The BIS Manakonline Platform tender (ITSD/MOP/RFP/2025-26/01) uses a Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) methodology with a 70:30 ratio — 70% weightage to technical quality and 30% to financial bid. This article explains how bidders are evaluated.
QCBS is a standard government procurement methodology that balances technical quality against cost. The 70:30 ratio means:
The bidder with the highest combined score wins — not necessarily the lowest price. This is intentional: BIS wants a quality solution, not the cheapest one.
The bidder must demonstrate minimum annual turnover of INR 600 Crore to be technically qualified. This immediately limits the field to large IT system integrators. Companies below this threshold are disqualified at the eligibility stage.
Bidders score points for prior experience implementing similar large-scale government IT systems. Experience with other national regulatory bodies (like FSSAI, SEBI, RBI IT systems) scores higher than generic ERP implementations.
The proposed architecture, technology stack, security approach, and implementation methodology are evaluated against BIS requirements. Cloud-native solutions using government-approved cloud providers score higher.
The proposed project team — project manager, solution architect, security architect, domain experts — are evaluated for qualifications and relevant experience.
The lowest financial bid receives the full 30 points. Other bids receive proportionally lower scores: Score = (Lowest Bid / This Bid) × 30.
Bidders must score a minimum of 70% in technical evaluation (49 out of 70 points) to have their financial bid opened. Technically weak bids are rejected without financial evaluation — protecting BIS from low-quality solutions.
The QCBS 70:30 structure and Rs 600 Crore turnover requirement limits this to 4-6 major Indian IT companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tech Mahindra, L&T Technology Services). The winning company will shape India's standards infrastructure for the next decade.