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Social welfare & Empowerment

Information, Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA): Evaluation and Studies

The "Evaluation and Studies" component of the scheme aims to establish institutionalized mechanisms for achieving transparency and accountability, generating lessons learned for real-time program improvement, and ensuring effective knowledge dissemination among stakeholders and targeted beneficiary.

Authority

Central

Region

None

Status

Verified 2026

Updated

March 2026

What you get

Financial Assistance/Funding | Funds are sanctioned by the Ministry for approved evaluation projects covering a specified period. | Items Covered under Funds (Costs met by the Ministry) | - Salaries and allowances of the project staff of the study and honorarium for the Project Director. | - Travel expenses undertaken in relation to the project. | - Consultancy charges. | - Printing costs. | - Equipment and books. | - Computer and tabulation costs. | - Contingency and Overhead charges (Overhead charges are calculated up to 5% of the total cost of Personnel, Travel, Printing, Equipment and books, Computer and machine tabulation costs, and Contingency). | Fund Disbursal Installments | The funds are released in three installments | - First Installment: 20% (released after the receipt of Performance Security).- Second Installment: 50% (released on submission and presentation of the draft report).- Third Installment: 30% (released after acceptance of the report by the Department, along with submission of 8 copies of the final report, 20 copies of the summary report and its soft version, audited Statement of Accounts, and Utilization Certificate). | Conditions | - The successful bidder must submit a Performance Bank Guarantee issued by any scheduled commercial bank for 8% of the contract value. | - The Organization must execute a bond in favor of the President of India to abide by the terms and conditions attached to the funds. | - The Organization must maintain separate accounts for this fund, which will remain open to inspection by representatives of the Government of India, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. | - The Organization must refund any unspent balance out of the fund within 30 days from the date of completion of the Project. | - Any unspent balance not refunded within 30 days, or funds required to be refunded due to failure to abide by conditions, will attract a penal interest of 15% per annum thereon.

Who can apply

The applicant must have requisite qualifications to undertake evaluation studies of schemes and programmes of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.; The applicant must not have been blacklisted.; The applicant must accept all the terms and conditions of the Notice Inviting Tender, including commercial and general terms and conditions.; The applicant must be willing to undertake the assignment in the given timeframe.; The applicant should have the necessary experience in the use of statistical tools.; The applicant should have experience in the social sector.; The applicant should have at least 5 years’ experience of evaluation of studies on the social sector.

Required Paperwork

  • Aadhaar Card
  • PAN Card
  • Income Certificate
  • Residence Proof (Domicile)

Common Questions

What experience does the Project Director need to have in order to lead an evaluation study under this initiative?

The Project Director should possess at least 5 years' experience of evaluation studies in the social sector and must have necessary experience in the use of statistical tools.

If our organization has been exempted from paying the Earnest Money Deposit, what proof do we need to submit with our bid?

Organizations exempted from payment of Earnest Money Deposit must submit scanned proof of exemption along with their bid submission documents.

What are the different types of costs that will be covered by the Ministry if our evaluation project proposal gets approved?

The Ministry covers salaries and allowances of project staff, travel expenses, consultancy charges, printing costs, equipment and books, computer and tabulation costs, and contingency and overhead charges (calculated up to 5% of specified cost heads).

Within what time period must any unspent balance from the sanctioned funds be returned to the authorities after the project ends?

Any unspent balance out of the fund must be refunded within 30 days from the date of completion of the Project.

How many copies of the final report and summary report need to be submitted upon completion of the evaluation study?

Eight copies of the final report and twenty copies of the summary report must be submitted, along with soft versions of both.

What happens if our organization delays the submission of the report beyond the specified due date mentioned in the contract?

A penalty of 0.5% of the cost of the study per week will be levied if the Organization delays the submission of the report by the due date.

Is our organization required to maintain separate financial accounts specifically for the funds received under this evaluation project?

Yes, the Organization must maintain separate accounts for this fund, which will remain open to inspection by representatives of the Government of India, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

What percentage of the total contract value must be submitted as Performance Bank Guarantee after being selected for the project?

The successful bidder must submit a Performance Bank Guarantee issued by any scheduled commercial bank for 8% of the contract value.

At what stage of the project will the second installment of funds be released to our organization by the Ministry?

The second installment of 50% is released on submission and presentation of the draft report before the Ministry.

What interest rate will be charged if we fail to refund unspent balance or funds due to non-compliance with conditions?

Any unspent balance not refunded within 30 days, or funds required to be refunded due to failure to abide by conditions, will attract a penal interest of 15% per annum.

Can organizations that have been blacklisted by government authorities apply for undertaking evaluation studies under this programme?

No, the applicant must not have been blacklisted to be eligible for undertaking evaluation studies under this programme.

What kind of authorization letter needs to be submitted along with the bid documents to prove signatory authority?

An Authorization Letter from the firm must be submitted, certifying that the person who signed the bid is an authorized person to sign on behalf of the firm.

Are we required to submit audited financial statements and if so, for how many years should these statements cover?

Yes, scanned copies of audited annual accounts along with audit report of last three financial years must be submitted with the bid.

What happens to all the raw data, photographs, and filled schedules that our team collects during the evaluation study?

All raw data compiled during the study, including filled in schedules, tabulation or working sheets, reports, and photographs in electronic form, must be transferred to the Ministry and the ownership of the data transfers to the Department.