Provision of End-to-End SaaS Solution for CDNS Card Management & Payment Infrastructure

The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) Islamabad invites bids for the provision of an End-to-End SaaS Solution for CDNS Card Management & Payment Infrastructure. This procurement is specific to Islamabad Capital Territory and involves a comprehensive turnkey solution including a Card Management System (CMS), Middleware Switch, Hardware Security Module as a Service (HSMaaS), and Hosted Infrastructure. The solution must be fully hosted, scalable, and compliant with regulatory standards including PCI DSS, PCI SSF, PCI SLC, and ISO 27001. The scope covers the entire card lifecycle management, transaction switching, cryptographic key management, and secure hosting in a Tier-III certified data center within Pakistan. The technical scope includes managing card issuance, activation, blocking, fee management, transaction authorization, and reporting. The CMS must support a minimum of 500 transactions per second and provide open APIs for integration with external systems such as the CDNS Core Banking Application, 1LINK, UnionPay International, NADRA, and others. The Middleware Switch must handle transaction routing and authorization with high availability and fault tolerance. The HSMaaS must provide secure cryptographic services with FIPS 140-2/3 Level 3 compliance and PCI PTS HSM certification, supporting up to 5,000 transactions per second. Hosting infrastructure must ensure 24/7 availability, disaster recovery, and compliance with national and international security standards. Eligible bidders must be registered companies with SECP, have at least five years of experience as a software house or IT company in Pakistan, and currently provide services to at least three financial institutions. They must have a minimum cumulative annual turnover of PKR 500 million over the last three years and hold valid certifications including PCI DSS, PCI SSF, PCI SLC, and ISO 27001. Bidders must submit bids through EPADS v2.0 by the deadline and provide bid security as earnest money. The contract period is three years, extendable up to two additional years based on performance. The submission deadline is Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM, with bid opening at 11:30 AM the same day on EPADS v2.0. Manual submissions are not accepted. Bidders are advised to carefully review the detailed eligibility criteria, technical specifications, and scope of work. A practical tip for bidders is to ensure timely registration and familiarization with the EPADS v2.0 platform to avoid disqualification due to submission errors. The bid must include all required documents, and original bid security must be submitted before the deadline to avoid disqualification. This tender offers a significant opportunity for qualified IT firms to partner with CDNS in modernizing Pakistan's largest government-backed investment institution's card management and payment infrastructure, ensuring secure, efficient, and compliant financial services.