The authors have attempted to improve the inter-grain contact in sintered samples of the high-T_c superconducting compound YBa₂Cu₃O_{7- delta} by partial substitution of Y by Bi and Ba by Pb. Both Bi and Pb are found to act as a flux in the sintering process and changes in the morphology of the sintered grains are observed. The Bi substitution is found to reduce the normal state resistivity by almost an order of magnitude while leaving the superconducting properties unchanged.