DMRC opens co-branding bids for 12 stations as submission window closes on Nov 16

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has invited bids for exclusive co-branding rights at 12 of its stations. Bidders have until 3 pm on Monday, November 16, to submit their offers.

Technical and financial bids will be opened online at 3 pm on November 17. The tender document has been available online since October 15.

The stations on offer are Delhi Gate, Janpath, Khan Market, Jangpura, Moolchand, Kailash Colony, Govind Puri, Harkesh Nagar Okhla, Jasola Apollo, Mohan Estate, Tughlakabad and Badarpur Border.

Each station has a separate schedule. Bidders can pitch for one or several, but must bid for the entire inventory within any schedule they choose. The process is single-stage and single-packet, and contracts will go to the highest bidders whose rates DMRC accepts.

All 12 stations fall under Category D, the leanest of the four inventory tiers in the tender. Winning brands get a prefix or suffix to the existing station name, 10 sqm of indoor advertising space, indoor and outdoor colouring and branding, and audio announcements inside trains.

Brands opting for audio will pay ₹25,960 per station, inclusive of GST, to record announcements in Hindi and English. The fee is fixed and sits on top of the annual licence fee. Announcements will carry both names: "Next station is 'Station Name' 'Brand Name'."

The tender document costs ₹29,500, including 18% GST. The earnest money deposit is ₹10,61,398 per schedule, so bidders targeting multiple stations must furnish a separate EMD for each.

Eligibility is tied to minimum average annual turnover. Badarpur Border carries the highest threshold at ₹1.3 crore, followed by Khan Market at ₹80 lakh and Govind Puri at ₹70 lakh. Janpath and Kailash Colony require ₹60 lakh each, Delhi Gate and Tughlakabad ₹50 lakh each, and the remaining five stations ₹40 lakh each.

Bidders can meet the requirement through a holding company, subsidiaries or group entities. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, Indian companies, joint ventures and consortia are eligible.

The licence runs for 10 years and can be extended by five more years on mutually agreed terms, with a two-year lock-in in each tenure. Surrendering the inventory during the contract period is not permitted.

DMRC will hand over a station within seven days of signing, after which a 120-day fitment period begins. The licence fee is payable from day 121, and delays in paying the first year's advance fee attract interest at 18% a year.

Exclusivity comes with carve-outs. Contractors running toilet blocks and cycle stands can use up to 15 sqm of advertising space at each station. DMRC can award separate dual-display digital signage contracts at ticket counters and customer care centres, capped at 10 sqm per station, and licensees can bid for those too. The corporation may reserve spaces for exhibitions, handicrafts and heritage promotion without compensating the licensee. Licensees get no advertising rights over Wi-Fi, mobile or radio signals on commuter or staff devices. DMRC may separately use station piers for vertical gardens.