What the DSR is used for
The DSR is the reference price list for government construction work in India. An estimate is prepared by picking items from it, a tender is invited against those items, and a contractor is later paid at the agreed rates for the quantities actually measured.
Despite "Delhi" in the name it is used far beyond Delhi. Most central government works, and many state and PSU works, adopt CPWD's schedule and apply a cost index to bring the base rates to the price level of the station where the work is being done.
What one DSR entry contains
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Item code | 6.1.2 | Identifies the item in the estimate, the agreement and the bill |
| Description | Brick work with common burnt clay F.P.S. bricks … in cement mortar 1:6 | Defines the scope — what is included in the rate and what is not |
| Unit | cum | The unit the item is measured and paid in |
| Rate | ₹7,234.55 | The rate at base price level, before cost index |
The description is the part that settles arguments. Whether a particular operation is "included in the item" is answered by reading it, not by custom.
Editions
The DSR is published in volumes by discipline, each with an edition year. The civil volume in common current use is DSR Civil 2023; electrical work runs on DSR Electrical 2025.
An agreement adopts one edition, and that edition governs for the life of the contract — a newer schedule published mid-contract does not change the rates you are working to. Within an edition, rates are revised by correction slips and moved to your station and period by the cost index.
DSR and DAR
The DSR gives the rate. The DAR — Delhi Analysis of Rates gives the working behind it: every material, labour trade, machine and carriage line the item consumes, with coefficients. You need the schedule to price a BOQ and the analysis to justify a rate or to price something the schedule does not cover.
The full comparison is here, and the material coefficient pages publish real analyses for common items.