Tender at a Glance

The RFP's Data Sheet specifies 03 September 2026 as the date of issue, 23 September 2026 at 5:00 PM as the proposal due date, 09 September 2026 as the deadline for pre-proposal queries, 11 September 2026 at 11:30 AM for pre-proposal clarifications, and 24 September 2026 at 11:30 AM for opening of the technical proposal.

Important: The document does not separately identify a physical "Pre-Bid Meeting" in the Data Sheet. It specifies a deadline for pre-proposal queries and a date/time for pre-proposal clarifications. Therefore, these should not be presented as a conventional pre-bid meeting unless an official clarification/addendum subsequently confirms one.

Scope of Work

The selected Project Implementing Agency/Training Partner will be responsible for end-to-end implementation of the skill development programme.

1. Mobilization and Candidate Registration

The agency will undertake:

1. Community mobilization
2. Awareness and IEC activities
3. Candidate counselling
4. Registration of eligible beneficiaries
5. Batch formation

The programme primarily targets unemployed youth, school/college dropouts, ITI/diploma/graduate pass-outs, existing workers requiring upskilling/reskilling, women and vulnerable communities, with preference for eligible candidates from directly mining-affected areas.

2. NSQF-Aligned Skill Training

Training is required to include appropriate combinations of:

1. Classroom training
2. Practical training
3. Laboratory/workshop training
4. Simulation training, wherever applicable
5. Industry exposure visits
6. On-the-job training/apprenticeship, wherever applicable

The curriculum must comply with NSQF, NOS, Qualification Packs, NCVET guidelines and Sector Skill Council guidelines. Additional modules may include digital literacy, financial literacy, English communication, soft skills, life skills, workplace safety, entrepreneurship and environmental awareness.

3. Training Infrastructure

The selected agency must ensure suitable training infrastructure, including:

1. Smart classrooms
2. Practical laboratories
3. Machinery and equipment
4. Training aids
5. PPE
6. Internet connectivity
7. Audio-visual facilities
8. Biometric attendance
9. CCTV surveillance
10. Safety equipment

Infrastructure is required to comply with applicable NCVET and Sector Skill Council norms.

4. Human Resources

The agency is expected to deploy appropriate personnel, including:

1. Project Manager
2. Centre Manager
3. Qualified Trainers
4. Mobilizers
5. Placement Coordinators
6. MIS Personnel
7. Support Staff

Trainers must meet applicable SSC/NCVET qualification and experience requirements.

5. Assessment and Certification

Responsibilities include:

1. Internal assessments
2. Facilitation of third-party assessments
3. Certification through NCVET/SSC-authorized assessment agencies, wherever applicable
4. Maintenance of complete assessment records

6. Placement and Post-Placement Support

The agency must facilitate:

1. Placement interviews
2. Wage employment
3. Apprenticeship opportunities
4. Entrepreneurship/self-employment
5. Placement tracking
6. Post-placement support

The RFP specifies a minimum 70% placement/self-employment/apprenticeship linkage, or such percentage as may be prescribed in the Agreement.

7. MIS, Reporting and Documentation

The agency will maintain:

1. Candidate database
2. Biometric attendance
3. Batch records
4. Assessment reports
5. Placement reports
6. MIS
7. Photographs and videos
8. Success stories
9. Case studies
10. Utilization records

The project will be monitored through physical inspections, review meetings, online MIS, biometric attendance, CCTV monitoring, monthly progress reports, quarterly performance reviews and third-party verification wherever required.

Proposed Training Programmes

The RFP identifies 600 total beneficiaries across five indicative job roles:

The authority reserves the right to add, modify or substitute job roles depending on industry demand, beneficiary requirements and DMF approval.

Professional Qualification and Experience Criteria

A tender expert review of the RFP indicates an important distinction between minimum eligibility and technical scoring criteria.

Minimum Eligibility

The bidder must:

1. Be a legally registered organization under one of the permitted legal forms, including company, society, trust, partnership, LLP or eligible sole proprietorship.
2. Have been in operation for at least five years as on 30 March 2026.
3. Have filed ITRs for FY 2022-23, FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.
4. Have minimum average annual turnover of ₹6 crore from similar assignments/services over those three financial years.
5. Have at least five years' experience in skill development or industry-linked training projects, with proven exposure to NSQF-aligned programmes.
6. Maintain at least 10 experienced professionals.
7. Not be blacklisted by Central/State Government Ministries, PSUs or Government agencies.
8. Submit the required Power of Attorney for the authorized bid signatory.
9. Bid independently; consortiums, JVs, associations and subcontracting are not allowed.

Additional Technical Evaluation Criteria

For scoring purposes, the RFP awards marks for stronger experience. In particular:

1. 10+ years of experience in skill development/industry-linked training under the Iron & Steel sector attracts technical marks.
2. Experience in NSQF-aligned Iron & Steel training is evaluated based on the number of candidates successfully trained.
3. At least two government-funded projects are required for the specified technical evaluation criterion.
4. Experience in Odisha or aspirational/mining-affected districts is an added advantage.
5. Technical presentation covers understanding of scope, methodology and staffing/study management plan.

The total technical score is 100 marks, and only bidders securing above 70% in technical evaluation proceed to financial evaluation.

Financial Criteria

Minimum Average Annual Turnover

The bidder must have an average annual turnover of ₹6.00 crore from similar assignments or similar services for:

1. FY 2022-23
2. FY 2023-24
3. FY 2024-25

The financial details must be supported by audited financial statements certified by a Chartered Accountant.

Net Worth

No specific minimum net worth requirement is stated in the RFP.

This should be shown as "Not Specified" rather than assuming that a net-worth threshold applies.

Financial Evaluation

The tender follows the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) methodology:

1. Technical score weight: 70%
2. Financial score weight: 30%
3. Minimum technical qualification: above 70%
4. Financial proposals are opened only for technically qualified bidders.

The financial score is calculated using the formula Sf = 100 × Fm/F, where Fm is the lowest financial bid and F is the bid under consideration.

Tender Fee and EMD

Tender / Bid Processing Fee

₹10,000 (Rupees Ten Thousand only)

Mode: Demand Draft

Payable in favour of:

District Skill Development-cum-Employment Officer, Keonjhar, payable at Keonjhar.

The RFP states that exemption may be available to MSMEs and Startups as per OGFR.

Earnest Money Deposit

₹8,00,000 (Rupees Eight Lakh only)

Permitted form:

1. Demand Draft
2. Fixed Deposit
3. Postal Deposit

The instrument must be duly pledged in favour of the District Skill Development-cum-Employment Officer, Keonjhar, from a nationalized/scheduled bank or post office. The RFP also provides for possible exemption for MSMEs and Startups.

EMD Online: No. The RFP specifically prescribes physical DD/FD/Postal Deposit instruments.

Estimated Project Cost

The RFP does not state a fixed estimated tender value/project cost.

Instead, the Financial Proposal provides a budget framework comprising:

1. A. Training Expenses
2. B. Residential Expenses
3. C. Other Expenses

The RFP's financial form states that training costs are based on applicable common norms updated from time to time, with the last update indicated as 23 February 2026. Assessment and certification, insurance and induction kits are separately provided for in the financial format.

Therefore, for public tender reporting, the appropriate entry is:

Estimated Cost: Not specifically disclosed/stated as a fixed amount in the RFP.

As an indicative calculation only, the stated training and residential rates in the financial form produce a base amount of approximately ₹2.27 crore for 600 beneficiaries, before the separately variable assessment/certification, insurance, induction-kit and applicable tax components. This is a calculation from the rates shown in the financial template and should not be described as the official estimated tender value.

Submission Guidelines

The RFP requires an offline physical submission through Speed Post/Registered Post (India Post).

The proposal is divided into two parts:

Part 1 – Fee, Pre-Qualification and Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal must be placed in a sealed envelope along with the applicable Bid Processing Fee and EMD.

The envelope should be marked:

“Technical Proposal – <Proposed Project Name>”

No financial/pricing information should be included in the Technical Proposal. A technical bid containing financial information may be declared non-responsive.

Part 2 – Financial Proposal

The Financial Proposal must be placed in a separate sealed envelope marked:

“Financial Proposal – <Proposed Project Name>”

The bidder must use the prescribed financial formats. The quoted rates are to remain fixed for the contract period or agreed extension, and the financial proposal is inclusive of direct and indirect costs for delivery of the services but exclusive of GST.

Physical Submission Requirements

The RFP specifically requires the proposal to be:

1. Complete in all respects
2. Indexed
3. Hard bound
4. Page numbered
5. Signed/sealed by the authorized representative
6. Submitted in the prescribed formats

Conditional bids and deviations from the prescribed procedure can result in rejection.

The client will not be responsible for postal delays or consequences arising from late receipt of the proposal.

Important Tender Dates

The RFP's Data Sheet is the controlling source for these dates and also notes that the client reserves the right to change the schedule; bidders are advised to check the official website regularly.

The RFP states that amendments/addenda may be issued through the Keonjhar district website, and such addenda will be binding on bidders.

Document Checklist for Bidders

The RFP's Annexure-I Bid Submission Checklist provides the following list.

Technical Proposal – Original + 1 Copy

1. Bid Submission Checklist – Annexure-I
2. Covering Letter – TECH-1
3. Bid Processing Fee of ₹10,000, in the prescribed DD form, unless applicable exemption is claimed
4. EMD of ₹8,00,000, in prescribed form, unless applicable exemption is claimed
5. Certificate of Incorporation / Registration / applicable deed
6. PAN
7. GSTIN
8. Income Tax Returns for FY 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25
9. General Details of Bidder – TECH-2
10. Financial Details – TECH-3, supported by audited Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet for the last three FYs
11. Power of Attorney – TECH-4 in favour of the person signing the bid
12. Past Experience Details – TECH-5, with supporting work orders/contracts
13. Conflict of Interest Declaration – TECH-6
14. Approach, Methodology & Work Plan – TECH-7
15. Declaration confirming submission as an independent agency and no consortium/JV/association/subcontracting
16. Declaration confirming that the agency has not been blacklisted
17. Proof of the number of experienced professionals

Financial Proposal – Original + 1 Copy

18. Financial Bid Covering Letter – FIN-1
19. Summary of Financial Proposal – FIN-2

The bidder must also undertake that the information has been submitted according to the prescribed procedure, both parts are separately bound without loose sheets, pages are numbered with an index, and all pages are sealed and signed by the authorized representative.

Tender Evaluation Process

The RFP follows a three-stage evaluation process:

Stage 1 – Preliminary Evaluation

The authority checks eligibility and completeness of required documents. Non-compliance or missing mandatory documentation can lead to outright rejection.

Stage 2 – Technical Evaluation

Technical proposals are scored out of 100 based on:

1. Average annual turnover
2. Iron & Steel sector experience
3. NSQF-aligned training experience and number of candidates trained
4. Government-funded project experience
5. Technical presentation
6. Approach and methodology
7. Staffing/study management plan

Only bidders obtaining above 70% are considered for financial evaluation.

Stage 3 – Financial Evaluation

Only technically qualified bidders proceed to financial evaluation under QCBS, with 70:30 technical-to-financial weighting. The bidder achieving the highest combined score is preferred for the award process. In case of a tie, the bidder with the higher technical score is preferred.

Key Tender Highlights for Skill Development Agencies

This RFP is particularly relevant for organizations operating in:

1. Skill Development
2. Vocational Education and Training
3. Iron & Steel Sector Training
4. Mining Sector Skill Development
5. NSQF-aligned Training
6. NCVET-compliant Training
7. Sector Skill Council programmes
8. Apprenticeship and placement-linked programmes
9. DMF-funded skill development projects
10. Government-funded training programmes

A notable eligibility threshold is the ₹6 crore average annual turnover, while the RFP also requires at least five years of relevant skill development/industry-linked training experience and a minimum workforce of 10 experienced professionals.

At the technical evaluation stage, agencies with stronger Iron & Steel sector experience, NSQF-aligned training delivery and government/DMF project experience can obtain additional marks.

Tender Expert's Compliance Notes

For prospective bidders, the following points deserve particular attention:

1. Do not treat the ₹6 crore turnover as general corporate turnover without checking the wording. The RFP specifies average annual turnover from similar assignments or similar services.

2. Five years is the minimum experience threshold, but 10 years of Iron & Steel sector experience is a technical scoring criterion. Agencies should therefore document both general skill-development experience and sector-specific experience.

3. Net worth is not prescribed. Bidders should not create an assumed net-worth threshold.

4. This is an offline bid. The RFP calls for Speed Post/Registered Post submission and physical financial/EMD instruments.

5. Do not insert pricing information in the Technical Proposal. The RFP expressly states that financial information in the technical bid can make the bid non-responsive.

6. No consortium/JV/subcontracting is permitted.

7. Check addenda before dispatching the bid. The procuring authority reserves the right to amend the RFP and extend the deadline if necessary.

8. Postal delivery time should be planned carefully. The authority specifically states that it will not be responsible for postal delay.

Technical Qualification Threshold

The selection process uses a three-stage evaluation mechanism covering preliminary scrutiny, technical evaluation and financial evaluation.

The technical proposal carries 100 marks, and bidders must secure above 70% to qualify for the financial stage. The final selection is based on QCBS with 70% weight for technical performance and 30% for financial score.

Key Deadlines

According to the RFP Data Sheet, the RFP was issued on 03 September 2026. The deadline for pre-proposal queries is 09 September 2026, while pre-proposal clarifications are scheduled for 11 September 2026 at 11:30 AM.

The proposal submission deadline is 23 September 2026 at 5:00 PM, followed by opening of the Technical Proposal on 24 September 2026 at 11:30 AM. The date for opening the Financial Proposal will be communicated to technically qualified bidders.

Interested agencies should carefully review the complete RFP, prepare all prescribed technical and financial documents, and monitor the official Keonjhar district website for any addendum or change in schedule before submitting their proposals.

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