MUMBAI: The government is giving its AI hiring engine another spin. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reopened the empanelment process for agencies that can provide artificial intelligence and machine learning manpower and project support to government departments.
The fresh exercise, according to a Moneycontrol report, will add vendors to the existing panel rather than replace those already selected. New entrants will also have to accept the L1 rate card discovered during the first procurement round.
The first round had empanelled Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), NEC Corporation India, Kyndryl Solutions, Cactus Technology Solutions, CoRover and Innefu Labs.
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) issued the fresh Request for Empanelment (RFE) on 10 August under the Digital India programme. Agencies selected in this round will remain empanelled until 21 April 2028, operating under the same service-level agreements, performance bank guarantee requirements and contractual conditions as the existing panel.
The idea is straightforward: instead of government departments having to start a fresh procurement exercise every time they need AI expertise, the empanelled agencies can provide access to specialised talent and project teams through an established framework.
The scope covers manpower augmentation, AI project teams and turnkey AI projects, with roles ranging from AI architects and programme managers to data scientists, AI/ML engineers, data engineers, MLOps professionals and AI quality-assurance engineers.
There is, however, a technical gate to clear. Agencies applying under the new RFE must score at least 75 out of 100 in the technical evaluation to move to the final stage. Proposals must be submitted by 7 September, while technical bids are scheduled to open on 8 September.
The reopening comes as government bodies expand their use of AI across public-sector functions. In July, Mumbai-based Cactus Technology Solutions said it had won a MeitY contract to develop an AI-powered platform to help government departments draft, review and validate procurement documents.
For MeitY, the second round effectively broadens the government’s AI talent pool without resetting the commercial framework already established in the first round. More vendors, same rate card — the government’s AI hiring pipeline is getting a wider lane.
