Metro invites requests from banks for reaches 3, 3A, 3B

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has invited requests for proposal from banks wanting to be the acquirer bank for the Corporation along Reaches 3, 3A and 3B.

An acquiring bank is essentially a financial institution that processes credit and or debit card payments for products or services for a merchant or organisation.
“The first part of North-South Line - Reach 3 and 3A (Peenya to Sampige Road) is scheduled to be opened for public carriage in December this year. Reach-3B will be opened subsequently,” the BMRCL said in its tender.

The acquirer bank, if selected, shall provide debit/credit card readers similar in make and configuration to those existing in the Reach-1 stations of the BMRCL.

The Metro Corporation will arrange necessary integration with Ticket Office Machines (TOM) and automatic ticket-vending machines to be placed at the Metro stations of Reach-3, 3A and 3B for the sale of smart card or adding value (top-up) to the card through their vendor.

“The acquirer bank shall share the specification of the card reader and liaise with the vendor,” the tender prescribes, pointing out that the card reader shall accept payments from commuters through MasterCard or VISA- affiliated cards issued by any bank.

“American Express and other Association bank cards are also acceptable in addition, as long as the acquirer bank agrees to their acceptance on their terminals,” it said.
Stating that it is desirable that the acquirer bank has local presence (in Bangalore) for back-office processing of merchant acquiring transactions, the tender document said the cost of the bid document was Rs 11,250.

While the documents can be purchased on any day during working hours between January 16 and 31, the last date to submit the queries or clarifications is February 10, 2012.

Interested banks will pay a bid security amount of Rs 2,00,000 (refundable) and the last date for the submission of the bid is February 29, till 3 pm.

The banks, the tender document said, must also implement other methods of top-up value to BMRCL smart cards at multiple locations like bank ATMs, through bank’s net and mobile banking, etc, apart from topping up of  smart cards at the Metro stations using credit/debit cards.