Tender Overview

The Indian Air Force, under the Department of Military Affairs, Ministry of Defence, has published GeM Bid No. GEM/2026/B/7928152 for a Custom Bid for Services – Mandatory Training for Artisan Cadre.

The bid was dated 18 August 2026 and has an estimated value of ₹20,000, inclusive of all taxes. The procurement is structured as a Two Packet Bid and will be evaluated on a total-value-wise basis. The contract period is specified as 1 month and 12 days.

The bid identifies Professional Training Services (Version 2) as the similar GeM category and provides for MSE and DPIIT-registered Startup relaxation from experience and turnover criteria, subject to the applicable quality and technical requirements.

Important Tender Dates

The bid document records the closing date and opening time as 28 August 2026 at 14:00 and 14:30 respectively, with 180 days of bid validity. The bid is dated 18 August 2026.

Note: No separate pre-bid meeting date, time or venue is stated in the uploaded bid documents. Accordingly, bidders should not assume that a pre-bid conference is scheduled.

Scope of Work

The tender is for conducting Mandatory Training for Artisan Cadre.

As per the dedicated Scope of Work document, the training is required to cover the following areas:

1. Developing advanced methods in portrait painting
2. Exploring cultural styles, including Indian and Western styles
3. Building depth, contrast and realism in portraits
4. Experimenting with abstract interpretations of portraits
5. Providing a completion certificate to each individual after completion of the training

The Scope of Work document specifically identifies these four training components and requires completion certificates after the training.

The GeM bid further specifies that the service must comply with applicable regulatory/statutory requirements and with the Scope of Work, STC and SLA requirements.

Delivery Location and Quantity

The bid identifies Bidar as the consignee location and indicates the requirement as project/lumpsum based, with quantity shown accordingly in the GeM bid.

Professional Qualification / Technical Qualification Criteria

The uploaded tender documents do not state a specific academic qualification, professional certification or minimum trainer qualification in numerical terms.

However, the bidder/service provider is required to demonstrate compliance with the prescribed service specifications and Scope of Work. The bid specifies:

1. Mandatory Training for Artisan Cadre as the service.
2. Regulatory/statutory compliance: Yes.
3. Compliance with SOW, STC and SLA: Yes.
4. Completion certificate to be issued to individuals after training.
5. The bidder must be capable of delivering the specified portrait-painting training modules.
   For public-facing tender information, it is therefore preferable not to publish an assumed trainer qualification or certification requirement, since the uploaded bid does not specify one.

Eligibility Criteria

The tender is a GeM service procurement. The bid provides the following important eligibility-related provisions:

1. GeM participation

The bidder/service provider must be eligible to participate on the GeM platform and offer the relevant service. GeM's GTC defines a bidder as an eligible legal entity participating in the procurement process, while service providers must comply with the applicable GeM registration and service requirements.

2. Technical compliance

The bidder must satisfy the quality, technical and service requirements specified in the bid and Scope of Work.

3. MSE relaxation

The bid provides complete relaxation for MSEs from the Experience Criteria and Bidder Turnover criteria, subject to meeting quality and technical specifications. Supporting documents are required when claiming the applicable relaxation.

4. Startup relaxation

DPIIT-registered Startups are also provided relaxation from the Experience Criteria and Bidder Turnover criteria, subject to meeting quality and technical specifications and uploading supporting documents for the claimed relaxation.

5. MSE purchase preference

MSE purchase preference is enabled in the bid. The stated purchase-preference margin is L1 + 15%, subject to the applicable policy and eligibility conditions. For service bids, the bidder must be the service provider of the offered service.

6. Land-border eligibility condition

A bidder from a country sharing a land border with India is eligible only where it is registered with the competent authority, in accordance with the applicable GeM GTC provisions. False declaration or non-compliance may lead to termination and further legal action.

Experience Criteria

Specific minimum experience requirement: Not numerically stated in the uploaded bid document.

The bid expressly provides relaxation from the Experience Criteria for eligible MSEs and DPIIT-registered Startups, which confirms that an experience criterion may be applied through the GeM eligibility framework. However, the uploaded six-page bid document does not display a specific number of years or minimum project value.

Therefore, SkillCouncils.com should not publish an assumed minimum experience period unless a corresponding GeM bid-screen criterion or corrigendum is subsequently available.

Financial Eligibility Criteria

Minimum Average Annual Turnover

Not numerically specified in the uploaded bid document.

The bid provides relaxation from the Bidder Turnover requirement for eligible MSEs and DPIIT-registered Startups, subject to the prescribed conditions.

Net Worth

No specific minimum net worth requirement is stated in the uploaded tender documents.

Estimated Bid Value

The estimated bid value is ₹20,000 inclusive of all taxes. The bid is evaluated on a total-value-wise basis.

The bid also clarifies that the estimated bid value is intended for guidance and for eligibility-related parameters such as turnover, past performance and project/past experience, and is not itself the price to be quoted by bidders.

Tender Fee, EMD and Performance Security

Tender Fee

Tender Fee: ₹0 / No tender fee specified.

The GeM bid terms specifically identify asking for any tender fee or bid participation fee as an impermissible condition under the applicable GeM provisions.

EMD

EMD Required: No

The bid document expressly records EMD Required – No. It also records ePBG Required – No.

The dedicated payment-terms document likewise states that EMD and PBG are not required for participation in the bid through the GeM portal.

Mode of EMD

Not applicable – EMD is not required for this tender.

The GeM GTC also provides that bids with estimated values below ₹5 lakh do not require bid security under the applicable GTC provision.

Tender Summary Table

Submission Guidelines

The tender is a Two Packet Bid and is to be submitted through the GeM platform.

Bidders should:

1. Maintain an active and eligible GeM seller/service-provider profile.
2. Ensure that the offered service corresponds to the tender requirement for Mandatory Training for Artisan Cadre.
3. Review the complete Scope of Work, technical specifications, ATC, STC/SLA and applicable GeM GTC.
4. Submit the required technical and financial responses through the GeM portal before the prescribed closing time.
5. Upload supporting documents where a bidder is claiming MSE or Startup relaxation.
6. Ensure that all information submitted through GeM is accurate and capable of documentary verification.
7. Ensure compliance with applicable statutory and labour requirements.
8. Review the bid before final submission because the bid validity is 180 days.
9. Submit the bid before 28 August 2026 at 2:00 PM.

The bid also provides two days for technical clarifications during technical evaluation.

GeM's GTC places responsibility on sellers/service providers for the accuracy and integrity of information submitted on the platform and provides for validation of relevant information through government databases.

Important: The bid's GeM terms state that physical documents cannot be mandated as a prerequisite for qualification.

Document Checklist for Bidders

The following checklist is recommended based on the uploaded bid, its attachments and applicable GeM requirements. It should be used as a bid-preparation checklist, while the exact upload fields displayed on the bidder's GeM dashboard should be treated as controlling.

1. Active GeM Seller/Service Provider registration and profile
2. Eligibility to provide the required professional training service
3. Technical/service response for Mandatory Training for Artisan Cadre
4. Compliance with the Scope of Work
5. Compliance with applicable regulatory/statutory requirements
6. Compliance with applicable STC/SLA and GeM GTC
7. Supporting documents for MSE relaxation, if applicable
8. Valid Udyam/MSE documentation, if claiming MSE benefits
9. DPIIT Startup Recognition Certificate, if claiming Startup relaxation
10. Supporting documents establishing claimed experience, where applicable
11. Supporting documents establishing turnover, where applicable
12. Any other documents specifically requested by the GeM bid portal at the time of submission
13. Technical bid response completed
14. Financial/price bid completed on GeM
15. Confirmation that no EMD is required for this bid
16. Confirmation that no ePBG/PBG is required
17. Review of the Scope of Work and completion-certificate requirement
18. Compliance with the applicable land-border procurement declaration, where relevant
19. Final review and online submission before the bid closing time

The uploaded bid itself lists the GeM Availability Report, Competent Authority undertaking, Scope of Work and Payment Terms among the additional qualification/data documents associated with the custom bid.

The Competent Authority undertaking is a buyer-side document used for creation of the Custom Bid, rather than a qualification document that should automatically be treated as a bidder credential. The undertaking states that the buyer conducted the required GeM category search and justified creation of the custom bid.

Payment Terms

The dedicated payment document states that EMD and PBG are not required for participation in the GeM bid.

After completion of the contract, the vendor is required to submit bills along with account details to the Station for clearance of the bills.

Key Compliance Points for Prospective Bidders

Prospective bidders should pay particular attention to the following:

Technical compliance is important

The tender requires compliance with the Scope of Work, applicable STC/SLA and statutory requirements. The training provider should therefore be capable of delivering all four specified portrait-painting training components.

MSE and Startup benefits

Both MSEs and DPIIT-registered Startups receive specified relaxation from experience and turnover criteria, provided they meet the required quality and technical specifications and submit the supporting evidence required for the claimed relaxation.

MSE purchase preference

MSE purchase preference is enabled, with the bid specifying a 15% price band. The applicable policy conditions and GeM validation requirements must be satisfied.

No EMD or PBG

There is no EMD requirement and no ePBG requirement in this particular bid.

No tender fee

No tender fee or bid participation fee is specified; moreover, the bid's GeM terms identify asking for such a fee as an impermissible condition.

Industry Classification

For information and SEO categorisation purposes, this tender can be classified under:

Primary Industry: Skill Development and Professional Training
Sub-Sector: Artisan Training
Service Area: Painting and Creative Skills Training
Procurement Category: Professional Training Services
Location: Bidar, Karnataka
Buyer Organisation: Indian Air Force, Ministry of Defence

Tender Analysis: What Bidders Should Know

This procurement is a relatively small-value professional training requirement with an estimated bid value of ₹20,000. The procurement has been structured as a Custom Bid for Services rather than a conventional works tender.

The most significant bidder-friendly provisions are the absence of EMD and ePBG requirements and the availability of MSE and Startup relaxation for experience and turnover, subject to technical compliance.

At the same time, bidders should not rely only on financial eligibility. The technical service response must demonstrate the ability to deliver the defined training programme covering advanced portrait painting methods, Indian and Western cultural styles, portrait depth/contrast/realism and abstract portrait interpretation.

The requirement for completion certificates after training is also a specific contractual deliverable and should be incorporated into the bidder's service-delivery plan.

The bid is subject to the applicable GeM GTC, bid-specific conditions and the relevant service-level requirements. In case of an applicable conflict for services, the service-specific SLA provisions may prevail as stated in the bid.

Important Disclaimer for SkillCouncils.com Readers

This tender summary has been prepared from the uploaded GeM Bid Document, Scope of Work, Payment Terms, Custom Bid undertaking and GeM General Terms and Conditions.

Where the uploaded documents do not provide a numerical qualification value—such as minimum turnover, minimum years of experience or minimum net worth—this article has expressly stated that the requirement is "not specified" rather than assuming a value.

Prospective bidders should verify the live GeM bid page, all applicable corrigenda, bid-specific conditions, STC/SLA and the bidder's GeM dashboard before submitting a bid. The official GeM bid conditions will prevail in case of any subsequent amendment, corrigendum or change.

Contact for Tender Consultation and Advisory

For consultation and advisory, please call and WhatsApp: 9630030343

Email: [support@skillcouncils.com]