New Delhi: Only one of the five companies that responded to the All India Football Federation’s request for quotation to manage and award Indian Super League commercial rights actually placed a bid to secure the contract.

The AIFF had invited RFQ’s on September 7 and given two days for interested companies to seek clarifications before conducting an online meeting on Sept 11.

Two of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms were among five companies that attended the meeting after which only one company placed its bid before the last date for submission on Sep 14.

“The Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC), comprising three members, was chaired by Hon’ble Mr. Justice L. Nageswara Rao (Former Judge, Supreme Court of India) and included Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, President of AIFF, along with Mr. Kesvaran Murugasu as the Independent Member.

“Following the evaluation, KPMG India Services LLP was declared the Successful Bidder under the RFQ,” the AIFF stated in its official communication,” the AIFF announced on Sept 15.

KPMG was the only accounting and audit firm that bid, multiple AIFF officials, on condition of anonymity, informed News9 Sports.

“I can neither confirm or deny it. The entire process has been overseen by the three-member committee and all communication that has been put out has been done after consultation with the judge,” a top AIFF official said, when asked to comment on the matter.

On August 8, 11 of the 13 ISL clubs urged the AIFF to seek the expertise of one of the ‘Big Four’ consulting firms for management of ISL’s tender process, which needs to be completed by October 15.

With an eye on a stable, long-term solution to select the top-tier league’s next commercial partner, the clubs had also voluntarily offered to provide inputs before formation of the final bid documents.

🚨#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/CM4juY1moV

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball)

The AIFF responded to that request of seeking representation in the tender process on Wednesday.

“As you may be aware, KPMG has been appointed pursuant to the Request for Quotation for selection of an agency to oversee the process of awarding the rights to monetise the commercial properties of AIFF for a limited period.

“In this connection, for the preparation of bid documents and related requirements, certain inputs are required concerning Indian Football, particularly from stakeholders like you, being a participating club in the top-tier league,” AIFF’s deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said in a letter to CEOs of 13 clubs.

“The team from KPMG will reach out to you shortly to schedule one-on-one meetings—either in person or virtually—at a mutually convenient time. Your inputs will be valuable in formative the process.

“Further, AIFF has also received similar requests from other ISL clubs, seeking that their feedback be taken into consideration to ensure a more comprehensive and effective preparation of the final bid documents. We, therefore, request your kind cooperation and active participation in this exercise.”

The AIFF’s existing marketing rights deal with Reliance subsidiary FSDL ends in December, by when the 2025-26 ISL is planned to kick-off once a new marketing partner is chosen.