MeitY reopens AI vendor empanelment for government projects

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reopened its empanelment process for agencies providing artificial intelligence and machine learning manpower and project support to government departments, expanding the pool of vendors available for AI-related work.

According to a Moneycontrol report, the second round will add new agencies to the existing panel rather than replace the six vendors selected during the first procurement round. New entrants will also have to accept the L1 rate card established during the initial procurement process.

The first panel includes Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), NEC Corporation India, Kyndryl Solutions, Cactus Technology Solutions, CoRover and Innefu Labs.

The fresh Request for Empanelment (RFE) was issued by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) on August 10 under the Digital India programme. Agencies selected through the new process will remain empanelled until April 21, 2028, and will operate under the same service-level agreements, performance bank guarantee requirements and other contractual terms as the existing vendors.

The framework is intended to make it easier for ministries, government departments, states and public sector undertakings to access specialised AI expertise without running a separate procurement process for each requirement.

The empanelled agencies can be engaged for manpower augmentation, delivery of dedicated AI project teams and turnkey AI projects. The scope covers a range of specialised roles, including AI architects, programme managers, data scientists, AI/ML engineers, data engineers, MLOps professionals and AI quality-assurance engineers.

Under the fresh RFE, agencies must score at least 75 out of 100 in the technical evaluation to move to the final stage. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 7, while technical bids are scheduled to open on September 8.

The move comes as government bodies increasingly explore AI applications across public-sector operations. In July, Mumbai-based Cactus Technology Solutions said it had secured a MeitY contract to develop an AI-powered platform designed to help government departments draft, review and validate procurement documents.

The second empanelment round therefore broadens the government’s AI vendor base while retaining the commercial and contractual framework established through the first round. For government entities looking to scale AI projects, the approach could make access to specialised talent less of a procurement hurdle and more of an on-demand capability.