Your Ultimate Guide to Participating the General Consultant Tender Northern Railway Lucknow (2025)
A major opportunity for engineering and infrastructure firms is on the horizon. The Northern Railway has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the appointment of a General Consultant (GC). This consultant will drive key projects for the Gati Shakti Unit in Lucknow. This article is your comprehensive guide to understanding this contract. We will dissect every component of the General Consultant tender Northern Railway Lucknow, from its unique JV policy to its complex evaluation criteria. Our goal is to provide your firm with a strategic advantage.
This is more than a standard consultancy contract. It is a chance to participate directly in the PM Gati Shakti mission. The selected GC will oversee critical infrastructure development in and around Lucknow. This includes projects vital to national connectivity. If your firm, or a partnership you can build, has the right expertise, this is a must-win opportunity. Let’s delve into the details to craft your winning bid.
Tender Overview: Key Details You Can’t Miss
Before diving into strategy, a clear understanding of the tender’s core parameters is essential. This project is a significant, two-year engagement that demands careful planning. Here is a summary of the critical information.
Detail | Information |
Name of Work | Appointment of General Consultants (GC) for Gati Shakti Unit, Northern Railway, Lucknow |
Tender Authority | Northern Railway |
Advertised Value | ₹ 3,75,16,227.66 (Approx. 3.75 Crore) |
Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) | ₹ 3,37,600.00 |
Bidding System | Two Packet System (Technical & Financial) |
Evaluation Method | Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) |
Period of Completion | 24 Months |
Bidding Start Date | June 13, 2025 |
Tender Closing Date | June 27, 2025, at 11:30 AM |
Offer Validity | 120 Days |
Joint Venture (JV) / Consortium | Yes, up to 3 members allowed |
The most significant detail here is the allowance of Joint Ventures and Consortiums. This opens the door for strategic partnerships. The timeline is also very aggressive, so prompt action is crucial.
The Gati Shakti Mandate in Lucknow
Understanding this tender requires seeing the bigger picture. This project is not happening in a vacuum. It is a core component of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. This is a transformative initiative aimed at revolutionizing India’s infrastructure planning and execution.
Gati Shakti’s primary objective is to break down the traditional silos between government ministries. It uses a sophisticated digital platform to integrate the planning of all infrastructure projects. This includes railways, highways, ports, airports, and logistics parks. The benefits are immense:
- Faster project delivery through coordinated planning.
- Reduced logistics costs across the nation.
- Seamless multimodal connectivity.
- Data-driven decision-making for new projects.
The Gati Shakti Unit (GSU) in Lucknow is a specialized body created to implement this vision on the ground. As the appointed General Consultant, your role will be to champion these principles. You will ensure that railway projects in the region are executed with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Your proposal must demonstrate that you understand and can deliver on this strategic mandate.
A Major Shift: The Joint Venture (JV) and Consortium Opportunity
A standout feature of this General Consultant tender Northern Railway Lucknow is the explicit allowance for JVs and Consortiums. This is a game-changer. It allows firms to pool their resources, experience, and expertise to meet the tender’s demanding criteria.
What Does This Mean for Bidders?
- Expanded Eligibility: Smaller or specialized firms can partner with larger companies to meet the stringent financial and technical capacity requirements.
- Stronger Teams: You can assemble a “dream team” of key personnel by drawing from the talent pools of multiple companies.
- Shared Risk and Reward: The project’s financial and operational risks are distributed among the partners.
- Comprehensive Service Offering: A JV can offer a more holistic service, combining strengths in different areas like Civil, Electrical, and S&T engineering.
Key Rules for JVs and Consortiums
The tender document lays out specific rules for these partnerships:
- Maximum Members: The JV or Consortium can have a maximum of three members.
- Lead Member: The partnership must designate a Lead Member. This member will be the primary point of contact and will hold key financial responsibilities.
- Experience: The technical experience of the JV/Consortium as a whole, or any of its members, will be considered.
- Financial Capacity: This is a crucial point. The financial capacity of only the Lead Member will be considered for the primary eligibility threshold. However, each of the other members must have at least 25% of the required financial capacity.
Forming a strategic partnership could be your key to success in this tender. Start identifying potential partners early.
Mastering the Eligibility Criteria: Your First Checkpoint
This is the first and most important hurdle. Your bid will not even be evaluated if you fail to meet these minimum conditions. Let’s break down each requirement in detail.
Technical Capacity Explained
The railway needs a consultant with a strong and relevant track record.
- Core Requirement: Your firm (or JV/Consortium) must have completed, or substantially completed, at least one “Eligible Assignment.”
- Value Threshold: This single project must be worth at least 35% of this tender’s estimated cost. This comes to approximately ₹1.31 Crore (35% of ₹3.75 Crore).
- Time Frame: This experience must be from the last five financial years, including the current financial year.
- ‘Substantially Completed’ Definition: This means you have received at least 90% of the professional fees agreed upon for that project.
- JV Consideration: For a JV, experience from any of the member firms can be used to meet this criterion.
Financial Capacity Demystified
Your firm’s financial health is a critical indicator of its ability to handle a long-term project.
- Revenue Requirement: The bidder (or the Lead Member of a JV) must have a total income from professional consultancy fees of at least 150% of the tender’s cost. This translates to a total income of roughly ₹5.62 Crore (150% of ₹3.75 Crore).
- Time Frame: This income must be from the three financial years preceding the bid submission deadline.
- JV Financial Rule: This is critical. While the Lead Member must meet the full ₹5.62 Crore requirement, each other member of the JV (up to two others) must demonstrate a financial capacity of at least 25% of this amount (approximately ₹1.40 Crore each).
- Proof: You must provide certificates from your Statutory Auditor or a Chartered Accountant. These certificates must have a valid UDIN.
The ‘Eligible Assignment’ Litmus Test
Not all past consultancy projects will count. To be considered an “Eligible Assignment,” a project must meet two conditions:
- Client Type: The project must have been awarded directly to you (or a JV partner) by:
- A Government Department or Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
- A public company listed on the NSE or BSE with an average annual turnover of at least ₹500 crore.
- For foreign projects, only work for government bodies will be considered.
- Project Nature: The consultancy services must have been for one of the following types of projects:
- Railways, Metro, DFCCIL, High-Speed Rail, RRTS, etc.
- Airports, Ports, or large transport terminals.
- National Highways, State Highways, or Expressways.
- Large-scale Commercial or Residential real estate projects.
Crucially, sub-consultancy experience is not eligible.
Assembling Your A-Team: Key Personnel Requirements
Your proposed team is perhaps the most heavily scrutinized part of your bid.
- Team Leader: Must be on the payroll of the bidder (or one of the JV members) before the bid due date. This is non-negotiable.
- Team Competency: If more than 25% of your proposed key personnel are found to be ineligible, your entire bid will be rejected.
- Team Leader Ineligibility: If your Team Leader is deemed ineligible, your bid is summarily rejected.
- Age Limits: The maximum age for all key personnel (Team Leader, Experts) is 70 years as of the bid submission date.
- Minimum Deployment: To claim experience for a key person on a project, they must have been deployed on that single project for a minimum of 180 days cumulatively. This is a new and important detail.
- No Double Dipping: If the same person’s CV is submitted by two or more different bidders, all those bidders will get zero marks for that person.
The QCBS Evaluation Matrix: How Your Bid Will Be Scored
This General Consultant tender Northern Railway Lucknow uses the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method. This means your technical skills and your price both matter. The final winner is the one with the best combined score.
Stage 1: The Technical Evaluation (70 Points)
Your technical bid is where you prove your worth. It’s evaluated out of 700 marks, which are then converted to a Technical Score (ST) out of 70. You need a minimum score of 49 out of 70 to qualify for the next stage.
Here is the detailed scoring breakdown:
Code | Parameter | Max Marks | Scoring Criteria |
1 | Relevant Experience of Bidder (Firm/JV) | 150 | 15 marks for each completed Eligible Assignment. 12 marks for each substantially completed one. Capped at 150. |
2 | Average Annual Revenue | 120 | 2.0 marks for every crore of average annual professional fee income (last 3 years). Capped at 120. |
3 | Team Leader Experience | 95 | 10 marks for each Eligible Assignment where they were Team Leader. Capped at 95. |
4 | Contract Management Expert Experience | 40 | 10 marks for each Eligible Assignment as a Contract Expert. Capped at 40. |
5 | Senior Design & Review Expert Experience | 55 | 10 marks for each Eligible Assignment in this role. Capped at 55. |
6 | Sector Experts (Civil, Electrical, S&T) | 100 | 10 marks for each Eligible Assignment per expert. Scored individually and summed up. Capped at 100. |
8 | Quality of Approach & Team Interaction | 180 | A critical section based on your presentation and team skills. <br>- Proposed Methodology (80 marks) <br>- Team Leader Interaction (30 marks) <br>- Skill Tests for Other Experts (70 marks) |
9 | Grand Total | 700 | Sum of all parameters. |
10 | Technical Score (ST) | 70 | Grand Total / 10 |
This scoring clearly shows that your proposed team and their presentation are worth 470 out of 700 marks. This is where the tender will be won or lost.
Stage 2: The Financial Evaluation (30 Points)
This stage is a mathematical exercise.
- Qualification: Only the top 6 technically ranked bidders (T1 to T6) will have their financial bids opened.
- Ranking: Bids are ranked from lowest (L1) to highest (L6).
- Scoring: The lowest bidder (L1) receives the maximum financial score (SF) of 30 points. All other scores are calculated relative to L1 using the formula:
- SF = 30 x (L1 / Your Bid)
- This formula means the further your price is from the lowest bid, the fewer financial points you will receive.
Stage 3: The Final Verdict – Combined Score (S = ST + SF)
The final selection is based on the combined score.
- The Final Score (S): The scores are simply added together:
- S = Technical Score (ST) + Financial Score (SF)
- The Winner: The bidder with the highest combined score (S) is designated H1 and wins the contract.
- Tie-Breaker: If two bidders have the same final score, the one with the higher technical score (ST) wins. If that is also a tie, the bidder with the higher financial capacity wins.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Flawless Online Submission
The entire bidding process is electronic, managed through the Indian Railway E-Procurement System (IREPS). Follow these steps precisely.
- Register on IREPS: If your firm or JV members are not registered, do so at www.ireps.gov.in.
- Obtain Class III DSCs: Each JV member who needs to sign documents will need a valid Digital Signature Certificate.
- Download All Documents: Log in and download the complete RFP, any addendums, and the Bill of Quantities (BOQ).
- Form Your JV (If Applicable): Finalize your JV agreement. Clearly define the Lead Member and each partner’s roles.
- Prepare the Technical Bid: Gather all eligibility proofs, write a detailed methodology, compile CVs, and get auditor certificates. Organize them into clearly labeled PDF files.
- Pay the EMD: Pay the ₹3,37,600 Earnest Money Deposit online via the IREPS portal. Save the receipt.
- Fill the Financial Bid (BOQ): Carefully enter your rates in the official BOQ Excel file. Do not change its format.
- Upload and Submit: Log in to IREPS well before the deadline. Upload your technical documents and your encrypted financial bid. Digitally sign using your DSC to submit. Aim to submit 24-48 hours early to avoid technical issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to some questions bidders are likely to have.
Q1: How is a Joint Venture (JV) different from a Consortium in this tender?
The tender document uses the terms “Joint Venture” and “Consortium” together. For the purpose of this bid, they are treated as a formal partnership of up to three firms. You will need a formal, legally binding agreement that outlines the roles, responsibilities, and profit-sharing of each member.
Q2: In a JV, whose financial capacity is most important?
The Lead Member’s financial capacity is the most important. The Lead Member alone must meet the full 150% turnover requirement (approx. ₹5.62 Crore). However, the other members are not exempt; they must each meet a 25% threshold (approx. ₹1.40 Crore).
Q3: What does the ‘minimum 180 days deployment’ for key personnel mean?
To claim a past project as experience for your Team Leader or any other expert, you must be able to prove they worked on that specific project for at least 180 days in total. This prevents bidders from claiming experience for staff who only had a brief or superficial involvement in a project.
Q4: Can we propose key personnel who are over 70 years old?
No. The tender explicitly states a maximum age of 70 years for all key personnel at the time of the bid submission. Any CV for a person older than this will be considered ineligible.
Q5: What happens if we are technically ranked 7th?
If your technical score places you outside the top 6, your bid is eliminated from the process. Your financial bid will not be opened. This makes achieving a high technical score absolutely essential.
Q6: We are a foreign firm. What do we need to do for our experience certificates?
If your experience is from outside India (and for a government client), your certificates must be attested by the Indian Embassy or High Commission in that country. If the documents are not in English, you must provide an official English translation that is also authenticated by the local Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Embassy.
Conclusion: Your Path to Securing the Lucknow Gati Shakti Project
The General Consultant tender Northern Railway Lucknow is a premier opportunity. It offers a chance to secure a high-value, long-term contract and to play a pivotal role in one of India’s most important infrastructure initiatives. The unique allowance of Joint Ventures opens up new strategic possibilities for firms of all sizes.
Success demands a multi-faceted strategy. It requires building the right partnerships, assembling an impeccable team, and deeply understanding the nuances of the QCBS evaluation. Your bid must be more than just compliant; it must be compelling. It must tell a story of technical excellence, strategic foresight, and unparalleled value.
The competition will be intense, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Use this guide to navigate the complexities, focus your efforts where they matter most, and position your bid for victory.
Is your firm or JV planning to bid for this tender? Do you have questions about forming a consortium or navigating the QCBS process? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!