This Request for Proposal signifies a collaborative initiative between JICA and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). It aims to identify a technology solution provider (Digital Partner) for a Proof of Concept (PoC) designed to develop and deploy the Cognitive Command Centre - an AI-powered decision support system for DMRC's Operations Control Centre (OCC).

DMRC's OCC represents one of the most demanding real-time operational environments in urban metro / rail - and consequently, one of the highest-impact deployment contexts for AI. At its core, the solution embeds a voice-enabled assistance agent directly into the Traffic Controller’s workstation - providing real-time, context-aware intelligence to resolve incidents faster and more accurately, eliminating manual effort through automated incident logging and building operational intelligence capability via analytics. Designed for network wide scale & functional evolution, this initiative represents one of the foundational layers of DMRC's comprehensive AI stack.

The objective of this PoC is to design, develop and implement solution on Line 2 of the network, to showcase the success of an AI powered decision support system for DMRC’s OCC and deliver the following objectives:

DMRC operates one of the largest and most complex urban rail networks in the world, comprising approximately 400 kilometers of track across 10 lines and over 300 stations. DMRC is committed to the continuous improvement of its operational capabilities and the adoption of technology to enhance service reliability, safety, and efficiency for ~7 million passengers it serves every day.

JICA has been a long-standing development and financing partner of DMRC for over two decades, having supported the construction and expansion of the Delhi Metro network across multiple phases through ODA loans, one of the largest and most sustained bilateral infrastructure investments in India's urban mobility sector. Building on this enduring partnership, JICA collaborated with DMRC on its data, digital and AI transformation journey, a comprehensive blueprint defining DMRC's vision and roadmap for data-led transformation.

In extension of these efforts, this RFP is being initiated to identify a Digital Partner (DP) with the capability to deliver AI powered decision support system for DMRC’s OCC. Join us on this transformative journey to elevate DMRC’s vision of becoming a world-class operator in the digital and AI era and let’s work together to embed intelligence into DMRC’s core operations - augmenting the OCC with cognitive capabilities to enable faster, smarter, and more proactive decision-making.

JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has a longstanding partnership with DMRC since more than two decades. With JICA DXLab, the partnership has continued to strengthen, with the collaboration on DMRC’s data, digital and AI transformation journey.
With the AI powered Cognitive Command Centre, JICA and DMRC aim to accelerate DMRC’s transformation efforts by embedding intelligence across core operations. In addition to providing strategic guidance, technical expertise, and financial support, JICA plays a pivotal role in keeping these projects aligned with global best practices in digital innovation. This initiative underscores JICA’s wider mission of fostering innovation and sustainable development in partner regions.

Candidate DPs must fulfill all the following criteria to participate in the RFP (please refer to the RFP document for full details).

Only eligible bidders will be considered for technical evaluation and invited for the technical presentation session. Proposals will be evaluated on technical and commercial criteria, as detailed in the RFP document. The winning candidate will be selected based on combined technical and commercial evaluation scores.

The PoC will involve the E2E development, testing and deployment of the AI powered Cognitive Command Centre for DMRC’s OCC. The selected Digital Partner will be responsible for the following scope of work (please refer to RFP document for full details):

The maximum budget for the services is USD 300,000 including all taxes and expenses. Proposals that exceed this budget ceiling will not be considered.

Electronic submission must be received at JICADxLab-Metro-AI@bcg.com latest by 23:59 Indian Standard Time on 12 August, 2026.

The RFP includes further information, such as the project background, location of work, and detailed Scope of Work. download

Knowledge Base preparation:

Voice Capture & Transcription:

Use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) / Speech to Text (STT) models for real-time transcription engine capable of processing live multilingual radio conversations, with domain adaptation for OCC-specific vocabulary

Incident Resolution guidance & Traffic Management:

Combination of Natural Language Processing (NLP), fine-tuned Large Language Model (LLM), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Traffic Management AI / optimization models to showcase relevant, ranked guidance on TC's screen for identified incidents & optimal Traffic Management decisions with defined input / output guardrails

System Integration Layer:

APIs and integration connectors for all relevant data sources & systems for successful solution deployment

We plan to host an information session for prospective bidders tentatively on 27 July, 2026. If you wish to participate, please contact us at JICADxLab-Metro-AI@bcg.com. Confirmation of participation by email is mandatory to attend the information session.

We are happy to address any inquiries from Digital Partners via email. Please reach out to us at JICADxLab-Metro-AI@bcg.com latest by 23:59 Indian Standard Time on 31 July, 2026. The email subject line must follow the format: “Inquiry – DMRC AI PoC - [Your Organization Name]”.