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What is the Procurement Activity Index (PAI)?

A single score that tells you how significant a government department is as a buyer. PAI combines tender volume, budget, diversity, reach, and data quality into one clear 0–100 number.

The Five Dimensions of PAI

Each dimension contributes a specific weight to the final composite score.

Dimension Weight What It Measures
📊 Activity Volume 30% How many tenders is the department issuing right now?
💰 Spending Power 30% Total procurement budget — from thousands to thousands of crores
🔀 Procurement Diversity 15% Multi-portal and multi-category buying
🗺️ Geographic Reach 15% Single district or 35 states?
🔍 Data Transparency 10% % of tenders with complete, parseable data

Each dimension is normalized independently on a 0–100 scale, then combined using these weights. This ensures a department with a ₹10,000 Cr budget doesn't automatically get 100 — the score reflects meaningful procurement activity, not raw size alone.

PAI Tiers: From Niche Buyer to National Leader

Every department falls into one of five tiers based on its PAI score. Currently tracking 2,275 departments across all tiers.

🏆
PAI 80–100
National Procurement Leader
2
departments
🥈
PAI 60–79
Major Procurement Entity
57
departments
🥉
PAI 40–59
Active Procurement Office
771
departments
🔵
PAI 20–39
Regional Buyer
779
departments
PAI 1–19
Niche / Emerging
666
departments

Proportional distribution of all 2,275 ranked departments

PAI in Action: A Tale of Two Buyers

The same 0–100 scale captures radically different procurement profiles.

National Leader
90.0
Military Engineering Services (MES)
5,641 live tenders
₹6,236 Cr procurement budget
35 states & UTs
Multi-portal, multi-category
VS
Regional Buyer
35.0
Local Municipality
42 live tenders
₹12 Cr procurement budget
1 district
Single portal, limited categories

Both scores are "correct" — PAI reflects the department's role and context, not a value judgment.

What PAI Is Not

Important clarifications to avoid misunderstanding the Index.

Not a Quality Rating

PAI measures procurement activity, not the quality of goods or services procured. A high PAI doesn't mean "better" procurement — just more of it.

🛡️
Not a Corruption Index

PAI has nothing to do with integrity, transparency violations, or governance ratings. It's purely a quantitative activity score from publicly available tender data.

🔮
Not a Prediction

PAI reflects current procurement activity. It does not forecast future tenders, budget allocations, or contract awards. Past activity doesn't guarantee future volume.

Data You Can Trust

69,803+
live tenders tracked
43
procurement portals
2,275
departments ranked
Daily
data refresh cycle

All PAI scores are derived from publicly available government tender data sourced from 43 official Indian e-procurement portals. No proprietary or non-public data is used.

Frequently Asked Questions

PAI scores are calculated using a weighted composite of five dimensions. Each dimension is normalized to a 0–100 scale, then combined using the weights shown above: Activity Volume (30%), Spending Power (30%), Procurement Diversity (15%), Geographic Reach (15%), and Data Transparency (10%). The final score is rounded to one decimal place.
PAI scores are recalculated daily as part of Tender84's data refresh cycle. Scores reflect the latest available tender data from all 43+ procurement portals we monitor. Any significant change in a department's activity will be reflected within 24 hours.
Yes — and it often does. A department that ramps up procurement (more tenders, higher budgets, broader geographic coverage) will see its PAI rise. Conversely, seasonal slowdowns or reduced budgets can lower the score. PAI is a current activity measure, not a permanent rating.
There's no universal "good" score — it depends on context. A PAI of 35 may be outstanding for a municipal body with a small jurisdiction, while a PAI of 75 might be expected for a major PSU. Use the tier system as a guide: Tier 1 (80+) indicates national-level procurement leadership; Tier 3 (40–59) is active and competitive; Tier 5 (1–19) covers niche and emerging departments. What matters more is how a department's PAI trends over time.

See all PAI-ranked departments

Browse the complete directory — sort by PAI score, filter by tier, and compare departments side by side.

Explore Department Directory

Also check the Procurement Glossary for key terms