Three consultancy agencies qualify technical round for assisting DPIIT in start up initiatives

Three consultancy agencies - PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG Advisory, have qualified the technical evaluation round for assisting the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in effective and on-ground implementation of initiatives for startups.

In March, the department had invited a request for proposal (RFP) for the appointment of a consulting agency for Startup India, following which four consultancy firms bid.

According to the minutes of a meeting that was held on June 26 to evaluate the preliminary proposals, these three firms have scored more than 60 marks and are found to be technically qualified.

The evaluation committee, Chaired by DPIIT Joint Secretary Anil Agrawal, has "decided to open financial bids for all the qualified applicants on July 6".

The minutes stated that Grant Thornton India LLP has failed to obtain minimum marks for technical qualification and "hence disqualified for the opening of its financial bid".

The department had proposed to engage a consultancy organisation to provide support for a period of three years, extendable by one year at a time for a total duration of five years, to assist and support the DPIIT in effective and on-ground implementation of Startup India Action Plan.

The selected agency will have to support the department in scaling up the Startup India initiative through manifold interventions considered important for building a strong ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs.

The main objectives include hand-holding, supervising and monitoring the implementation of recommendations for next three years; examining the need of current ecosystem; and provide short, medium and long-term suggestions for implementation by various agencies in consultation with various stakeholders to scale up the initiative; and undertake the state startup ranking exercise every year by coordinating with states and other stakeholders.

Startup India is the flagship initiative of the government, launched in January 2016, that intends to build a strong ecosystem for the growth of startup businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate employment opportunities.

The Startup India action plan provides tax and other incentives