The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has extended the deadline for submitting bids for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of its upcoming e-Court system. The decision follows queries and suggestions raised by prospective bidders during the pre-bid meeting, prompting the Commission to revise the tender schedule to provide participants with additional time to prepare and submit their proposals.
Under the revised schedule, the last date for bid submission has been extended from November 4, 2026, to November 25, 2026, until 18:00 hours. The technical bids will now be opened on November 26, 2026, at 12:00 hours, replacing the originally scheduled opening date. GERC has stated that the opening date for financial bids of technically qualified participants will be announced separately at a later stage.
The extension comes after the Commission addressed several clarifications sought by prospective bidders regarding technical requirements, project responsibilities, operational arrangements and contractual provisions. The responses are intended to provide greater clarity on the project scope and implementation responsibilities before bidders finalise their proposals.
Among the important clarifications, GERC confirmed that the selected agency will be responsible for all infrastructure and licensing costs associated with the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) features integrated into the e-Court platform. This provision places the financial responsibility for the required AI and ML infrastructure and licences on the appointed service provider.
The project also includes a comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M) arrangement to ensure the platform remains functional after its development and deployment. According to the clarified project requirements, the selected agency will undertake a four-month development phase, followed by a two-month stabilisation period. This will be followed by 60 months of operations and maintenance services.
The Commission has also provided clarification on the digitisation and integration of existing records into the proposed electronic document management system. Approximately 200,000 pages of legacy documents will need to be processed and incorporated into the platform. The digitisation requirement is expected to support the transition of existing records into a structured digital environment and improve document accessibility and management.
On contractual matters, GERC clarified several provisions relating to commercial responsibilities and liability. While most terms remain aligned with standard contractual guidelines, the Commission agreed to cap the selected bidder’s aggregate indemnification liability at the total contract value. However, certain exceptions will apply, particularly in cases involving fraud, data protection breaches and intellectual property infringements.
The proposed e-Court system is expected to support the Commission’s digital operations through an integrated platform for managing electronic records and related processes. The revised bidding schedule gives interested agencies additional time to assess the technical specifications, commercial requirements and contractual conditions.
GERC has advised prospective bidders to regularly monitor its official website for further notifications, clarifications or changes concerning the tender process.
