Requirement of RFI in Defence Capital Acquisition Procedure

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What’s the efficacy of RFI when information of equipments and systems are available on fingertips. SHQs have the liberty of subscribing to data bases as well as utilising consulting services.

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DPP 2020 doesn’t specify timeline between RFI to issue of AON, which at times can be infinite resulting in protracted acquisition process and hence procurement of older generation platforms. Is it then justified to depend on RFI merely to formulate the SQR required to obtain AON? The timeline for acquisition process starts from issue of AON and not from the time RFI is published on MOD web page. (Appx L to Ch II)

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Can objective of RFI be formulation of Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP)? Ch II para 2

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Can the objective of RFI be formulation of SQRs in the 21st century?

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And can the objective of RFI be to decide the acquisition category or for that matter structuring the RFP as mentioned in the DPP 2020?

Database and benchmarking price should be the responsibility of directorates under IDS, SHQ and MoD. Data must be continuously collated and made available rather than depending on RFIs which at times results in many months at times years before formulating SQRs required for AON.

Can India afford such protracted timelines for capital acquisitions and are RFIs justified as part of the acquisition process mentioned in Ch II para 1 of DPP 2020.

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