Now Reading: Indian embassy in UAE retenders passport services after Supreme Court order
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Indian embassy in UAE retenders passport services after Supreme Court order
Indian embassy in UAE retenders passport services after Supreme Court order
The Indian embassy in the UAE has issued a fresh tender for outsourced passport services, complying with a Supreme Court order that mandated a retender after a legal challenge. The new Request…
The Indian embassy in the UAE has issued a fresh tender for outsourced passport services, complying with a Supreme Court order that mandated a retender after a legal challenge. The new Request for Proposal, dated September 28, 2026, invites bids to operate 15 Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) across seven emirates. The contract is for three years, with services to start within 45 days of signing.
The dispute began when two unsuccessful bidders challenged the original tender's technical evaluation. In July, the Delhi High Court ordered a retender and barred Alhind Tours and Travels, the current provider, from rolling out its services. The Supreme Court later allowed Alhind to operate in the interim while directing the government to complete a fresh tender within three months. Alhind has been running 16 ICACs since July 22, charging a flat Dh19 service fee.
Bids close on October 26, with the winner selected on the lowest financial bid basis through a two-tier technical and financial evaluation. The operator could change if a different company wins. Indian missions in the UAE handled nearly 600,000 services in 2025, including about 400,000 passport services. The embassy advises applicants to use the Consular Seva in UAE portal for appointments and to monitor official announcements.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Supreme Court's intervention in a passport-services procurement dispute is rare, most outsourcing contracts are settled by government tender committees without judicial review. The original challenge by unsuccessful bidders rested on claims that the technical evaluation was flawed, a ground the Delhi High Court accepted. With the new RFP requiring services to begin within 45 days of signing, the winning bidder must be operationally ready fast. The UAE's Indian diaspora of over 4 million expats means any disruption, or a change of operator, could affect hundreds of thousands of applicants. The L1 selection model favours low cost, which may test service quality. Bids close on 26 October, and a new provider should be known soon after.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
