DPIIT puts Rs 4-crore social media mandate up for grabs

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has floated a tender to appoint a social media agency for a two-year mandate, with the government pegging the estimated bid value at Rs 4 crore.

According to tender documents accessed by exchange4media, the mandate covers a broad spectrum of digital communication functions. The selected agency will handle content creation, content response and moderation, campaign management, response management, helpdesk support, as well as reporting and analytics.

The agency will manage communication in Hindi and English, with the tender covering platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube.

The scope makes the account wider than a conventional social media management mandate, bringing content production, audience engagement, campaign execution and performance tracking under a single agency.

As part of the content mandate, the agency will also be expected to develop visual and video assets for DPIIT's digital communication. This includes fresh photography for building a repository of images as well as short-form video production involving fresh shoots.

The brief also emphasizes response management, requiring the agency to monitor conversations around DPIIT and its initiatives and support responses and engagement across digital platforms.

Campaign management forms another key part of the mandate, with the agency expected to conceptualise and execute digital campaigns around DPIIT's programmes, initiatives and communication priorities, supported by platform-specific content.

Reporting and analytics are also built into the scope, making measurement of digital activity and campaign performance part of the agency's responsibilities.

The contract will run for 24 months.

DPIIT has stipulated a minimum average annual turnover of Rs 5 crore for participating agencies along with at least five years of experience in providing similar services.

The tender also requires bidders to demonstrate previous experience in handling social media management assignments for government organisations, including central or state government bodies, local bodies or public sector undertakings.

The earnest money deposit(EMD) has been fixed at Rs 8 lakh.

The agency will be selected through a Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) process, with technical evaluation carrying 70% weightage and the financial bid accounting for the remaining 30%. Agencies need to secure at least 70 marks in the technical evaluation to qualify for the financial stage.

The Rs 4 crore mentioned in the tender is the estimated bid value, inclusive of taxes, and is used for purposes including determining eligibility and EMD. It should therefore not be read as the final value at which the contract will necessarily be awarded.

Bids are scheduled to close aton September 29, 2026, with opening slated for September 30.

The DPIIT mandate adds to a growing pipeline of government social media and digital communication accounts currently in the market, as government departments increasingly seek agencies for work extending beyond social media publishing into original content, video production, campaign management, citizen engagement and analytics.