NSDC VSSY 2.0 Tender – Key Details at a Glance

The RFP specifically provides the ₹8,900 per-candidate approved cost structure, but this should not be represented as the total estimated tender value, because the RFP provided does not state the overall beneficiary target/value necessary to calculate an aggregate estimated cost.

Scope of Work

The proposed Training Partner will be responsible for end-to-end implementation activities under VSSY 2.0.

1. Mobilization and Beneficiary Verification

The Training Partner is required to:

1. Coordinate with district authorities for beneficiary lists.
2. Verify beneficiary eligibility and documentation.
3. Communicate with candidates through SMS, telephone and other appropriate channels.
4. Mobilize only approved beneficiaries.
5. Maintain candidate records and consent forms.

2. Skill Training Delivery

The scope includes:

1. Conducting 10-day non-residential training.
2. Deployment of ToT-certified trainers.
3. Providing training materials.
4. Providing practical exposure and sector-expert sessions.
5. Maintaining Aadhaar-enabled attendance and supporting evidence.
6. Providing meals and training facilities as prescribed.

3. Assessment and Certification

The selected Training Partner will:

1. Coordinate RPL assessments with relevant Sector Skill Councils.
2. Facilitate assessment logistics.
3. Ensure candidate participation in assessments.
4. Support issuance of certificates.

4. Post-Training Support

The assignment also covers:

1. Assistance with toolkit-related processes.
2. Awareness/handholding relating to margin money loans.
3. Reporting and outcome tracking.

5. Infrastructure, Documentation and Compliance

Training Partners are required to arrange suitable permanent training centres, equipment, tools, consumables and safety arrangements. They must also maintain photographs, videos, attendance and feedback records and submit district-wise completion reports and other required documents.

The RFP places particular emphasis on beneficiary verification, approved training locations, ToT-certified trainers, timely portal updates and prevention of fake candidates, proxy attendance and fraudulent practices.

Eligibility and Pre-Qualification Criteria

The eligibility requirements are mandatory. Only bidders meeting the eligibility requirements proceed to technical evaluation.

1. Legal Entity

The bidder must be a legally registered entity in India, including:

1. Company
2. Society
3. Trust
4. Section 8 Company
5. Partnership Firm
6. LLP

The entity must have been registered for at least three years as of the RFP release date and must have valid GST registration and PAN.

2. NSDC / Government Scheme Experience

The bidder should either:

1. Be a funded or non-funded Training Partner of NSDC; or
2. Have implemented another government scheme through Skill India Digital HUB (SIDH) or another government portal involving at least 1,000 candidates.

Supporting evidence may include an NSDC empanelment letter/MoU/agreement or a relevant government portal dashboard showing certified candidates.

3. Financial Eligibility

The bidder must have:

1. Positive net worth, and
2. Minimum average annual turnover of ₹5 crore from Training Partner/similar services.

The turnover is to be considered for the previous three financial years specified in the RFP: FY 2023-24, FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26.

Importantly, the RFP states that the turnover must be that of the individual bidding company and not a group of companies.

4. Relevant Experience

The bidder must have:

1. Minimum 3 years' experience in skill development, vocational training or capacity-building training programmes in India for a Government Department; and
2. Trained at least 25,000 participants during the past three years under a Government Department.

Relevant work orders, contracts, agreements and completion certificates are prescribed as evidence.

5. No Blacklisting/Debarment

The bidder must not be debarred, blacklisted or suspended by Central/State Government Departments, government agencies, PSUs, government-affiliated agencies or multilateral agencies as on the bid submission date.

The RFP also specifically states that the bidder, its Training Provider or Training Centre should not be currently blacklisted for any project implemented by NSDC/MSDE. A notarised declaration on ₹100 stamp paper is prescribed.

6. Mandatory Compliance with TOR/SOW

All requirements in the Terms of Reference and Scope of Work are mandatory. Failure to demonstrate the ability to provide the required services can result in disqualification.

Professional and Technical Qualification Criteria

After eligibility screening, NSDC evaluates technically qualified bidders for a total of 100 marks.

Financial Capability – 10 Marks

1. ₹5 crore to ₹10 crore: 3 marks
2. More than ₹10 crore to ₹20 crore: 5 marks
3. More than ₹20 crore: 10 marks

Required evidence includes audited financial statements and a CA-certified turnover statement.

Past Experience – 5 Marks

1. Minimum 3 years: 1 mark
2. More than 3 to 7 years: 2.5 marks
3. More than 7 years: 5 marks

Candidates Trained – 10 Marks

1. Minimum 25,000: 3 marks
2. More than 25,000 to 50,000: 5 marks
3. More than 50,000: 10 marks

Past Performance – 10 Marks

The bidder's completed training performance in a single programme over the previous five years is assessed based on participants trained:

1. 7,000–15,000: 3 marks
2. 15,000–30,000: 5 marks
3. More than 30,000: 10 marks.

Trainer Qualification – 5 Marks

The bidder must propose at least 15 trainers.

Each trainer must:

1. Hold Training of Trainers (ToT) certification; and
2. Have at least 3 years of relevant sectoral experience.

Scoring is 0.25 mark per trainer for 3–5 years' experience and 0.5 mark per trainer for more than 5 years' experience. CVs and ToT certificates are required.

Geographical Experience – 15 Marks

1. Minimum 10 districts and 2 states: 3 marks
2. Minimum 20 districts and 4 states: 5 marks
3. Minimum 30 districts and 6 states: 10 marks
4. Additional 5 marks for successfully training at least 10,000 participants in Uttar Pradesh under similar schemes such as ODOP/VSSY/RAMP.

ISO Certification – 5 Marks

1. ISO 9001 certification: 2 marks
2. ISO 9001 + FSSAI licence: 5 marks.

Approach and Methodology – 40 Marks

This is the largest component of technical evaluation. The bidder's presentation will cover:

1. Understanding of project objectives and scope
2. Implementation plan and timelines
3. Mobilization and candidate outreach strategy
4. Training delivery methodology
5. Use of technology/innovation
6. Monitoring mechanism

A 10–15 slide technical presentation is required and may be presented virtually or in person before the evaluation committee.

Tender Fee, EMD and Estimated Cost

A key point for bidders is that the provided RFP does not state a tender fee, EMD amount, bid security amount or EMD payment mode. A search of the complete document did not identify an EMD provision.

Therefore, for public reporting, these fields should be published as “Not Mentioned in RFP” rather than assigning an amount based on assumptions.

Similarly, the RFP does not provide an overall estimated tender/project cost or a beneficiary quantity from which a total tender value can be reliably calculated.

However, the Financial Declaration provides an approved cost per candidate of ₹8,900, comprising:

The RFP states that the above cost is subject to the MoU/project cost received from the department and that NSDC will retain 5% of the overall cost under the Project Management Unit.

* The assessment cost may be paid by the department to the assessment body or to NSDC.

Editorial recommendation: SkillCouncils.com should not publish ₹8,900 as the “estimated tender cost”. It is more accurately described as the approved cost per candidate stated in the RFP.

Submission Guidelines

The bid is to be submitted online through the NSDC e-Procurement Portal. The RFP specifically states that both Technical and Financial Proposals are to be submitted through the prescribed e-Procurement mechanism.

Important submission requirements include:

1. Submit the Technical and Financial Proposals through the prescribed e-Procurement portal.
2. Technical and Financial information should be submitted separately as required.
3. The Technical Proposal must not contain financial bid information.
4. Only one proposal can be submitted.
5. The proposal must be signed by the authorised representative.
6. Pages are required to be initialled as prescribed.
7. Power of Attorney authorising the signatory must form part of the bid.
8. Conditional bids are liable to rejection.
9. Cloud links for proposal/document/presentation submission are not accepted.
10. Proposal size should not exceed 20 MB; where necessary, multiple files may be uploaded, subject to the portal's attachment limit of 25 MB.
11. Bidders should use the e-Procurement server clock as the reference for the submission deadline.
12. Bidders should not wait until the final day because connectivity, browser, DSC or technical problems will not ordinarily be accepted as grounds for late submission.

A Class III Digital Signature Certificate with both Signing and Encryption components is mandatory for participation, and bidders must register on the NSDC e-Tendering Portal.

Proposal Validity

The bid must remain valid for 180 days after the proposal submission deadline.

Subcontracting

The RFP states that the bidder shall not subcontract the whole or any part of the services awarded under the RFP.

Important Tender Dates

The RFP says that a pre-proposal meeting will be held on the date and time specified in the Important Dates, but the Important Dates table reproduced on page 1 does not actually provide a pre-proposal meeting date/time. Therefore, SkillCouncils.com should not publish an assumed meeting date.

Similarly, the RFP explains that bids will be opened in two phases, beginning with the Technical Proposal, but does not provide a specific opening date/time in the Important Dates table.

Document Checklist for Bidders

The RFP's Form 5 provides a bidder checklist. Based on that checklist and the mandatory eligibility requirements, bidders should prepare the following documents:

Mandatory Corporate Documents

• ☐ Certificate of Incorporation/Registration
• ☐ GST Registration Certificate
• ☐ PAN Card
• ☐ CA certificate with UDIN
• ☐ Audited financial statements/balance sheets
• ☐ Turnover evidence for relevant financial years
• ☐ Positive net-worth evidence

Eligibility and Experience Documents

• ☐ NSDC Empanelment Letter/MoU/Agreement, or
• ☐ SIDH/other government portal evidence showing at least 1,000 certified candidates
• ☐ Relevant government work orders/contracts/agreements
• ☐ Completion certificates
• ☐ Evidence of minimum 25,000 participants trained during the last three years
• ☐ Evidence of geographical experience
• ☐ Evidence of Uttar Pradesh experience, where applicable

Legal and Declaration Documents

• ☐ Blacklisting/Non-Debarment Declaration
• ☐ Declaration on prescribed ₹100 stamp paper duly notarised, as required
• ☐ Board Resolution
• ☐ Power of Attorney for authorised signatory
• ☐ TOR/SOW compliance undertaking
• ☐ Conflict of Interest Declaration

Technical Proposal Documents

• ☐ Technical Proposal Submission Form
• ☐ Bidder Information Form
• ☐ Past Experience Form
• ☐ Trainer CVs
• ☐ ToT certificates for proposed trainers
• ☐ Minimum 15 proposed trainers
• ☐ ISO 9001 certificate, where applicable
• ☐ FSSAI licence, where applicable
• ☐ Approach & Methodology presentation
• ☐ 10–15 slide technical presentation
• ☐ Implementation plan
• ☐ Mobilization/candidate outreach strategy
• ☐ Training delivery methodology
• ☐ Monitoring mechanism
• ☐ Technology/innovation approach

The official Form 5 checklist specifically includes registration/GST/PAN documents, CA certificates and audited balance sheet, Section II/III documents, blacklisting declaration, BR/PoA, TOR declaration, Conflict of Interest declaration, Approach & Methodology presentation, Technical Proposal Submission Form and Bidder Information Form.

Payment and Performance Considerations

The RFP adopts an outcome-linked payment approach. Payment is made for candidates who are successfully certified and supported by documentary evidence and portal validation.

Disbursement is linked to defined milestones, approved targets and verified outcomes. In case of partial achievement, payment is made on a pro-rata basis. Payments are also subject to submission of mandatory documents, portal validation and quality monitoring.

The Training Partner must submit assessment and completion records within 15 days of completion. Delay in deliverables may attract a penalty equivalent to 10% of the SLA value, with additional penalties or other actions possible under applicable guidelines and NSDC decisions.

Tender Evaluation Method

NSDC will first examine whether the bidder meets the mandatory eligibility criteria. Only eligible bidders proceed to technical evaluation.

The technical evaluation carries 100 marks, with Approach & Methodology accounting for 40 marks, followed by geographical experience at 15 marks, participant experience and past performance components, financial capability, trainer qualifications and ISO-related criteria.

The bidder achieving the highest technical score is ranked first, subject to the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee and approval by the competent authority. In the event of a tie in the highest technical score, financial capacity is used for determining the award, subject to the stated approval process.

Expert Tender Analysis: Key Points for Prospective Bidders

From a tender-readiness perspective, this RFP is particularly relevant to established skill development organisations, vocational training providers, NSDC Training Partners and agencies with substantial Government training experience.

The most important qualification barriers are:

1. ₹5 crore minimum average annual turnover: Smaller training organisations without the required financial scale will not meet the mandatory financial eligibility requirement.

2. Three years' Government training experience: The experience must relate to skill development, vocational training or capacity-building programmes for a Government Department.

3. 25,000 participants trained: This is a substantial past-performance requirement and must be supported with acceptable documentary evidence.

4. Minimum 15 ToT-certified trainers: Bidders need to identify and document an adequate trainer pool before submission.

5. Geographic capability: Experience across multiple districts and states can materially increase the technical score.

6. Strong methodology is critical: With 40 marks assigned to Approach & Methodology, bidders should devote significant attention to mobilization, implementation planning, training quality, technology, monitoring and outcome tracking.

7. Documentation discipline is essential: The RFP makes clear that deficiencies in required documents can result in rejection, while all eligibility documents must be valid, legal and legible.

Important Document Observation

There is an internal reference inconsistency in the RFP that prospective bidders should be aware of.

The cover page and Terms of Reference clearly identify the assignment as relating to Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana 2.0 in Uttar Pradesh. The TOR also identifies the Directorate of Industries and Enterprise Promotion, Government of Uttar Pradesh, as the Grantor.

However, certain portions of the document, including one introductory clause and a helpdesk/query subject reference, contain references to Meghalaya/registered BOCW beneficiaries in Meghalaya. This appears to be an inconsistency within the document rather than the principal tender title/TOR.

Tender advisory: Bidders should verify the latest corrigendum/addendum and clarification published on the official NSDC e-Procurement portal before submitting the bid, particularly if the Meghalaya references affect interpretation of eligibility, geography or scope. The RFP itself directs bidders to regularly check NSDC's Active Tenders page and the e-Procurement portal for amendments/corrigenda.

Quick Tender Summary for SkillCouncils.com

NSDC VSSY 2.0 Training Partner Tender 2026 is an opportunity for eligible training organisations to participate in the implementation of 10-day non-residential skill upgradation, RPL assessment and certification, mobilization and post-training support under VSSY 2.0 in Uttar Pradesh.

The key mandatory thresholds include ₹5 crore average annual turnover, positive net worth, three years of relevant Government training experience, at least 25,000 participants trained in the previous three years, and NSDC/SIDH or comparable government scheme experience involving at least 1,000 candidates.

The tender is online, and the bid submission deadline is 16 September 2026 at 6:00 PM. The RFP does not specify a tender fee, EMD amount, EMD mode, overall estimated tender cost, or a specific date/time for technical bid opening in the document provided.

The approved programme cost stated in the RFP is ₹8,900 per candidate for the 10-day programme, comprising training, assessment/certification and food components.

Consultation & Advisory

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