Tender Overview

The principal tender dates, bid format, bid validity, implementation period and QCBS method are specified in the RFP data sheet and indicative procurement schedule.

Key Tender Requirements at a Glance

The turnover, certifications, experience, Maharashtra office, GST and non-blacklisting requirements are set out in the pre-qualification table.

Important point on Net Worth and Estimated Cost

The supplied RFP specifies a ₹5 crore average cumulative annual turnover requirement, but does not prescribe a separate minimum net worth criterion in the eligibility table. Similarly, the supplied RFP and available BOQ information do not provide a stated estimated project cost. Therefore, SkillCouncils.com should not publish an assumed estimated cost or net-worth threshold as a tender requirement.

Scope of Work

The MSBB project covers end-to-end development and operation of a digital management platform for Sacred Groves in Maharashtra.

1. Mobile Application Development

The successful bidder is expected to undertake UI/UX design and develop an Android and iOS application, or a technically justified cross-platform application meeting the required functionality and security standards.

Key functions include:

1. Secure registration and login
2. OTP/password authentication
3. Role-based access
4. Sacred Grove survey and digital documentation
5. GPS location capture and geo-tagging
6. Interactive GIS and map functionality
7. Polygon boundary demarcation and area calculation
8. Offline field survey and encrypted local storage
9. Automatic synchronization after connectivity is restored
10. Photo, video, audio and document uploads
11. Timestamp and geo-location metadata
12. Unique Sacred Grove ID / QR capability
13. Draft and auto-save functionality
14. Conflict-safe synchronization
15. Notifications and status tracking
16. Marathi and English interfaces
17. Field reports and summaries
18. Secure application update mechanism

These mobile application requirements are detailed in the scope section of the RFP.

2. Department Web Portal

The web portal is expected to provide:

1. Central monitoring dashboard
2. User and role management
3. District, division, taluka and village master data
4. Dynamic survey/form builder
5. Verification and approval workflows
6. GIS dashboards
7. Map layers and polygons
8. Survey assignment and tracking
9. Media/document review
10. Notifications and alerts
11. Reports and analytics
12. Excel and PDF exports
13. Audit logs
14. System configuration
15. Backup and operational monitoring

3. GIS and Spatial Management

The project requires GIS/GPS capabilities covering:

1. Latitude and longitude capture
2. Elevation/accuracy where available
3. KML creation
4. Polygon boundary capture and editing
5. District/taluka/village mapping
6. Area calculations
7. Spatial summaries
8. Layer-based visualization
9. GeoJSON/KML and other approved GIS format support
10. Secure handling of sensitive biodiversity coordinates
11. Potential integration with Government GIS services

The RFP specifically describes GIS mapping, polygon demarcation, spatial summaries and secure handling of sensitive biodiversity information.

4. Survey & Biodiversity Data Management

The platform is intended to manage information relating to:

1. Ecological characteristics and vegetation
2. Wildlife observations
3. Biodiversity information
4. Medicinal plants
5. Water bodies
6. Cultural, historical and religious information
7. Community ownership/management information
8. Conservation status and threats
9. Supporting documents and field evidence
10. Surveyor/contributor information
11. Version history

5. Workflow, Reporting & Monitoring

The indicative workflow covers:

User authentication → Survey initiation → GPS/GIS capture → Form completion → Multimedia evidence → Draft/save → Submission → Assignment → Verification → Correction/remarks → Approval/rejection → Central publication → Dashboard/reporting → Long-term monitoring.

The system is also expected to provide district-, taluka- and village-level reporting, status tracking, GIS summaries, surveyor performance information and Excel/PDF exports.

6. Cloud, Security and APIs

The architecture is expected to include:

1. Mobile application
2. Department web portal
3. REST APIs
4. GIS services
5. Central database
6. Object/media storage
7. Monitoring and logging
8. Government-approved cloud infrastructure
9. Role-based access control
10. Encryption
11. Backup and disaster recovery
12. Audit trails
13. Scalable architecture

The RFP also requires security testing/VAPT before production and remediation or formal acceptance of critical/high findings before production deployment.

Professional Qualification / Pre-Qualification Criteria

The tender is aimed at technically capable IT companies and legally recognized entities.

Legal Eligibility

The bidder must be an Indian company, LLP, partnership, proprietorship or other legally recognized entity eligible to contract with Government. Incorporation/registration documents, PAN and GST documentation are identified as proof.

Turnover

The bidder must have average cumulative annual turnover of at least ₹5 crore during the last three financial years.

Proof: audited financial statements and/or CA certificate.

Certifications

The bidder should hold:

1. CMMI Level 3 certification
2. ISO 9001:2015 or higher

The certificates should have been issued before the tender publication date.

Relevant Experience

At least one successfully completed mobile application development project involving one or more of the following:

1. Forest location capture
2. Geo-tagging
3. GPS/GNSS-based tracking
4. Route/path tracking
5. GIS-based mapping
6. Related field-location mapping

The client must be a Central Government Department, State Government Department, Government Authority, Government Undertaking or PSU. The bidder must have independently provided the solution and possess a direct work order/agreement. Third-party experience is not considered.

Forest Department Work Experience

The firm must have successfully executed at least two work orders or agreements of a minimum value of ₹2 crore from any State Forest Department or Forest Corporation. Third-party experience is not considered.

Non-Blacklisting

The bidder must not be blacklisted/debarred by a Central/State Government, PSU, statutory body or competent authority as on the bid date, subject to the disclosure requirements in the RFP.

Maharashtra Presence

The bidder must have:

1. An operational office in Maharashtra; and
2. Valid GSTN issued before the tender publishing date.

Consortium, JV and Subcontracting Restrictions

This is an important qualification point for prospective bidders.

The RFP states that consortiums and joint ventures are not permitted. The bidder must independently meet the technical, financial, experience, manpower and other qualification requirements. Credentials cannot be pooled from another entity.

The pre-qualification section also states that core development, software design, architecture, application development, customization, integration, testing, implementation, deployment and technical support are to be performed directly by the successful bidder using its own in-house team and resources.

Tender Fee and EMD

Tender Fee

₹15,000, inclusive of GST

EMD / Bid Security

₹2,00,000

The RFP data sheet records both the EMD and tender fee, while the tender notice table also specifies ₹2 lakh EMD and ₹15,000 tender fee.

The supplied RFP expressly states that the service provider must submit the EMD and tender fee. However, the document reviewed does not clearly state the exact payment instrument/mode for the EMD or tender fee. Bidders should therefore check the payment instructions displayed against the tender on the Maharashtra Government e-Tender Portal before making payment.

Submission Guidelines

The tender follows a two-cover / two-envelope e-Tender system:

1. Technical Bid
2. Financial Bid

The RFP states that the financial bid must be submitted only in the prescribed electronic BOQ/financial format. The bidder must quote a consolidated price for the complete scope and separately identify GST and optional items where applicable.

Online Submission

Bids are invited online through the Maharashtra Government e-Tender Portal:

www.mahaetenders.gov.in

The tender notice states that tender documents are available for online bid preparation and submission from 04 September 2026 to 18 September 2026.

Financial Bid

The financial quotation should include applicable costs for:

1. Development
2. Implementation
3. Testing
4. Documentation
5. Training
6. Warranty
7. Support
8. Cloud hosting
9. Included third-party services

Conditional commercial qualifications that materially alter the RFP requirements should not be inserted.

Important Tender Dates

The procurement schedule in the RFP describes the dates above as indicative.

Pre-Bid Meeting

No specific pre-bid meeting date, time or venue is identified in the supplied 19-page RFP. Prospective bidders should monitor MahaTenders for any clarification notice, corrigendum or subsequently notified pre-bid schedule.

Technical Evaluation and QCBS

The tender uses Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS).

The technical evaluation carries 80% weightage, while the financial evaluation carries 20% weightage. Only bidders achieving at least 70/100 in technical evaluation qualify for financial evaluation.

The technical evaluation includes consideration of:

1. Relevant mobile application/forest-location experience
2. Maharashtra Forest Department/Forest Corporation experience
3. ₹2 crore Forest Department work orders
4. Turnover
5. CMMI and ISO certifications
6. Technical presentation
7. Additional functionalities/facilities

The RFP specifies a total technical score of 100 marks, with a minimum qualifying score of 70.

Document Checklist for Bidders

Prospective bidders should prepare the following checklist based on the requirements stated in the supplied RFP:

A. Legal & Registration Documents

1. Certificate of Incorporation / Registration
2. PAN
3. GST Registration Certificate
4. Proof of eligibility to contract with Government
5. Proof of operational office in Maharashtra
6. Valid GSTN issued before tender publication date

B. Financial Qualification

1. Audited financial statements for the last three financial years
2. CA certificate confirming required turnover
3. Evidence of average annual turnover of at least ₹5 crore
4. Evidence of profit-making status for the last financial year
5. Note: No separate minimum net-worth certificate/threshold is stated in the supplied RFP

C. Certification Documents

1. Valid CMMI Level 3 certificate
2. Valid ISO 9001:2015 or higher certificate
3. Confirm certificates were issued before the tender publication date

D. Experience Documents

1. Work order / contract agreement for qualifying mobile application project
2. Evidence of forest location/GPS/GNSS/GIS/geo-tagging functionality
3. Direct Government/PSU client work order or agreement
4. At least two qualifying State Forest Department/Forest Corporation work orders or agreements
5. Evidence that each relevant work order meets the ₹2 crore minimum requirement
6. Supporting completion/performance documentation where applicable

E. Compliance Documents

1. Non-blacklisting / non-debarment self-declaration
2. Confirmation of compliance with tender eligibility requirements
3. Confirmation that bidder is submitting independently
4. Confirmation that consortium/JV participation is not being used
5. Confirmation of compliance with applicable Government procurement requirements

F. Bid Security & Fees

1. EMD of ₹2,00,000
2. Tender fee of ₹15,000 including GST
3. Payment proof/transaction details as required by the e-Tender portal
4. Verify payment mode and any applicable portal-specific instructions

G. Technical Bid

1. Technical proposal
2. Company profile
3. Relevant project experience
4. Technical architecture
5. Mobile application approach
6. Web portal approach
7. GIS/GPS approach
8. Security and VAPT approach
9. Cloud architecture
10. Implementation methodology
11. Project management plan
12. Training and knowledge-transfer plan
13. Warranty/support methodology
14. Technical presentation/demo material

H. Financial Bid

1. Prescribed electronic BOQ
2. Consolidated price for complete scope
3. GST identified separately
4. Optional items separately identified, where applicable
5. No conditional commercial qualification
6. Ensure the original BOQ template is not modified/replaced

Project Deliverables

The project is structured around multiple implementation phases, including:

1. Inception & SRS
2. UI/UX & Prototype
3. Core Development
4. Integration & Configuration
5. Testing & Security
6. UAT & Training
7. Go-Live & Handover
8. Warranty/Support

Expected outputs include the mobile app, portal, APIs, database, GIS modules, integrated build, security testing, UAT materials, production deployment, source code, credentials and documentation.

The RFP also calls for administrator and field-user training, manuals, technical architecture documentation, database schema/data dictionary, API documentation, deployment procedures, backup/DR procedures and source-code build/deployment instructions.

Consultation & Advisory

For consultation and advisory, please call or WhatsApp: 9630030343
Email: support@skillcouncils.com