Department Of Atomic Energy

Department of Atomic Energy eProcurement / eTenders

Sify Class 2 Digital Signature Certificate

1. A supplier who wishes to take part in the e-tendering system, needs to register on the e-tender portal. A supplier bids for the tenders. While registering on the portal, the bidder could choose one or more units, depending on the products or the service he/ she supplies. The system will generate a secure company ID, when the enrollment particulars are saved.
   
   
2. Digital signature certificate (DSC) is mandatory for the Government of India DAE e-procurement system. However, DAE or its departments do not issue DSC to bidders. As per the Indian IT Act, 2000, digital certificates can be issued by any authorised certifying agency (CA), recognised by the Government of India. Digital signature certificates are available in the following categories with a validity of one or two years:
• Class 1
• Class 2 
• Class 3 
  
  
3. The Department of Atomic Energy e-tendering portal works with class 2 digital signature certificates or class 3 digital signature certificates. The certificates usually come in e-tokens which is similar to pen drives. There is also a driver CD. The DSC will be recognised only once the driver is installed. 
   
   
4. It is mandatory to use the same digital certificate that was utilised in the ‘Submit Bid Hash’ stage in the re-encryption of bids as well. Please note that the DSC should be valid up to the completion of the e-tender. It is advisable to save copies of the DSC, as it may be lost under circumstances such as a virus attack, system failure, etc. It would be difficult to complete the e-tendering process in case the digital signature certificate is lost.
   
   
5. As a part of the Department of Atomic Energy e-tendering process, the bidders will have to submit their public keys for the signing digital signature certificate. After this step, the bidder will also have to submit his/ her public key for signing and encryption type of digital signature certificate. Follow the instructions here to complete the process http://etenders.dae.gov.in/tnduploads/HelpManual/DSC_Public_Key_Sending_Steps_ver1.1.pdf

• According to the circular issued by the Office of the Controller of Certifying Authorities, the certifying authorities (CA) have been asked by the Office of the Controller of Certifying Authorities to issue only 2048 bit RSA key digital signature certificates with SHA-256 hash algorithm, with effect from January 01, 2012.
  
  
• The bidders should remember that other digital signature certificates which have been issued until December 31, 2011, shall continue to be operational on the DAE Electronic Tender Management System until the expiry of these digital certificates.
  
  
• The suppliers applying for 2048 bit RSA key DSC with SHA-256 hash algorithm need the following requirements in their computers:
  
  
• Browser specifications for e-tendering: Internet Explorer 7 and above
  
  
• Minimum operating system specification: Windows XP with service pack 3  or  Windows 7