South Central Railway Seeks CA/CMA Firms for GST Consultancy; Bid Closes August 31
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South Central Railway has invited bids for a one-year GST tax consultancy engagement at its headquarters in Secunderabad, creating a current professional opportunity for eligible Chartered Accountant and Cost and Management Accountant firms or LLPs with substantial GST and public-sector experience. ICMAI has listed the opportunity in its Tender/EOI section, while the detailed bid document identifies the procurement as GeM Bid No. GEM/2026/B/7653414 dated 7 August 2026.
Bid deadline and contract value
The bid document states a closing time of 31 August 2026 at 10:00 AM and a scheduled bid opening at 10:30 AM the same day. The estimated bid value is Rs 9,29,250 inclusive of taxes. The engagement is for one year and is structured as an onsite, milestone or deliverable-based consultancy under the Finance and Accounts stream.
The tender specifies an EMD of Rs 18,590 and an ePBG of 5 percent, with a required ePBG duration of 14 months. The bid is a single-packet bid and the offer-validity period is 180 days from the closing date.
Scope of the GST engagement
South Central Railway says it wants experienced CA or CMA firms or LLPs to provide GST expertise on day-to-day issues and respond to queries or notices raised by GST authorities. The tender describes a significant compliance environment: roughly 50,000 records may be filed each month and monthly output tax liability is stated to be in the order of Rs 60 crore.
The bid also notes that South Central Railway is the principal railway for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for GST. Because of the formation of South Coast Railway, the consultant may also be required to support transition, GST filing, data management, statutory compliance and coordination for Andhra Pradesh if the Railway Board shifts nodal responsibility during the contract period.
Key eligibility conditions for firms
- The firm must have a main or branch office in Hyderabad or Secunderabad and provide documentary proof.
- The firm must have at least five full-time CAs or CMAs, with at least one partner holding a valid GST practitioner certificate.
- At least three full-time partners and eight or more professional staff are required.
- The bidder must provide qualifying experience in statutory audit or GST consultancy for a PSU or government company during the last three financial years, or qualifying work for a listed company meeting the tender's turnover conditions.
- Average annual turnover of the firm must be at least Rs 2 crore during the last three financial years, supported by a CA certificate with UDIN and audited financial statements.
Why this matters for CA and CMA firms
The engagement is more than a routine return-filing assignment. The stated data volume, tax liability, authority-facing work and possible inter-railway transition make it a sizeable GST compliance and advisory mandate. Firms considering the bid should therefore review the full scope-of-work, staffing obligations, performance-security requirements and all documents required at bid submission rather than relying only on the summary listing.
Useful official links
Key takeaway
Eligible CA and CMA firms with a Hyderabad or Secunderabad presence have until 31 August 2026 to evaluate and submit the South Central Railway GST consultancy bid, subject to the detailed GeM conditions. The mandatory staffing, turnover and experience thresholds mean this opportunity is targeted at established professional firms rather than small practices without the required scale.
