CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Date: 17 August 2026
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Engagement of Banking Partner(s) for Employee Benefits Fund
1. Background
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a global coalition committed to strengthening infrastructure resilience against climate and disaster risks. With 58 member countries and 12 partner organizations, it includes national governments, international bodies, and businesses collaborating to exchange knowledge, drive research, and invest in disaster-resilient infrastructure. Members gain access to global expertise, funding, technical support, research opportunities, innovative solutions, and international best practices.
Headquartered in New Delhi, India, CDRI's Secretariat holds the status of an International Organization.
CDRI's mission is, by 2050, to drive US$10 trillion of new and existing infrastructure investments and services to be resilient to natural hazards and climate change through enhanced capacity, informed policy, planning, and management, thereby improving environmental quality, livelihoods, and overall well-being for more than 3 billion people worldwide.
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) intends to establish an Employee Benefits Fund for the prudent management of its long-term employee benefit obligations, including gratuity and leave encashment, for both national and international staff.
The Fund will comprise periodic contributions by CDRI and shall be managed in accordance with the principles of capital preservation, liquidity, prudent investment, transparency, and sound financial governance.
CDRI seeks to engage a Scheduled Commercial Bank to provide banking, treasury, cash management and investment advisory/execution support for the Fund.
2. Objectives
The objective of this engagement is to appoint a banking partner(s) that can:
- Establish and maintain dedicated bank accounts for the Employee Benefits Fund in INR and USD;
- Provide appropriate cash and liquidity management solutions;
- Recommend suitable investment options consistent with CDRI's investment objectives and risk parameters;
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate, Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
- Support CDRI in optimizing returns while maintaining adequate liquidity and capital preservation;
- Provide treasury and investment advisory services; and
- Support effective financial reporting, monitoring and governance.
3. Scope of Work
The selected Bank(s) shall provide banking, cash and liquidity management, treasury advisory, investment execution and related reporting services for the Employee Benefits Fund, including but not limited to:
a) Account Management
The Bank(s) shall establish and maintain dedicated bank accounts in INR and USD for the management of employee benefit funds.
The Bank(s) shall facilitate secure electronic banking, payment processing, maker-checker workflows, authorized signatory management, transaction monitoring and other relevant institutional banking services required for the operation of the Fund.
b) Cash and Liquidity Management
The Bank(s) shall provide appropriate cash and liquidity management solutions that seek to optimize returns on surplus balances while ensuring sufficient liquidity to meet employee benefit obligations.
The Bank(s) may propose suitable products such as fixed deposits, auto-sweep facilities, flexi deposits or equivalent banking solutions, subject to CDRI's approval and applicable laws and regulations.
The Bank(s) shall provide advice on appropriate deposit tenures and maturity planning based on CDRI's anticipated cash-flow requirements.
c) Investment Advisory
The Bank(s) shall provide professional treasury and investment advisory services to support prudent investment and liquidity management of the Employee Benefits Fund, including recommendations on suitable investment options, deposit tenures, prevailing interest rate trends, diversification, maturity planning, and cash-flow optimization.
The Bank(s) shall clearly explain the key features, risks, liquidity considerations and expected returns associated with all recommended investment options.
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Investment recommendations shall remain advisory in nature, and all investment decisions shall be subject to CDRI's prior approval.
d) Investment Execution and Treasury Support
The Bank(s) shall execute investment instructions issued by CDRI and facilitate investment placements, renewals, maturity management, premature withdrawals, where applicable, and other related treasury services.
The Bank(s) shall provide timely information on upcoming maturities and assist CDRI in taking informed decisions regarding renewal, withdrawal or reinvestment of funds.
e) Reporting
The Bank(s) shall provide periodic account statements and management reports relating to the Employee Benefits Fund, including account balances, investment balances, accrued/earned interest, maturity schedules, applicable rates/returns, and such other information as may be reasonably required by CDRI for financial management, reconciliation and oversight.
The Bank(s) shall also provide transaction confirmations and investment/maturity-related information on a timely basis.
- Investment Principles
The Bank(s) shall provide the services under this engagement in accordance with the following principles:
- Preservation of capital shall remain the primary objective;
- Investments shall maintain sufficient liquidity to meet employee benefit obligations;
- Investment decisions shall seek to optimize returns within an acceptable risk profile;
- Investment recommendations shall be transparent and supported by relevant market information and analysis;
- All investments shall comply with applicable laws, regulations and CDRI's approved investment parameters; and
- No investment shall be executed without CDRI's prior written approval.
- Relationship Management
The Bank(s) shall nominate a dedicated Relationship Manager and an appropriate treasury/investment advisory contact to support CDRI.
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
The Bank(s) shall ensure timely responses to operational, banking and treasury-related queries and provide an appropriate escalation mechanism for urgent matters.
The Bank(s) shall communicate relevant changes in interest rates, banking products, investment options and other matters that may materially affect the management of the Fund.
6. Eligibility Criteria
Interested banks should meet the following minimum eligibility criteria and submit relevant documentary evidence:
- Be a Scheduled Commercial Bank regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (please submit RBI Schedule/License);
- Have a sound financial standing and be compliant with all applicable regulatory requirements of the Reserve Bank of India;
- Have demonstrated experience in institutional banking and treasury services (please share Client references, Brochure or capability statement);
- Have experience in providing banking and/or treasury services to Government entities, international organizations, multilateral institutions, UN agencies, large corporates or similar institutional clients;
- Provide secure digital banking facilities, including institutional transaction and authorization controls (please share Product literature or screenshots); and
- Have established treasury and investment advisory capabilities relevant to the requirements of the Employee Benefits Fund.
7. Submission
The procurement shall be conducted through a Single-Stage Single-Envelope process following the Quality-Based Selection (QBS) methodology.
Bidders shall submit a password-protected single proposal comprising:
a) Technical Proposal; and
b) Commercial Offer,
in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. The password shall be shared only upon written request from CDRI after the proposal submission deadline.
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate, Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
The Technical Proposal shall contain all information required for evaluating the bidder's technical capability (as shown below), and other requirements specified in this RFP.
The Commercial Offer shall contain the proposed banking charges, advisory fees (if applicable), pricing schedule, transaction charges, commercial terms, and any other financial conditions relevant to the proposed services.
The Commercial Offer shall be reviewed only after completion of the technical evaluation of the highest technically ranked bidder.
CDRI reserves the right to select more than one banking partner, if required.
Technical Proposal should cover the following, but not limited to:
- Signed and Stamped Annexure I: Acceptance of Terms & Conditions (On Bidders' Letterhead)
- Credentials of the Bank: Brief profile detailing the kind of services they provide, years of existence, client profile, experience in similar assignments, etc.
- Understanding and Proposed Approach: A description of the Bank's understanding of CDRI's requirements and its proposed approach for providing banking, cash and liquidity management, treasury advisory, investment execution and reporting services.
- Relevant Institutional Experience: Details of relevant experience in providing banking, treasury, cash management and investment-related services to Government entities, international organizations, multilateral institutions, UN agencies, large corporates or similar institutional clients, preferably including assignments involving employee benefit funds or similar institutional funds.
- Proposed Service Team: Profile and credentials of the proposed Relationship Manager and relevant treasury/investment advisory contact(s), including their qualifications, experience and relevant expertise.
- Service Delivery and Reporting: Details of the proposed service delivery mechanism, digital banking facilities, reporting/MIS capabilities, transaction authorization controls, relationship management arrangements, escalation mechanism and indicative turnaround times.
- Supporting Documents: The proposal should include relevant licence/certificate of incorporation or registration, PAN, GSTIN (where applicable), cancelled cheque and any other documents necessary to establish the Bank's eligibility and credentials.
8. Clarifications by Bidders
- Bidders requiring any clarification on the RFP document may contact the Procurement
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Unit of CDRI in writing as per the format attached at 'Annexure II' by email to tender.projects@cdri.world
- CDRI shall endeavour to respond to the queries raised or clarifications sought by the bidders. However, CDRI reserves the right not to respond to any query or provide any clarification in its sole discretion, and nothing in this clause shall be construed, taken, or read as compelling or requiring CDRI to respond to any query or to provide any clarification.
- At any time prior to the proposal due date, CDRI may, for any reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to clarifications requested by the bidder(s), modify the RFP document by way of issue of Addendum/ Corrigendum/ Clarifications. Any Addendum/ Corrigendum/ Clarification thus issued shall be shared with all bidders by email and/or uploaded on the website of CDRI (https://cdri.world/work-with-us/#tenders) and shall be binding on bidders and shall form part of the RFP document.
9. Evaluation
i. Selection Method: The Banking Partner shall be selected through a Single-Stage Single-Envelope process following the Quality-Based Selection (QBS) methodology.
The procurement process shall comprise:
ii. Eligibility Review: As per Section 6.
iii. Technical Evaluation
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Only bidders obtaining a minimum technical score of 70 out of 100 shall be considered technically responsive.
iv. Presentation/Discussion
Technically responsive bidders may be invited to make a presentation and participate in discussions with the Evaluation Committee.
The presentation/discussion shall form an integral part of the technical evaluation process and may be used to:
- Clarify the proposal;
- Assess the bidder's understanding of CDRI's requirements;
- Evaluate the proposed banking, treasury and investment advisory approach;
- Review the proposed service delivery model; and
- Seek clarifications on any aspect of the Technical Proposal.
Failure to participate in the presentation/discussion after due notice may result in rejection of the proposal.
The Evaluation Committee may take into account the presentation/discussion while assigning scores under the relevant technical evaluation criteria. No separate marks shall be assigned for the presentation.
v. Review of the Commercial Offer of the highest technically ranked bidder
Upon completion of the technical evaluation, only the Commercial Offer of the highest technically ranked bidder shall be reviewed. The Commercial Offer shall not be evaluated using a scoring methodology and shall not influence the technical ranking of bidders. Selection shall be based primarily on the technical evaluation, followed by review and negotiation of the Commercial Offer of the highest technically ranked bidder.
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
vi. Commercial Negotiations and Award
The negotiations may cover the proposed charges, fees, commercial terms, contractual provisions and any other matters considered necessary by CDRI.
If negotiations with the highest-ranked bidder are successfully concluded, the contract shall be awarded to that bidder.
If CDRI is unable to successfully conclude negotiations with the highest technically ranked bidder, CDRI reserves the right to discontinue negotiations and initiate negotiations with the next highest technically ranked bidder.
CDRI reserves the right to select more than one banking partner, if required.
10. Other Terms & Conditions
- The proposals should be valid for 90 days after the final submission date.
- CDRI reserves the right to cancel this Request for Proposal before or after the receipt of proposals or after opening the proposals and call for fresh proposals. CDRI also has the right to reject any proposal without assigning any reason.
- Proposals incomplete in any respect will not be considered.
- The Bank(s) shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations and directions of the Reserve Bank of India and other relevant regulatory authorities in relation to the services provided under this RFP.
- All investment/deposit placements shall be undertaken only upon CDRI's prior approval and in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions approved by CDRI.
- The selected Bank(s) shall maintain the confidentiality of CDRI's financial, operational and other information accessed in connection with this engagement and shall not disclose such information to any third party without the prior written consent of CDRI.
The bidders are requested to submit their proposals through email to tender.projects@cdri.world by 23:59 hrs (IST) on 31 August 2026. Responses received after the stipulated time or not in accordance with the requirements will be summarily rejected.
Please ensure that your proposal is sent ONLY to the ABOVE-MENTIONED email ID before the closing date & time. Proposals sent/copied to any other email ID (other than above) OR received after the bid closing date & time (mentioned above) will not be entertained.
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Annexure I: Acceptance of Terms & Conditions (On Bidders’ Letterhead)
To
Procurement Unit
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
3rd & 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA),
Indraprastha Estate, Mahatma Gandhi Road,
New Delhi-110002, India
Sub: Acceptance of Terms & Conditions
I/ We, the undersigned, offer to provide the above services/material/goods to CDRI. We are hereby submitting our bid as per the requirements of the RFP/ RFQ.
I/We, hereby declare that:
a) We are enclosing and submitting herewith our Bid, with the details as per the requirements of the tender, for your evaluation and consideration.
b) I/We have read carefully the terms and conditions of the tender document(s) along with all the Annexure(s)/Addenda/Corrigendum(s) issued and hereby agree to abide by the said terms and conditions.
c) I/We unconditionally accept the tender conditions of the above-mentioned tender document(s)/Annexure(s)/Addenda/Corrigendum(s).
d) I/We undertake that the documents submitted are genuine/authentic and nothing material has been concealed.
e) I/We understand that the contract is liable to be cancelled if it is found to be obtained through fraudulent means/concealment of information.
f) I/We shall make available to the CDRI any additional information it may find necessary or require clarifying, supplementing, or authenticating the Bid.
g) I/We agree to keep this bid valid for acceptance for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of opening the bid.
h) I/We confirm that there is no conflict of interest that would affect the ability to perform the contract in an impartial and professional manner.
i) I/We accept that the decision of CDRI regarding the evaluation of the bids will be final and binding, and CDRI is not bound to accept any tender that CDRI receives.
j) I/We declare that the person signing this bid is duly authorized to bind the bidder legally.
Yours faithfully,
Authorised Signatory
(with Name, Designation, Contact no., and Seal)
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Annexure II: Format of Pre-Proposal Queries (On Bidders’ Letterhead)
Date:
To
Procurement Unit
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
3rd & 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA),
Indraprastha Estate, Mahatma Gandhi Road,
New Delhi-110002, India
Sub: Engagement of Banking Partner(s) for Employee Benefits Fund
Dear Ma’am/Sir,
Following are the clarifications and comments on the terms and conditions and scope of work for the subject RFP. These clarifications are exhaustive.
Yours faithfully,
Authorized Signatory
(with Name, Designation, Contact no. and Seal)
3rd and 4th Floor, IIPA Bhawan, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) Campus, Indraprastha Estate,
Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi-110002, India
Tel.: +91 11 35 05 9999 Email: info@cdri.world
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