Government Reopens AI/ML Vendor Empanelment
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reopened its empanelment process for agencies providing artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) manpower and project support to the government, as reported by Moneycontrol and The Times of India. The move is aimed at widening the pool of technology partners for AI/ML projects across government programmes.
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), which functions under MeitY, issued the fresh Request for Empanelment (RFE) on August 10, 2025, under the Digital India programme. Bid submissions are scheduled to close on September 7, with bids expected to be opened the next day.
First Round Selection
The first round of empanelment selected six companies: Tata Consultancy Services, NEC India, Kyndryl, CoRover, Innefu Labs, and Cactus Technology Solutions. These companies have been selected to work on government AI projects, as confirmed by both Moneycontrol and The Times of India.
Conditions for New Entrants
Companies joining through the latest round will have to accept the rate card discovered during the earlier empanelment process. According to Moneycontrol, the rates cannot be revised upwards or renegotiated, and new entrants will be governed by the same service-level agreements, performance bank guarantee requirements, and contractual terms as the existing agencies.
Agencies empanelled through the new process will remain on the panel until April 21, 2028, as stated by Moneycontrol.
Purpose and Scope
The framework is intended to give ministries, departments, states, and public sector undertakings easier access to specialised AI talent without having to conduct a fresh procurement for every requirement, according to Moneycontrol. Engagements can involve manpower augmentation, AI project team delivery, or turnkey AI projects.
The roles covered range from AI architects and programme managers to data scientists, AI/ML engineers, data engineers, MLOps professionals, and AI quality-assurance engineers.
Evaluation Process
Agencies must score at least 75 out of 100 in the technical evaluation before proceeding to the final stage, as reported by Moneycontrol. The proposal submission deadline is September 7, with technical bids to open the next day.
Context: Cactus Technology Contract
In July, the Mumbai-based Cactus Technology said it won the ministry's contract to build an AI-powered platform that will help government departments draft, review, and validate procurement documents, as reported by Moneycontrol. Moneycontrol also reported that Cactus Technology and Kyndryl Solutions were the only two technically qualified bidders for that project.