sector witnessed seven contracts amounting to Rs 2,171 crore. Of these, Man Industries and L&T won the highest contracts. L&T bagged three contracts totalling Rs 761 crore. The first Rs 454 crore contract awarded by Tata Steel was for the iron ore and pellet handling system at Tata's plant in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. SAIL-IISCO Steel plant awarded a Rs 189 crore contract wherein the company's scope of work included civil works for rolling mill, BOP, CCP LDCP complex, and lime dolomite plant at Burnpur in West Bengal. It also won a Rs 118 crore contract from Utkal Alumina International.

The Petroleum Products and Mineral Fuels sector saw one contract each bagged by L&T. Mangalore Refinery Petrochemicals awarded a Rs 1,344 crore contract. The contract job comprised supplying of a 3.7 million tpa Diesel Hydrotreating Unit and a 70,000 tpa Hydrogen Generation Unit for the 'Phase - III Refinery Expansion-cum- Modernisation project at Mangalore. The company secured a Rs 689 crore contract from Tata Steel for turnkey construction of dry crushing and material preparation plant at Joda Mines and Engine-on- Load Scheme at Noamundi Mines in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

L&T with a total of eight contracts worth Rs 4,337 crore in the first month of the current fiscal is expected to remain on the fore front during 2009-10.