Invitation for suggestions and feedback on the Draft Request for Empanelment (RFE) for Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker

National e-Governance Division (NeGD) Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India PUBLIC NOTICE

Date: 21 September 2026

Subject: Invitation for suggestions and feedback on the Draft Request for Empanelment

(RFE) for Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), MeitY, proposes to empanel eligible agencies as Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker. These agencies will work on

the Requester side of DigiLocker: identifying use cases, bringing Requesters to NeGD with complete proposals, onboarding and integrating them, taking the services live, and driving sustained transaction volumes. The aim is to widen the adoption of DigiLocker as trusted Digital Public Infrastructure for secure, paperless and consent-based service delivery. The initial sector focus is Financial Services, Education and Health.

Before the RFE is finalised, NeGD invites all stakeholders, including industry, prospective partners, Government departments, institutions and members of the public, to review the attached draft RFE (RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD) and share their suggestions and feedback. Comments are welcome on any aspect of the document, including the scope of work, eligibility and evaluation criteria, service levels, the financial model and terms and conditions.

Suggestions and feedback may be sent by email to partners@digitallocker.gov.in on or before 10 October 2026, with the subject line "Feedback on Draft RFE – DigiLocker Ecosystem Partners". Please mention your name, organisation (if any) and contact details in the email.

This notice invites comments only and is not an invitation to submit applications. NeGD may incorporate the feedback/suggestins received, as it considers appropriate, in the final RFE, and is not obliged to respond to individual submissions.

Attachment: Draft Request for Empanelment (RFE) for Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker (PDF) Regards J.L. Gupta Director National e-Governance Division (NeGD), 011-24303703REQUEST FOR EMPANELMENT (RFE) for Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker RFE No.: N-21/___/2026-NeGD

Date of Issue: [DD]/09/2026

Issued By: National e-Governance Division (NeGD), MeitY

Mode of Submission: OnlineTable of Contents Table of Contents 2 List of Abbreviations 4

SECTION I: Introduction and Background 6 Important Dates 6

SECTION II: Objective and Scope 8

2.1 Objective 8

2.2 Definitions 8

2.3 Operating Model 9

2.4 Scope of Work 9

2.5 Indicative Sector Use Cases 11

2.6 Deliverables and Timelines 12

2.7 NeGD Support 12

2.8 Service Levels (SLA) 12

2.9 Security, Privacy and Compliance 13

2.10 Safe Exit and Data Off-boarding 14

SECTION III: Eligibility Criteria 15

3.1 Pre-Qualification Criteria 15

3.2 Technical Qualification and Evaluation Criteria (Min 70/100) 16

SECTION IV: Application Preparation and Submission 18

4.1 Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) 18

4.2 Enrolment / Registration on the CPP Portal 18

4.3 Searching for the RFE Document 18

4.4 Preparation of Application Documents 18

4.5 Instructions for Online Submission 19

4.6 Online Bid Submission Process 20

4.7 Assistance to Applicants 20

4.8 Clarification on the RFE Document (Pre-Bid Queries) 20

4.9 Amendment of the RFE Document (Corrigendum) 20

4.10 Bid Opening Process 20

4.11 Application Validity & Other Information 21

4.12 Consortium and Outsourcing 21

4.13 Sub-contracting 21

4.14 Disqualification 21

4.15 Grievance Redressal 21

SECTION V: Evaluation and Empanelment Process 22

5.1 Evaluation Process 22

5.2 Financial Evaluation and Determination of Benchmark Rates 22

5.3 Empanelment 23

5.4 Basis of Payment, Attribution and Transaction Incentive Period 23

5.5 SLA & Penalties 23

5.6 Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) 24

SECTION VI: Terms and Conditions of Agreement 25 Page 2 of 436.1 Adherence to Terms & Conditions 25

6.2 Period of Empanelment 25

6.3 Right to Rejection and Annulment / No Obligation 25

6.4 Fraud and Corruption 25

6.5 Confidentiality, Data Protection & IPR 25

6.6 Indemnity & Limitation of Liability 26

6.7 Personnel, Substitution & Conflict of Interest 26

6.8 Suspension, Termination, De-empanelment & Withdrawal 26

6.9 Payment Process 27

6.10 Force Majeure 27

6.11 Dispute Resolution, Arbitration & Applicable Law 27

6.12 Relationship 27

6.13 Binding Clause 27

6.14 Agency's Integrity 27

6.15 Agency's Obligations 28

6.16 Audit and Inspection 28

6.17 Notices 28

6.18 Only One Application, Amendment & Others 28

Annexure I: Format for Pre-Bid Queries 29

Annexure II: Checklist for RFE 30 Pre-Qualification Criteria Checklist 30

Annexure III: Technical Bid 31 III-A: Applicant Particulars 31 III-B: Response against Technical Qualification Criteria 31

Annexure IV: Declaration (On the Letter Head) 33

Annexure V: Detail of Works Handled & Turnover 34

Annexure VI: Format for No Blacklisting / Self-Declaration 36

Annexure VII: Financial Bid Format 37

Annexure VIII: Format of Power of Attorney / Board Resolution 39

Annexure IX: Declaration under Rule 144(xi) of GFR 2017 (Land-Border Countries) 40

Annexure X: Format for Bid Securing Declaration 41 Right-click and select "Update Field" to refresh after opening in Word.

Page 3 of 43List of Abbreviations Abbreviation Full Form ABHA Ayushman Bharat Health Account API Application Programming Interface API Setu MeitY / NeGD platform for consent-based API access, including the DigiLocker consent framework CA Chartered Accountant CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education CERT-In Indian Computer Emergency Response Team CPP Portal Central Public Procurement Portal (https://eprocure.gov.in) CVC Central Vigilance Commission DPDP Act Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 DPI Digital Public Infrastructure DSC Digital Signature Certificate EMD Earnest Money Deposit GFR General Financial Rules, 2017 GST Goods and Services Tax ISO International Organization for Standardization KYC Know Your Customer LLP Limited Liability Partnership MeitY Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology MIS Management Information System MSE / MSME Micro and Small Enterprise / Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise NAD National Academic Depository NDA Non-Disclosure Agreement NeGD National e-Governance Division PAN Permanent Account Number PBG Performance Bank Guarantee PFMS Public Financial Management System PQ / TQ Pre-Qualification / Technical Qualification PSU Public Sector Undertaking Page 4 of 43Abbreviation Full Form RFE Request for Empanelment SLA Service Level Agreement SoP Standard Operating Procedure TDS Tax Deducted at Source TPA Third Party Administrator (health insurance) UAT User Acceptance Testing Page 5 of 43SECTION I: Introduction and Background National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

(MeitY), supports programme management and implementation of e-Governance projects and provides technical and advisory support to Ministries, Departments and Government organisations at the Central and State level. NeGD develops and manages National Public Digital Platforms including DigiLocker, UMANG and API Setu.

DigiLocker holds a large and growing corpus of documents issued directly by Government Issuers and provides a consent-based mechanism through which a Requester can access such Issued Documents of a citizen for delivery of a service. NeGD intends to expand the use of this mechanism across public and private institutions by empanelling specialised agencies that bring Requesters and service use cases into the DigiLocker ecosystem, with the objective of driving wider adoption of DigiLocker as a trusted Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for secure, paperless and consent-based service delivery.

Through this Request for Empanelment (RFE), NeGD intends to empanel a panel of eligible agencies ("Agencies" / "Applicants") as Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker. The

Agencies shall work on the Requester side of DigiLocker: identifying Use Cases, bringing Requesters to NeGD with complete proposals, onboarding and integrating them, taking the Service live and driving sustained transaction volumes thereafter. Every Use Case and every Requester is subject to prior approval of NeGD, and remuneration is transaction-linked at benchmark rates determined through the financial evaluation under this RFE. Empanelment does not by itself guarantee any Use Case, Requester, transaction or revenue to an Agency.

Important Dates Key Information Details Assignment Empanelment of Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD Empanelling Authority Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), through NeGD Date of Publish of RFE TBD Last Date for Pre-Bid Queries TBD (prescribed Excel format, Annexure I) Date of Pre-Bid Meeting TBD Physical / Online: NeGD, 2nd Floor, Conference Hall, SCOPE Complex, Core-3, New Delhi

Online link: To be provided later Last Date & Time of Application TBD Submission Opening of Applications (Pre- TBD Qualification / Technical Cover) Page 6 of 43Key Information Details Technical Presentation before the To be intimated to Applicants qualifying the Pre-Qualification Committee criteria Opening of Financial Cover To be intimated to technically qualified Applicants Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) / Rs. 50,000 (Rs. Fifty Thousand only) or Bid Securing Bid Security Declaration in lieu of EMD, as per Annexure X Cost of RFE Document Nil Minimum Technical Qualifying 70 out of 100 Score Method of Selection Pre-Qualification (pass/fail) and Technical Qualification (minimum 70 marks), followed by financial evaluation;

empanelment of all technically qualified Applicants who accept the benchmark rates determined by NeGD Period of Empanelment Three (3) years from the date of the empanelment letter, extendable at the discretion of NeGD Application Validity 180 days from the last date of submission Mode of Submission Email for Communication Director.anc@digitalindia.gov.in karan.tandon88@digitalindia.gov.in Page 7 of 43SECTION II: Objective and Scope

2.1 Objective The objective of this empanelment is to engage agencies with proven domain expertise, technical

capability and enterprise outreach to: • identify service use cases in which an institution (the Requester) can deliver or improve a service by consuming Issued Documents available in DigiLocker; • bring such Requesters to NeGD with a complete use-case proposal, including the mapping of the required Issued Documents to the service;

• onboard the Requester, support its technical integration with DigiLocker and take the service live; and • drive sustained transaction volumes on the service after go-live.

The initial sector focus is Financial Services, Education and Health.

2.2 Definitions In this RFE, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned below. Terms not defined here shall have the meaning assigned in the DigiLocker and API Setu guidelines and SoPs.

Term Meaning Issued Document A document issued by a registered Issuer directly into DigiLocker (e.g.

Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, marksheet, degree certificate, vehicle registration, insurance policy). Documents uploaded by citizens are excluded.

Issuer A Government or authorised organisation registered on DigiLocker that issues documents into DigiLocker.

Requester An institution (Government or private) registered on DigiLocker that, with the consent of the citizen, accesses Issued Documents for delivery of a service.

Service A defined citizen-facing or institutional process delivered by a Requester (e.g. loan KYC, admission verification, insurance claim processing).

Use Case A Service together with the Requester delivering it and the set of Issued Documents required for it.

Agency An agency empanelled under this RFE.

Go-Live The date on which a Requester onboarded by the Agency commences production transactions on DigiLocker for the approved Service, as certified by NeGD.

Successful Transaction A consent-based fetch of Issued Documents by an onboarded Requester through DigiLocker for the approved Service that is completed successfully as recorded in DigiLocker logs. Transactions are counted Requester-wise.

Page 8 of 43Term Meaning Transaction Threshold The minimum number of Successful Transactions per Requester per calendar month, prescribed sector-wise in the Financial Bid, on reaching which transaction charges become payable (it may be calculated on a quarterly average basis).

Transaction Incentive The period after Go-Live of a Requester during which transaction charges Period are payable to the Agency for that Requester, as specified in the concerned section (one year after Go-Live)

2.3 Operating Model The empanelment operates on the following model. The Agency works on the Requester side of DigiLocker; issuance of documents into DigiLocker remains a function of NeGD and the Issuers.

Aspect Position Source of Only documents already issued into DigiLocker by registered Issuers. The documents Agency shall not propose use cases that depend on documents not yet available as Issued Documents; onboarding of new Issuers is outside the scope of the Agency.

Access to DigiLocker provides consent-based access. On approval of a Requester, documents DigiLocker enables access to its Issued Documents through the standard Requester APIs; the Requester consumes only the document types mapped to the approved Service.

Unit of work A Use Case, i.e. a Requester onboarded and taken live for an approved Service. The same Service, with the same set of Issued Documents, may be availed by any number of Requesters.

Multiple Agencies For the same Use Case, different Requesters may be onboarded by different Agencies. Each Agency is credited only for the Requesters it onboards; transaction counts are maintained Requester-wise and attributed to the onboarding Agency.

Approval Every Use Case and every Requester is subject to prior approval of NeGD.

NeGD may decline a proposal, or approve it with conditions, at its discretion.

Platform All integration is through the existing DigiLocker Requester APIs, the DigiLocker consent framework through API Setu, in accordance with the published guidelines and SoPs. The Agency shall not modify any platform component.

2.4 Scope of Work The Agency shall perform the following activities for each Use Case it proposes and for each Requester it onboards.

Page 9 of 432.4.1 Use Case Identification and Requester Discovery • Map institutions in the target sectors whose services can be delivered or improved by consuming Issued Documents and prioritise them by expected transaction volume and citizen impact.

• Engage prospective Requesters, present DigiLocker capabilities and the consent-based document access model and secure their commitment to onboard. • Define the Service workflow of the Requester and identify the exact Issued Documents required at each step, using the DigiLocker Issuer and document-type directory.

2.4.2 Use Case Proposal For each Use Case the Agency shall submit a proposal to NeGD in the format prescribed by NeGD,

containing at minimum the following:

Element Content Requester Legal name, sector, nature of entity (Government / private), registration details, authorised signatory and existing DigiLocker registration status (if any).

Service Description of the Service, the citizen-facing or institutional process it supports, the current (manual / document-upload) method and the improvement expected through DigiLocker.

Document mapping For each Issued Document required: document type, Issuer, DigiLocker document-type code, purpose in the Service and whether mandatory or optional.

Consent flow Point in the Service workflow at which citizen consent is obtained through DigiLocker and the data fields consumed from each document.

Volumes Expected monthly Successful Transactions for the first 12 months after Go- Live, with basis.

Timeline Proposed schedule for onboarding, integration, testing and Go-Live.

Compliance Confirmation of the Requester's DPDP Act, 2023 readiness, data-handling practices and security audit status.

NeGD shall review the proposal and communicate approval, approval with conditions, or rejection.

Only approved Use Cases proceed to onboarding.

2.4.3 Requester Onboarding • Facilitate completion of the DigiLocker Requester registration, execution of the applicable agreement / undertaking with NeGD, and submission of all documents required under the DigiLocker Requester onboarding process.

• Coordinate issuance of sandbox and production credentials and assist the Requester in nominating technical and business points of contact. • Where a Requester is already registered on DigiLocker, obtain NeGD approval for the additional Service and complete only the incremental steps required.

Page 10 of 432.4.4 Technical Integration and Go-Live • Guide the Requester through integration with the DigiLocker Requester APIs and consent framework, including authentication, consent capture, document fetch, verification of digital signatures and error handling.

• Support sandbox testing, User Acceptance Testing and resolution of integration defects; ensure that only the document types mapped to the approved Service are requested. • Ensure the Requester's integration is security audited by a CERT-In empanelled auditor and that the audit clearance is submitted to NeGD before production access is enabled.

• Coordinate production enablement with NeGD and obtain Go-Live certification.

2.4.5 Adoption and Transaction Scaling • Work with the Requester to route the full volume of the Service through DigiLocker, replacing manual document collection and upload-based verification. • Monitor transaction volumes, success and error rates and citizen drop-off in the consent flow and resolve functional or process issues at the Requester end.

• Identify and propose additional Services at the onboarded Requester and additional Requesters for the approved Service, for NeGD approval.

2.4.6 Reporting and MIS The Agency may be asked to submit NeGD a monthly report, Requester-wise, covering onboarding pipeline and status, Go-Live dates, Successful Transactions (as reconciled with DigiLocker logs), error trends, issues and their resolution, and planned Use Cases. NeGD logs shall be the sole basis for transaction counts and for payment.

2.5 Indicative Sector Use Cases The following are indicative and do not restrict the Agency from proposing other Use Cases based on Issued Documents.

Sector Indicative Service Indicative Issued Documents Financial Customer KYC and onboarding for Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, voter Services lending, account opening and ID, vehicle registration, insurance insurance; income and address policies, income / tax documents, and verification for underwriting; policy other Issued Documents accepted for servicing. KYC under the applicable regulator's guidelines.

Education Admission and scholarship Marksheets, degree and diploma processing; verification of academic certificates, migration certificates issued credentials by institutions and by CBSE, State Boards, Universities employers; migration and transfer. and NAD-integrated institutions;

Aadhaar and category certificates.

Health Health insurance proposal and claim Aadhaar, PAN, insurance policies, processing by insurers and TPAs; ABHA-linked documents and other patient registration; verification of finalised health documents available as practitioner credentials. Issued Documents (e.g. discharge summaries and bills where issued into DigiLocker by the hospital).

Page 11 of 432.6 Deliverables and Timelines # Deliverable Timeline 1 Sector mapping and Use Case pipeline (first Within 30 days of empanelment letter submission; updated monthly thereafter) 2 Use Case proposal for each Requester (Concerned As and when identified

Section) 3 Requester onboarding completed (registration, Within 30 days of NeGD approval of agreement, credentials) the Use Case 4 Sandbox integration, UAT sign-off and security Within 60 days of onboarding audit clearance 5 Go-Live of the Requester for the approved Service Within 90 days of NeGD approval of the Use Case, unless extended by NeGD 6 Monthly MIS report (Concerned Section), if desired By the 7th of the following month Delay attributable to the Requester or to NeGD shall not be counted against the Agency, provided the Agency reports it in writing when it arises.

2.7 NeGD Support

NeGD shall: (a) provide the Agency with access to the DigiLocker Requester documentation, sandbox environment, Issuer and document-type directory and the applicable SoPs; (b) nominate a nodal officer for review of Use Case proposals and coordination of onboarding; (c) process Requester registrations, agreements and credentials in accordance with the DigiLocker onboarding process; (d) certify Go-Live;

and (e) furnish monthly Requester-wise Successful Transaction data from DigiLocker logs for reconciliation and payment. NeGD does not undertake to provide office space, equipment or personnel to the Agency.

2.8 Service Levels (SLA) The Agency shall meet the following service levels for each Use Case and Requester. Penalties are computed on the transaction charges payable to the Agency for the relevant Requester in the relevant month and recovered as provided in the concerned section.

# SLA / Deliverable Service Level Penalty for Agency- attributable Delay 1 Requester Complete onboarding within 30 0.5% of monthly payable Onboarding days of NeGD Use Case approval transaction charges per week of delay, capped at 5% 2 Technical Complete sandbox integration, UAT 0.5% of monthly payable Integration / UAT and security-audit coordination transaction charges per week of Support within 60 days of onboarding delay, capped at 5% Page 12 of 43# SLA / Deliverable Service Level Penalty for Agency- attributable Delay 3 Go-Live Go-Live within 60 days of NeGD 1% of monthly payable Use Case approval transaction charges per week of delay, capped at 10% 4 Critical Production Acknowledge critical issue within 4 0.5% of monthly payable Support working hours and initiate transaction charges per resolution immediately occurrence, capped at 5% per month

Condition:

(i) Penalties shall apply only where the delay is solely attributable to the Agency. Delays attributable to NeGD, DigiLocker/API Setu, Issuer, CERT-In auditor, security clearance or Force Majeure shall be excluded, provided the Agency reports the dependency/delay to NeGD promptly.

(ii) The aggregate penalty may be capped at 10% of the Agency's transaction charges for the relevant month.

2.9 Security, Privacy and Compliance The Agency shall comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and rules thereunder, directions of CERT-In, and all DigiLocker and API Setu requirements and instructions issued by NeGD,

including: • acting solely on behalf of the Requester (the Data Fiduciary) and processing personal data only on documented instructions and for the approved Service; • correct use of the consent, authentication and authorisation mechanisms of DigiLocker; capture and management of citizen consent is a platform function and shall not be replicated or bypassed;

• no retention, storage, caching, profiling, analytics or secondary use of Issued Document content by the Agency, and ensuring the Requester limits its use to the approved Service; • secure management of API credentials, keys and tokens issued to the Requester; the Agency shall not hold production credentials in its own name;

• logging, auditability and preservation of logs for the period prescribed by CERT-In; • reporting of any suspected security incident, unauthorised access or data leakage to NeGD and CERT-In within the timelines prescribed by CERT-In;

• security audit of the Requester integration by a CERT-In empanelled auditor before Go-Live, thereafter annually and on major change; and • hosting of all development, test and support infrastructure within India.

2.10 Safe Exit and Data Off-boarding On expiry, termination, de-empanelment or withdrawal (Concerned Section), the Agency shall: (a) hand over to NeGD, in the format prescribed, all Use Case proposals, Requester contact details, integration documentation, pending issues and MIS relating to Requesters onboarded by it; (b) cooperate with NeGD and any successor agency for up to ninety (90) days to ensure uninterrupted service to Page 13 of 43Requesters; (c) ensure that all test credentials, tokens and access provided to its personnel are revoked in coordination with NeGD and the Requester; (d) return or securely destroy, as directed, all confidential information, and furnish a signed Certificate of Data Destruction; and (e) certify compliance with this

Section in writing. Requesters onboarded by the Agency continue to have access to DigiLocker independent of the Agency, and no vendor lock-in of any nature shall be created.

Page 14 of 43SECTION III: Eligibility Criteria

3.1 Pre-Qualification Criteria Applicants must meet ALL the following pre-qualification criteria (pass/fail) and submit the supporting documents. Failure to meet any criterion, or to submit the required documents, shall result in rejection.

The Applicant shall summarise compliance in the checklist at Annexure II. # Criterion Requirement Documentary Evidence 1 Legal Entity The Applicant must be a company Certificate of Incorporation / incorporated under the Companies Act, Registration; PAN; GST 1956 / 2013 or a Limited Liability registration certificate; and Partnership registered under the LLP Act, other applicable valid 2008, operating in India, with a valid PAN, registration documents.

GST registration and applicable statutory registrations. The Applicant must be a single legal entity; consortium bids are not permitted.

2 Average Minimum average annual turnover of ₹ 10 Audited financial statements Annual CRORE during the last three (3) completed and / or certificate from a Turnover financial years. Statutory Auditor / Chartered Accountant (Annexure V).

3 Positive Net Positive net worth in the latest audited Certificate from a Chartered Worth financial year. Accountant / audited financial statements (Annexure V).

4 Relevant At least three (3) completed or ongoing Work Orders / contracts Experience projects during the last five (5) years together with completion or involving API integration, an API platform, ongoing-status certificates digital document exchange, DPI, e- from the client (Annexure V) Governance, or BFSI / Health / Education or any relevant document digital platforms. justifying experience.

5 API At least two (2) projects involving Client certificate / Work Integration integration with external / third-party APIs Order / contract (Annexure V) Experience or API-based ecosystem platforms. or any relevant document justifying experience.

6 Quality / Valid ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 Copies of valid certificates.

Security certification, or equivalent applicable Certification certification.

7 Not The Applicant must not be blacklisted, Self-declaration on letterhead Blacklisted debarred or banned by any Central / State (Annexure VI).

Government, PSU or statutory body as on the last date of submission of the application.

In addition, absence shall render the application non-responsive. "Completed financial years" means financial years for which audited accounts have been finalised as on the last date of submission; where Page 15 of 43audited accounts for the immediately preceding year are not finalised, a provisional certificate from the Statutory Auditor together with the audited accounts of the three preceding years may be submitted.

Projects claimed under criteria 4 and 5 may be the same projects, provided each independently satisfies the criterion under which it is claimed.

3.2 Technical Qualification and Evaluation Criteria (Min 70/100) Applications meeting all pre-qualification criteria shall be evaluated on the technical criteria below, out of 100 marks. The qualifying score is 70 out of 100. Criteria 1, 2, 3 and 5 are scored on documentary evidence submitted with the application and summarised in Annexure III; criterion 4 is assessed live by the Evaluation Committee. Marks are not interpolated.

# Item Max Marks 1 Empanelled with Govt. Department / Ministry (State/Central) / PSU in last five 5 financial years 2 Prior experience of integration/onboarding services on DigiLocker/EntityLocker 10 or a similar Government digital platform.

3 Total turnover during the last three financial years 20 Rs. 10 Cr= <25 Cr: 5 marks Above Rs. 25 Cr= < 50 Cr: 15 marks Rs. 50 Cr or above: 20 marks 3 No. of companies/Entities onboarded and presently active (at least since last 6 20 months) on the digital services platform being run by the agency:

2-5: 10 Marks 6-10: 15 Marks More than 10: 20 Marks 4 Technical Presentation before the committee by the Agency: 25 - Company profile, team members with experience, technical portfolio, work experience with organizations and a sample onboarding approach on DigiLocker/EntityLocker.

- Understanding of DigiLocker/EntityLocker architecture (Issuers, Requesters, Access Gateway), Issued Documents vs. Uploaded Documents, Issuer/Requester APIs and integration process, Aadhaar-based authentication and consent framework, obligations under the DPDP Act, 2023 for handling citizen data, and approach for end-to-end onboarding of departments including data preparation and go-live support Page 16 of 43# Item Max Marks 5 Experience of working in the field of Education or Health or Financial services 20 (in any) in the last 3 financial years

Average annual turnover in respective fields:

10 =< 15: 10 Marks 15 =<25 Cr: 15 Marks More than 25 Cr: 20 Marks TOTAL 100 The Technical Presentation (criterion 4) shall be of not more than thirty (30) minutes followed by questions from the Committee. The date, time and mode (in person at NeGD, New Delhi, or by video conference) shall be intimated through the CPP Portal and e-mail with at least three (3) working days' notice. Failure to present on the scheduled date without a reason accepted by NeGD shall attract zero marks for criterion 4.

Page 17 of 43SECTION IV: Application Preparation and Submission

4.1 Earnest Money Deposit (EMD)

1. In lieu of Bid Security (Earnest Money Deposit), the Applicant shall submit a Bid Securing Declaration in the format prescribed at Annexure IX, digitally signed by the Authorised Signatory, in accordance with Rule 170 of GFR 2017 and Department of Expenditure O.M. No.

F.9/4/2020-PPD dated 12.11.2020.

2. The Bid Securing Declaration shall form part of the Technical Cover. Any application not accompanied by a duly signed Bid Securing Declaration shall be rejected as non-responsive. or

1. The bidder is required to submit an EMD of Rs. 50,000 (Rs. Fifty Thousand only) either electronically or through RTGS in the account of Digital India Corporation – NeGD prior to bid submission.

2. Bank details are given as below.

Bank Name – Bank of India (BOI), CGO Complex-Branch, Delhi Account Number – 604810110001865 IFSC Code – BKID0006048

3. The documentary proof should be provided on the agency's letter head that is duly signed by the HR Head of the agency or authorized signatory.

4. The Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) will be refunded, without any interest accrued, within one month of the final selection, as follows: ● In the case of those Bidders who fail to qualify the eligibility criteria, and whose technical bids do not qualify.

● In the case of those Bidders with whom the contract is not signed.

5. In the case of Bidder with whom the contract is signed, EMD will be refunded on receipt of Bank Guarantee for the same amount valid for 90 days beyond the period of empanelment.

6. EMD details shall be kept in envelope with the cover letter. Applications without EMD will be rejected.

4.2 Enrolment / Registration on the CPP Portal Applicants intending to submit an application must enrol on the e-Procurement module of the Central Public Procurement (CPP) Portal (https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app) under "Online Bidder Enrolment", which is free of cost. As part of enrolment, the Applicant shall register a valid e-mail address and mobile number, which shall be used for all communication from the CPP Portal, and shall obtain and register a valid Class III Digital Signature Certificate (with signing key usage, issued by a Certifying Authority licensed by the Controller of Certifying Authorities, India) in the name of the Authorised Signatory. Only one valid DSC shall be registered by an Applicant, who shall ensure that it is not lent to or misused by others; bids submitted using the Applicant's DSC shall be deemed to have been submitted by the Applicant. Applicants not already enrolled should complete enrolment well in advance of the last date of submission; NeGD shall not be responsible for any delay in enrolment.

Page 18 of 434.3 Searching for the RFE Document The RFE is published on the CPP Portal and is also available on the NeGD (https://negd.gov.in) and MeitY (https://www.meity.gov.in) websites. Applicants may locate this RFE on the CPP Portal using the Tender ID, the relevant classification / category, or keyword search, and may move it to "My Tenders" to receive system alerts. Applicants should note the Tender ID assigned to this RFE for any clarification or Helpdesk assistance, and are advised to check the portal regularly for corrigenda, amendments or clarifications issued against this RFE.

4.4 Preparation of Application Documents Applicants shall prepare their application strictly in the formats prescribed in this RFE (Annexures) and shall take into account any corrigendum published on the CPP Portal before submission. All documents shall be legible, in PDF (scanned at not less than 100 dpi, black-and-white where possible), and digitally signed by the Authorised Signatory. Where more than one document is uploaded against a cover, the documents may be clubbed in a single ZIP file. Undertakings for subsequent submission of documents shall not be entertained, save that NeGD may, in the interest of competition, allow a single opportunity to furnish a missing pre-qualification document that was in existence as on the submission deadline; no such opportunity shall be given in respect of the Financial Bid.

The application shall be submitted in two covers:

Cover Contents Format Cover 1 – Declaration / covering letter Annexure IV Technical Checklist for RFE (PQ and TQ) Annexure II Certificate of Incorporation / LLP Self-attested copies Registration, PAN, GST and other statutory registrations; ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certificates Detail of Works Handled & Turnover — Annexure V CA certificate, audited financial statements, Work Orders and client certificates Technical Bid — Applicant particulars Annexure III and response against each TQ criterion with evidence No Blacklisting / Self-Declaration Annexure VI (including conflict of interest) Power of Attorney / Board Resolution Annexure VIII authorising the signatory Declaration under Rule 144(xi) of GFR Annexure IX 2017 (land-border countries) Digitally signed copy of this RFE with PDF all corrigenda, as token of acceptance Page 19 of 43Cover Contents Format Indicative deck for the Technical PDF Presentation (may be updated before the presentation) Cover 2 – Financial Bid in the prescribed format, Annexure VII Financial rates in figures and words, digitally signed; and the BoQ / price schedule on the CPP Portal, if provided The Financial Cover shall contain only the Financial Bid. No rate or price shall be disclosed in the Technical Cover; a Technical Cover containing any financial information shall be liable to rejection.

Where the BoQ template on the CPP Portal, the rates entered in the CPP Portal BoQ shall prevail for evaluation.

4.5 Instructions for Online Submission Applications shall be submitted online through the CPP Portal only; no other mode (physical, e-mail, fax) will be accepted. Applicants shall upload their documents in the two covers / packets indicated on the portal, in the file formats permitted (PDF / XLS / ZIP as specified in the tender notice). Applicants are advised to use the "My Documents" area on the CPP Portal to pre-upload standard documents so that they can be attached to the bid without repeated uploading.

4.6 Online Bid Submission Process Applicants should log in to the CPP Portal well in advance and upload the digitally-signed application documents against each cover, on or before the closing date and time. The server time of the CPP Portal displayed on the Applicant's dashboard shall be the reference time for all deadlines for submission of bids, opening of bids and related events. Each document uploaded should be within the file-size limit notified on the portal; a larger document may be compressed (ZIP) and uploaded. Applicants must ensure that the bid is finally submitted ("Freeze Bid Submission") using a valid DSC before the closing date and time; incomplete or unsubmitted bids shall not be considered. Upon successful submission, the CPP Portal generates an acknowledgement / bid-submission summary bearing the bid ID, date and time, which should be printed and retained. Applicants may modify or withdraw their bid on the portal at any time before the deadline; modification or withdrawal after the deadline attracts the consequences in the EMD. NeGD shall not be responsible for any failure to submit on account of technical or other issues on the portal or at the Applicant's end.

4.7 Assistance to Applicants For any assistance with enrolment on the CPP Portal, searching for the tender or bid submission, Applicants may contact the 24x7 CPP Portal Helpdesk (Toll-Free 1800-3070-2232, and e-mail as

published on https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app), quoting the Tender ID of this RFE. Any query relating to the RFE document and its terms and conditions shall be addressed to NeGD in accordance with the pre-bid clarification process at concerned section. NeGD / MeitY has no role in the administration of the CPP Portal and shall not be responsible for any technical issue on the portal.

4.8 Clarification on the RFE Document (Pre-Bid Queries) Applicants may seek clarifications on this RFE by submitting their queries, in the format prescribed at Annexure I only (editable Excel / spreadsheet), by e-mail to the Email for Communication on or before Page 20 of 43the date specified in "Important Dates". A pre-bid meeting will be held on the notified date and time, at the notified venue and online; not more than two representatives of an Applicant may attend, and attendance is not mandatory. NeGD will endeavour to respond to queries through a consolidated clarification / corrigendum published on the CPP Portal, without identifying the source of the query; no individual responses shall be given, and oral statements made during the pre-bid meeting shall have no binding effect. Queries received after the cut-off may not be entertained, and NeGD is not obliged to respond to every query.

4.9 Amendment of the RFE Document (Corrigendum) At any time before the last date of submission, NeGD may, for any reason — whether on its own initiative or in response to a clarification sought by an Applicant — amend the RFE by issuing a corrigendum on the CPP Portal and the NeGD website. Any such corrigendum shall be binding on all Applicants and shall form part of this RFE. To allow Applicants reasonable time to take an amendment into account, NeGD may, at its discretion, extend the last date of submission. Applicants are solely responsible for checking the portal for corrigenda.

4.10 Bid Opening Process The Technical Cover shall be opened online on the date and time specified in "Important Dates" (or as intimated on the CPP Portal) by the authorised bid openers of the Evaluation Committee. The CPP Portal shall intimate Applicants through system-generated SMS / e-mail, and Applicants may view the bid-opening summary through their login; physical presence is not required. NeGD reserves the right to postpone or cancel a scheduled opening. The Financial Cover shall be opened only for Applicants who qualify the pre-qualification criteria and secure the minimum technical qualifying score, on a date intimated through the CPP Portal and e-mail; the Financial Cover of other Applicants shall remain unopened on the portal.

4.11 Application Validity & Other Information Applications shall remain valid for 180 days from the last date of submission. In exceptional circumstances NeGD may request an extension of validity; an Applicant may refuse without consequence to the EMD but shall not be considered further, and an Applicant agreeing to extend shall not be permitted to modify its bid. All correspondence and documents shall be in English; supporting documents in another language shall be accompanied by a certified English translation, which shall govern. All rates shall be quoted in Indian Rupees only. All applications and documentation become the property of NeGD. NeGD may seek clarifications in writing during evaluation; no change in the substance or the rates of the bid shall be sought, offered or permitted, and failure to respond within the stipulated time may lead to rejection. The Applicant shall bear all costs of preparing and submitting the application, attending the pre-bid meeting and making the Technical Presentation; NeGD shall not be liable for such costs regardless of the outcome.

4.12 Consortium and Outsourcing Consortium is not permitted. The Applicant must be a single legal entity. Outsourcing of the core obligations under the Scope of Work to a third party is not permitted; the empanelled Agency shall remain solely responsible for delivery and compliance.

4.13 Sub-contracting Sub-contracting of the work is not permitted. The empanelled Agency shall not assign the work, in whole or in part, to any other agency to fulfil its obligations under the empanelment. Engagement of a Page 21 of 43Requester by the Agency in the ordinary course of the Scope of Work does not constitute sub- contracting.

4.14 Disqualification

An application is liable to be disqualified if: it is does not submit the EMD; it is conditional, incomplete or contains alternative offers; it does not meet the pre-qualification criteria; any rate or price is disclosed in the Technical Cover; false or misleading information is furnished; more than one application is submitted by the same Applicant or its affiliate; the Applicant is found blacklisted or engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices; the Applicant has a conflict of interest as described in concerned section; or the Applicant attempts to influence NeGD or any member of the Evaluation Committee, or contacts them on any matter relating to the bid, between bid opening and empanelment other than through the channels specified in this RFE.

4.15 Grievance Redressal Any Applicant aggrieved by a decision of NeGD in the course of this RFE may submit a written representation to the President & CEO, NeGD, within seven (7) days of publication of the relevant decision on the CPP Portal. The representation shall be disposed of in accordance with the applicable procurement rules; the decision of NeGD thereon shall be final.

Page 22 of 43SECTION V: Evaluation and Empanelment Process To empanel Agencies, NeGD will constitute an Evaluation Committee to evaluate the applications.

During evaluation, NeGD may, at its discretion, seek clarifications from Applicants, verify any information furnished (including by contacting the clients named in project citations), and call for original documents. The decision of the Evaluation Committee shall be final and binding.

5.1 Evaluation Process

1. The pre-qualification documents (Annexure II and supporting documents) will be evaluated first. Applicants meeting ALL pre-qualification criteria in the concerned section proceed to technical evaluation; others are rejected.

2. The technical evaluation (Annexure III and the Technical Presentation) is scored out of 100 as per concerned section. The qualifying score is 70 out of 100. NeGD shall publish the list of technically qualified Applicants, with their technical scores, on the CPP Portal before opening the Financial Cover.

3. The Financial Cover of technically qualified Applicants is opened and evaluated as per concerned section to determine the benchmark rates.

4. All technically qualified Applicants who accept the benchmark rates are empanelled as per concerned section. Empanelment does not by itself guarantee any Use Case, Requester, transaction or revenue.

5.2 Financial Evaluation and Determination of Benchmark Rates The Financial Bid shall be submitted in the format at Annexure VII, which prescribes the sector-wise Transaction Thresholds, the monthly volume slabs and the multipliers applicable to the base rate (A) quoted by the Applicant. Financial bids shall be checked for arithmetical correctness and completeness;

where figures and words differ, the amount in words shall prevail. A bid that does not quote for every line item, or that is conditional, shall be liable to rejection.

Evaluated Financial Base Rate:

For financial comparison, the Financial Quote against each of each technically qualified Applicant shall be computed from its quoted base rate (F)/(E)/(H) as follows: # Sector Financial Quote 1 Financial Sector F 2 Education Sector E 3 Health Sector H

1. The Applicant with the lowest Financial Quote shall be the L1 Applicant. The rates quoted by the L1 Applicant shall be the benchmark rates for the empanelment for that sector.

2. NeGD reserves the right to negotiate with the L1 Applicant where the benchmark rates appear unreasonable with reference to NeGD's own estimate, in accordance with CVC guidelines on post-tender negotiation. Rates so finalised shall be the benchmark rates.

3. All other technically qualified Applicants shall be offered empanelment at the benchmark rates of the concerned sector and shall confirm acceptance in writing within seven (7) working days Page 23 of 43of the offer. An Applicant who does not accept within the stipulated time shall not be empanelled for that sector.

4. Benchmark rates so determined shall remain firm for the period of empanelment, including any extension, and shall not be varied unilaterally.

5. NeGD may, at its discretion, limit the number of Agencies empanelled.

5.3 Empanelment On approval of the competent authority, NeGD shall issue an empanelment letter to each successful Applicant for the concerned sector. Agencies shortlisted for empanelment shall sign an empanelment agreement with NeGD accepting the terms and conditions, furnish the Performance Bank Guarantee (concerned section) and such other undertakings as NeGD may prescribe, within fifteen (15) days of the empanelment letter. The empanelment letter, this RFE (with all corrigenda and clarifications), the Applicant's bid and the acceptance of benchmark rates shall together constitute the empanelment agreement; in case of conflict, the empanelment letter shall prevail, followed by this RFE and then the bid. After signing, no variation in the agreed rates or terms shall be permitted except as provided herein.

The list of empanelled Agencies shall be published on the CPP Portal and the NeGD website; NeGD shall not allocate Use Cases or Requesters among Agencies.

5.4 Basis of Payment, Attribution and Transaction Incentive Period Item Provision Basis of payment Payment is transaction-linked. No payment is due for identification, proposal, onboarding or integration activities as such. Transaction charges become payable Requester-wise for a calendar month only if the Successful Transactions of that Requester in that month reach the sector- wise Transaction Threshold (may be calculated on average basis per quarter), as set out in the Financial Bid (Annexure VII); once the threshold is reached, charges are payable on all Successful Transactions of that month, computed slab-wise at the benchmark rates.

Transaction Incentive Transaction charges for a Requester are payable for a fixed period Period reckoned from the Go-Live of that Requester, so that a Requester taken live later in the empanelment period is not disadvantaged. The period is 12 months from Go-Live and may extend beyond the validity of the empanelment.

Attribution Transactions are counted Requester-wise and attributed to the Agency that onboarded that Requester for that Service, as recorded by NeGD at Go- Live. Where two or more Agencies onboard different Requesters for the same Service, each is paid on its own Requesters only.

Basis of counts DigiLocker logs, as furnished by NeGD monthly, are the sole basis for transaction counts and for payment; the Agency's MIS shall be reconciled to them.

5.5 SLA & Penalties The service levels and penalties at concerned section apply to every Use Case and Requester. Penalties shall be deducted from the transaction charges payable for the relevant month and, where insufficient, Page 24 of 43recovered from subsequent invoices or the PBG. In line with GFR 2017, the aggregate penalty for a month shall not exceed 10% of the Agency's transaction charges for that month. Persistent failure to meet service levels for three (3) consecutive months in respect of any Requester, or the aggregate cap being reached in any three (3) months within a twelve-month period, shall constitute a material breach entitling NeGD to suspend, terminate or de-empanel the Agency under concerned section — without prejudice to other remedies.

5.6 Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG)

1. Within fifteen (15) days of the empanelment letter, the Agency shall furnish a Performance Bank Guarantee of ₹ 5,00,000 (Rupees five lakh only), issued by a Scheduled Commercial Bank in India and transmitted to NeGD through SFMS irrespective of number of sectors of empanelment. Since remuneration under this empanelment is transaction-linked and no work-

order value exists, a fixed PBG is prescribed for the empanelment as a whole; no separate PBG is required per Use Case.

2. The PBG shall remain valid for the period of empanelment plus a claim period of sixty (60) days, and shall be extended correspondingly on any extension of the empanelment or continuation of Use Cases in progress.

3. The PBG may be invoked, in whole or in part, in cases of: breach of the terms of empanelment or of the NDA; failure to pay penalties or amounts due to NeGD; any security incident or misuse of credentials or Issued Documents attributable to the Agency; misrepresentation to a Requester, Issuer or citizen; or termination / de-empanelment for cause.

4. Upon expiry of the empanelment, completion of all Use Cases in progress, settlement of all dues and compliance with concerned section, NeGD shall release the PBG without interest within sixty (60) days.

Page 25 of 43SECTION VI: Terms and Conditions of Agreement The Agencies selected for empanelment shall sign an agreement with NeGD incorporating the following terms and conditions.

6.1 Adherence to Terms & Conditions Applicants shall abide, in true intent and spirit, by all terms and conditions of this RFE. Applications with deviations are liable to rejection. The Agency shall carry out the work in accordance with prevailing good industry practices, the DigiLocker and API Setu policies, technical requirements and SoPs, and the specified standards. NeGD may expand or modify the scope during the empanelment period based on emerging sector requirements and the capabilities of DigiLocker and API Setu.

6.2 Period of Empanelment The empanelment shall be valid for three (3) years from the date of the empanelment letter, extendable at the discretion of NeGD on the same benchmark rates and terms. Irrespective of the stated period, the empanelment shall remain operative until completion of Use Cases already approved and in progress, and transaction charges under the Transaction Incentive Period continue to accrue for such Requesters.

6.3 Right to Rejection and Annulment / No Obligation NeGD reserves the right to reject any request for empanelment, to accept or reject any application, to annul the empanelment process at any time and to re-issue the RFE, without assigning any reason and without liability. Empanelment does not guarantee any minimum number of Use Cases, Requesters, transactions or revenue to any Agency. NeGD retains the right to engage directly with any Requester, Issuer or ecosystem entity for governance, technical, security, compliance and operational purposes, to onboard Requesters directly or through other means, and to employ agencies outside the empanelled list.

6.4 Fraud and Corruption As per Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) directives, Applicants must observe the highest standards of ethics during the empanelment process and the period of empanelment. NeGD will reject an application, remove an Agency from the panel and may debar it from future procurement of NeGD if it is found to have engaged, directly or through an agent, in corrupt, fraudulent, unfair-trade, coercive, collusive or obstructive practices, as defined under the Manual for Procurement of Consultancy and Other Services and standard GoI norms. Any commission, gratuity or other consideration paid or to be paid in relation to this RFE.

6.5 Confidentiality, Data Protection & IPR The Agency shall keep confidential all information relating to the empanelment, DigiLocker, API Setu, Issuers, Requesters and citizens received or generated in the course of the empanelment, shall use it only for the approved Use Case, and shall not disclose it to any third party except as required by law.

The obligations survive expiry or termination for five (5) years, and in respect of personal data, indefinitely.

All intellectual property in DigiLocker, API Setu, their APIs, documentation, data and brands vests in NeGD / MeitY; nothing herein grants the Agency any right in such intellectual property beyond the limited right to use the APIs and documentation for the Scope of Work. Use Case proposals, sector mappings, reports and other deliverables submitted to NeGD shall vest in NeGD, which may use them for any purpose. The Agency retains its pre-existing intellectual property, tools and methodologies. The Page 26 of 43Agency shall not use the name, brand or logo of NeGD, DigiLocker, Digital India or MeitY without prior written approval and shall indemnify NeGD against any such misuse.

6.6 Indemnity & Limitation of Liability The Agency shall indemnify and hold harmless NeGD, MeitY and their officers against all claims, losses, damages, costs and expenses arising from: (a) any breach of the DPDP Act, 2023 or other applicable law by the Agency or its personnel; (b) any unauthorised access to, or misuse of, Issued Documents or credentials attributable to the Agency; (c) any misrepresentation made by the Agency to a Requester, Issuer or citizen; (d) any infringement of third-party intellectual property rights; and (e) any wilful misconduct or gross negligence. Except for such indemnities, breach of confidentiality or data-protection obligations, and fraud or wilful misconduct, the aggregate liability of the Agency shall not exceed the total transaction charges paid or payable to it in the twelve (12) months preceding the event, or the amount of the PBG, whichever is higher. Neither party shall be liable for indirect or consequential damages.

6.7 Personnel, Substitution & Conflict of Interest The Agency shall deploy adequately qualified personnel, nominate a single point of contact for NeGD, and shall not substitute personnel presented at the Technical Presentation as key to the engagement without prior written intimation to NeGD; replacements shall be of equal or better qualification.

Personnel deployed at NeGD or a Requester shall comply with the security, conduct and access policies of that organisation. The Agency shall disclose and avoid any conflict of interest — including any relationship with NeGD, MeitY or the Evaluation Committee that could influence the evaluation, any role in preparing this RFE, or any activity adverse to the DigiLocker ecosystem such as advising a Requester against the consent framework or offering any product that circumvents it — and shall disclose to NeGD in writing any conflict as soon as it arises.

6.8 Suspension, Termination, De-empanelment & Withdrawal

1. NeGD may terminate the empanelment by ninety (90) days' written notice for uncured breach, insolvency, non-compliance with a final arbitration award, false or misleading statement, blacklisting, conduct detrimental to the Government, persistent SLA failure, or Force Majeure exceeding sixty (60) days; and for convenience, subject to payment of undisputed amounts already accrued.

2. NeGD may suspend the empanelment with immediate effect, pending inquiry, where there is prima facie evidence of a security incident, data breach, unauthorised use of credentials or Issued Documents, misrepresentation to a Requester or citizen, or corrupt or fraudulent practice. During suspension the Agency shall not propose new Use Cases and shall continue to support Requesters already live, unless directed otherwise.

3. NeGD shall review each Agency annually on Use Cases approved, Requesters taken live, transaction volumes, SLA compliance, quality of reporting and compliance with security and privacy obligations, and may issue advisories or place an Agency on watch. An Agency with no Use Case approved within twelve (12) months of empanelment, or no Requester taken live within eighteen (18) months, may be de-empanelled after an opportunity to be heard.

4. On termination or de-empanelment for cause, the PBG may be invoked, no transaction charges shall accrue from the effective date, and NeGD may debar the Agency from future procurement of NeGD for up to three (3) years. The Agency shall provide transition assistance and off-board as per concerned section.

Page 27 of 435. An Agency may withdraw from the empanelment by ninety (90) days' written notice, subject to completion or handover of Use Cases in progress; no transaction charges shall be payable after the effective date of withdrawal.

6.9 Payment Process The Agency shall raise a single invoice per calendar month, Requester-wise, for transaction charges payable under concerned section at the benchmark rates, within fifteen (15) days of the close of the month, accompanied by the monthly MIS report and a reconciliation with the transaction data furnished by NeGD. No invoice shall be raised for a Requester for a month in which the Transaction Threshold is not reached (however if the average number of transactions in a quarter crosses the threshold limit then the agency is applicable for the transaction charges for the whole quarter). NeGD shall verify the invoice against DigiLocker logs and pay the undisputed amount, net of applicable penalties and statutory deductions, within thirty (30) days of receipt of a correct and complete invoice, electronically through PFMS / bank transfer. GST shall be paid at the applicable rate against a valid tax invoice; TDS and other statutory deductions shall be made in accordance with law. No other charge, expense, travel cost or reimbursement shall be payable, and no interest shall be payable on delayed payments. Disputed amounts shall be communicated in writing and resolved under the concerned section.

6.10 Force Majeure Neither party shall be liable for delay or failure caused by an event of Force Majeure beyond its reasonable control, provided the affected party notifies the other within seven (7) days and uses reasonable efforts to resume performance. If the event continues beyond sixty (60) days, NeGD may terminate under the concerned section without liability for obligations accrued to that date.

6.11 Dispute Resolution, Arbitration & Applicable Law Disputes shall first be addressed between senior representatives of the parties. Failing amicable settlement within thirty (30) days, they shall be referred to arbitration held at New Delhi under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (as amended), under the aegis of the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, with proceedings and award in English. This RFE and the resulting agreement shall be governed by the laws of India, and the courts at New Delhi shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

6.12 Relationship Nothing in this RFE, or in the resulting empanelment / agreement, shall be construed as establishing a relationship of master and servant, principal and agent, or partnership between NeGD and the Agency.

The Agency shall not represent itself as having authority to make commitments on behalf of NeGD or MeitY.

6.13 Binding Clause All decisions taken by NeGD / the competent authority regarding the processing of this RFE and the empanelment of Agencies shall be final and binding on all Applicants. NeGD's interpretation of the terms and conditions of this RFE shall be final and binding.

6.14 Agency's Integrity The Agency shall be responsible for, and shall ensure, the integrity, propriety and lawful conduct of its personnel in the performance of the work, and shall discharge all its obligations with the utmost good faith, honesty and integrity.

Page 28 of 436.15 Agency's Obligations The Agency shall provide the services with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional standards, and shall observe sound management, technical and security practices. The Agency shall act as a faithful adviser to NeGD, shall at all times support and safeguard the legitimate interests of NeGD and the DigiLocker ecosystem, and shall comply with all applicable laws including the IT Act 2000 and the DPDP Act 2023. The Agency must be an organisation incorporated in India. The Agency shall not levy any charge on a Requester, Issuer or citizen in respect of any activity covered by the Scope of Work, save with the prior written approval of NeGD, and shall not modify DigiLocker or API Setu platform components or APIs unless specifically authorised by NeGD.

6.16 Audit and Inspection NeGD, MeitY, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and any auditor or agency authorised by them shall have the right, during the empanelment period and for three (3) years thereafter, to inspect and audit the records, systems and processes of the Agency relating to this empanelment, on reasonable notice. The Agency shall extend full cooperation and preserve all relevant records for the said period.

6.17 Notices All notices shall be in writing and delivered by e-mail to the addresses notified by each party, followed by registered post or courier where the notice relates to breach, suspension, termination or dispute;

notices shall be deemed received on the working day following the date of e-mail. No amendment or waiver of any term shall be effective unless in writing and signed by NeGD, and failure or delay by NeGD in exercising any right shall not operate as a waiver. If any provision is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall continue in force.

6.18 Only One Application, Amendment & Others An Applicant may submit only one application; multiple applications shall be disqualified. NeGD may amend this RFE by corrigendum before the last date of submission. Matters not covered herein shall be dealt with as per GFR 2017, the Manual for Procurement of Consultancy and Other Services, applicable CVC guidelines and the discretion of the competent authority. This RFE is a disclaimer document: it is not an agreement and is neither an offer nor an invitation to any person; NeGD, its employees and advisers make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information herein and shall have no liability to any person arising from its use, and NeGD may update, amend or supplement the information at its discretion.

Page 29 of 43Annexure I: Format for Pre-Bid Queries Applicants shall submit their pre-bid queries only in the format below (as an editable Excel / spreadsheet file), by e-mail to the Email for Communication, on or before the Last Date for Pre-Bid Queries specified in "Important Dates". A separate row shall be used for each query. Queries not submitted in this format, or received after the cut-off, may not be entertained.

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Contact Person / E-mail / Phone: ____________________ S. Section / Page RFE Provision (as stated in Query / Clarification Sought No. Clause No. No. the RFE) / Suggested Change 1 2 3 4 5

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 30 of 43Annexure II: Checklist for RFE Pre-Qualification Criteria Checklist SN Pre-Qualification Criterion Complied Document / Page No.

(Y/N) 1 Legal Entity (single entity; Company / LLP; PAN;

GST) 2 Average Annual Turnover ₹ 10 crore (last 3 completed FYs) ≥ 3 Positive Net Worth (latest audited FY) 4 Relevant Experience ( 3 projects in last 5 years) ≥ 5 API Integration Experience ( 2 projects) ≥ 6 Quality / Security Certification (ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001) 7 Not Blacklisted (Annexure VI) 9 Power of Attorney / Board Resolution (Annexure VIII)

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 31 of 43Annexure III: Technical Bid III-A: Applicant Particulars # Particulars Details 1 Legal name of the Applicant; constitution (Company / LLP); CIN / LLPIN; date of incorporation 2 Registered office address; address of principal office in India for this engagement 3 PAN; GSTIN; other statutory registrations 4 MSE (Udyam No.) / DPIIT-recognised Startup No., if applicable 5 ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certificate nos., issuing body and validity 6 Total employees; technical employees; sectors of operation 7 Brief profile and principal lines of business (not more than 200 words) 8 Authorised signatory and contact person for this RFE (name, designation, e-mail, mobile) 9 Bank account details for payment (bank, branch, account no., IFSC); CPP Portal user ID III-B: Response against Technical Qualification Criteria Applicants shall structure the Technical Bid to address each technical evaluation criterion in concerned

section, in order, with cross-references to supporting documents (Annexure V and self-attested evidence), and shall confirm compliance with the Operating Model (concerned section), the Scope of Work (concerned section) and the Security, Privacy and Compliance requirements (concerned section).

SN Criterion Applicant's Response Summary Reference / Page No.

1 Empanelment with Govt. Name of Department / PSU, Department / Ministry (State / empanelment reference, date and Central) / PSU in last five FYs validity 2 Prior integration / onboarding Platform, client, nature of services, services on DigiLocker / period EntityLocker or a similar Government digital platform 3 Total turnover during the last FY-wise turnover and total (per three FYs Annexure V) Page 32 of 43SN Criterion Applicant's Response Summary Reference / Page No.

3 Entities onboarded and Name of platform; list of active presently active ( 6 entities with onboarding dates months) on the ≥ Applicant's digital services platform 4 Technical Presentation To be assessed live; indicative deck enclosed 5 Sector experience — average Sector; FY-wise sector turnover and annual turnover in Education / average (per Annexure V) Health / Financial Services in last 3 FYs

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 33 of 43Annexure IV: Declaration (On the Letter Head) (On the Applicant's letterhead, signed by the Authorised Signatory) To, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology Electronics Niketan, 6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

Subject: Application for Empanelment of Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker – RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD We, M/s ____________, having examined this RFE including all corrigenda and clarifications, offer to be empanelled as Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partner for DigiLocker and to perform the Scope of Work in full conformity with the RFE. We confirm that:

1. all information furnished is true and correct, and we accept disqualification and other action under the RFE if any information is found false;

2. our application is valid for 180 days from the last date of submission;

3. we have submitted the EMD;

4. we are a single legal entity and have not formed any consortium nor proposed sub-contracting / outsourcing;

5. we are not blacklisted / debarred and have no conflict of interest (Annexure VI);

6. we agree, if technically qualified, to accept the benchmark rates determined by NeGD under concerned section, to execute the NDA and empanelment agreement and to furnish the PBG within the stipulated time;

7. we understand that empanelment does not guarantee any Use Case, Requester, transaction or revenue, and that payment is transaction-linked as per concerned section; and

8. we agree to all terms and conditions of the RFE.

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 34 of 43Annexure V: Detail of Works Handled & Turnover

(a) Turnover and Net Worth To be certified by a Statutory Auditor / Chartered Accountant on the firm's letterhead (pre-qualification criteria 2 and 3, and technical criteria 3 and 5):

Financial Total Turnover Turnover Turnover Net Worth Year Turnover (₹ from from from Health (₹ crore) crore) Financial Education (₹ (₹ crore) Services (₹ crore) crore) FY 2023–24 FY 2024–25 FY 2025–26 Average (3 years) / Total We certify that the above figures are as per the audited financial statements of M/s ____________ for the years stated, examined by us, and that the net worth as on the last day of the latest audited financial year is positive.

Signature of Statutory Auditor / CA: ____________ Name: ____________ Membership No.: ________ FRN: ________ UDIN: ________ Date & Seal: ________

(b) Detail of relevant works handled One sheet per project claimed under pre-qualification criteria 4 and 5 and technical criteria 1, 2 and 3; attach Work Order / contract and client completion or ongoing-status certificate for each.

Field Details Supporting Document Ref.

Client / Organisation and contact person (name, designation, e-mail, phone) Project Title Criterion(a) under which claimed (PQ 4 / PQ 5 / TQ 1 / TQ 2 / TQ 3) Nature of project (API integration / API platform / digital document exchange / DPI / e-Governance / sector digital platform) Sector (Financial Services / Education / Health) Scope and the Applicant's role; external / third-party APIs or platforms integrated Page 35 of 43Field Details Supporting Document Ref.

Work Order / contract no. and date; Order Value (₹) Duration (From – To) / current status (completed / ongoing) Entities onboarded and presently active (for TQ 3, if applicable) Outcomes (services live, transaction volumes, SLAs met)

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 36 of 43Annexure VI: Format for No Blacklisting / Self-Declaration (On the Applicant's letterhead, signed by the Authorised Signatory) We hereby declare that our firm, M/s ____________, as on the date of application:

1. is not blacklisted, debarred or banned by any Central / State Government, PSU, statutory body or agency in India; is not under liquidation, court receivership or similar proceeding; and no proceedings are pending that would affect performance;

2. has not been convicted of, and is not under investigation for, any offence involving corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices in relation to any Government procurement;

3. has no conflict of interest as described in concerned section of the RFE, except as disclosed

here: ____________ (write "None" if not applicable);

4. has not paid and shall not pay any commission, gratuity, gift or other consideration to any agent or other person in relation to this RFE, except as disclosed here: ____________ (write "None" if not applicable); and

5. shall not contact any member of the Evaluation Committee except through the channels specified in the RFE.

We understand that any false declaration shall lead to summary rejection, enforcement to forfeit the EMD / invocation of the PBG, and removal from the panel.

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 37 of 43Annexure VII: Financial Bid Format (To be uploaded ONLY in the Financial Cover on the CPP Portal. Any disclosure of rates in the Technical Cover shall render the application liable to rejection.) The bidder shall quote in the formats below. The bidder may quote rate either for all the sectors or any one or two sectors.The bidder may be allowed empanelment for the sector in which they have quoted the rate. All rates shall be exclusive of Goods and Services Tax and inclusive of all other taxes, duties, levies and costs. Rates shall be quoted in Indian Rupees in figures and in words. Conditional, incomplete or alternative bids shall be liable to rejection. A bidder shall quote for every line item; failure to do so shall render the bid liable to rejection.

Service Transaction Charge (Threshold) Transaction charges shall become payable in respect of a use case only for a calendar month in which the number of Successful Composite Service Transactions on that use case equals or exceeds the threshold prescribed for the sector concerned. In a month in which the threshold is not met, no transaction charge shall be payable. In a month in which the threshold is met or exceeded, the charge shall be payable on all Successful Composite Service Transactions recorded on that Composite API in that month.

Sector Monthly Threshold Financial Services 5,000 transactions Education 2,500 transactions Healthcare 1,000 transactions The bidder shall quote the service charge per Successful Composite Service Transaction for each monthly volume slab, measured per Composite API per calendar month # Sector Service Charge per Successful Service Transaction, excluding GST (To be quoted by the bidder) 1 Financial Sector F = ……. (in words) …….(in Figures) 2 Health Sector H = ……. (in words) …….(in Figures) 3 Education Sector E = ……. (in words) …….(in Figures) Page 38 of 43Slab Monthly Transactions Rate per Slab-wise Charge Transaction 1 5,000 (Threshold) F F × transactions in Slab 1 2 5,001–30,000 0.90F 0.90F × transactions in Slab 2 3 30,001–1,00,000 0.80F 0.80F × transactions in Slab 3 4 Above 1,00,000 0.65F 0.65F × transactions in Slab 4

1. Financial Sector Slab Monthly Transactions Rate per Slab-wise Charge Transaction 1 2,500 (Threshold) E E × transactions in Slab 1 2 2,501–20,000 0.90E 0.90E × transactions in Slab 2 3 20,001–50,000 0.80E 0.80E × transactions in Slab 3 4 Above 50,000 0.65E 0.65E × transactions in Slab 4

2. Education Sector Page 39 of 43Slab Monthly Transactions Rate per Slab-wise Charge Transaction 1 1,000 (Threshold) H H × transactions in Slab 1 2 1,001–3,000 0.90H 0.90H × transactions in Slab 2 3 3,001–5,000 0.80H 0.80H × transactions in Slab 3 4 Above 5,000 0.65H 0.65H × transactions in Slab 4

3. Health Sector Terms & Condition:

Transaction charges shall become payable only if the prescribed monthly threshold is achieved. Once the threshold is achieved, transaction charges shall be payable on all eligible Successful Composite Service Transactions recorded during that calendar month, including the transactions up to the threshold.

The Financial rates shall be computed in accordance with the Concerned Section of the RFE; and that, if found technically qualified, we shall accept the benchmark rates determined by NeGD.

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 40 of 43Annexure VIII: Format of Power of Attorney / Board Resolution (On the Applicant's letterhead, signed by the Authorised Signatory) POWER OF ATTORNEY Know all men by these presents, we M/s ____________ (name of the Applicant), a company / LLP incorporated under the laws of India and having its registered office at ____________, do hereby constitute, nominate, appoint and authorise Mr. / Ms. ____________, son / daughter of ____________, presently employed with us and holding the position of ____________, as our true and lawful attorney (the "Attorney"), to do in our name and on our behalf all such acts, deeds and things as are necessary or required in connection with or incidental to our application for Empanelment of Specialized Ecosystem Enablement Partners for DigiLocker in response to RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD issued by NeGD, MeitY, including signing and submission of the application and all documents, participation in the pre-bid meeting and Technical Presentation, responding to queries, accepting benchmark rates, executing the empanelment agreement, NDA and undertakings, and generally dealing with NeGD in all matters in connection with our application and the resulting empanelment.

AND we hereby ratify and confirm all acts, deeds and things done or caused to be done by our said Attorney pursuant to and in exercise of the powers conferred by this Power of Attorney, which shall always be deemed to have been done by us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF we, ____________, the above-named principal, have executed this Power of Attorney on this ____ day of ____________ 2026.

For ____________ (name of Applicant): (Signature, name, designation and seal of the person authorised by Board Resolution)

Witnesses: 1. ____________ 2. ____________

Accepted: ____________ (Signature, name and designation of the Attorney)

Notes: (i) The Power of Attorney shall be executed in accordance with the applicable law and the charter documents of the executant, on non-judicial stamp paper of appropriate value and notarised where so required.

(ii) Where a Board Resolution is submitted in lieu, it shall be a certified true copy authorising the signatory to the same extent as above.

Page 41 of 43Annexure IX: Declaration under Rule 144(xi) of GFR 2017 (Land-Border Countries) (On the Applicant's letterhead, signed by the Authorised Signatory) To, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology Electronics Niketan, 6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

Subject: Declaration regarding bidders from countries sharing a land border with India — RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD I, ____________, ____________ (designation), duly authorised representative of M/s ____________ (the "Applicant"), hereby declare that:

7. I have read and understood Rule 144(xi) of GFR 2017 and Department of Expenditure O.M.

No. F.6/18/2019-PPD dated 23 July 2020, and subsequent amendments, regarding restrictions on procurement from a bidder of a country which shares a land border with India.

8. The Applicant (tick whichever is applicable): [ ] is NOT from a country which shares a land border with India, as defined in the said O.M.; OR [ ] is from a country which shares a land border with India and is registered with the Competent Authority constituted under the said O.M. Registration No.: ________ dated ________ (copy enclosed).

1. None of the directors / partners / principal officers / beneficial owners of the Applicant is a citizen of, or entity incorporated in, a country sharing a land border with India, except as disclosed above.

2. I certify that this declaration is true and correct. Furnishing a false declaration shall render the Applicant liable to rejection of its application and / or termination of the empanelment, invocation of the PBG, and debarment from future procurement of NeGD, in addition to any other action permissible under law.

Authorised Signatory: ____________________ Name & Designation: ____________________

Name of Applicant: ____________________ Date & Seal: ____________________ Page 42 of 43Annexure X: Format for Bid Securing Declaration (To be printed on the Applicant's letterhead and signed by the Head of the Agency / Authorised Signatory)

Date: ____/____/20____ To, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology Electronics Niketan, 6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

Subject: Bid Securing Declaration — RFE No. N-21/___/2026-NeGD | Date of RFE: [DD]/09/2026 We, [Full legal name of Applicant], having our registered office at [address], hereby submit this Bid Securing Declaration in lieu of Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) pursuant to Rule 170 of GFR 2017 and O.M. No. F.9/4/2020-PPD dated 12.11.2020.

We declare that our application will remain valid for 180 (One Hundred Eighty) days from the last date for submission, and we undertake not to withdraw or modify it during the said period.

We understand that if we:

(a) withdraw or modify our application during the validity period; or

(b) after being declared technically qualified, fail to accept the benchmark rates determined by NeGD within the stipulated time, or fail to sign the empanelment agreement and NDA; or

(c) after being empanelled, fail to furnish the Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) within the stipulated time; then NeGD may, at its discretion, suspend us from participating in any procurement by NeGD / DIC (or the Procuring Entity, as applicable) for a period up to two (2) years.

This declaration is made in compliance with Rule 170 of GFR 2017 and O.M. No. F.9/4/2020-PPD dated 12.11.2020.

Authorised Signatory: ____________

Name: ____________ Designation (Head of the Agency / Authorised Signatory): ____________ Applicant's Legal Name: ____________

Registered Address: ____________ Mobile / Email: ____________ Signature with Date & Seal *** End of RFE Document *** Page 43 of 43