The GEM, is an online procurement portal that facilitates numerous government agencies, organizations, and public sector undertakings in India to do the Eprocurement of goods and services. The main reason to bring the GEM portal is to bring transparency, improve efficiency and speed up the procurement procedure. If you are a supplier or deal in selling products and services, this article is relevant to you as we will take you through the process of becoming a seller on the GEM portal and how to register yourself.
What are the Products and Services that are sold on the GEM portal?
The following items and services are currently available on the GEM portal:
- Computers Desktop Laptops Tablets
- Computer accessories such as mouse, keyboards, external hard drives, RAM, pen drives, and power banks.
- Office Supplies
- Photocopiers
- Printers
- Scanner Cartridges for Bar Code Scanners
- A4 paper (210mm x 297mm)
- Note Pads
- Sheets
- Air conditioner
- Projectors for a variety of media
- UPS (online and interactive)
- Bottled drinking water
How does the process of Eprocurement on GEM work?
Purchases can be made by authorized representatives of Central Government Departments, State Government Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, and Autonomous Bodies via the GEM. Officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and equivalent have been authorized by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals to purchase through GEM. Furthermore, authorized officers can authorize other officers within their Department to make purchases through the Government Marketplace platform. Any authorized officer making a purchase of up to Rs. 50000/- can acquire a product from any of the available providers on the GEM, as long as the quality, specifications, and delivery period are met. In the case of a purchase above Rs.50,000, the Government office shall select the provider with the lowest price from among the available suppliers on the GEM while meeting the required quality, specifications, and delivery duration. GEM has also offered facilities for online bidding and online reverse auction that the purchaser can use.
To know any GEM Portal tender, you can take the assistance of Bidassist and apply from there as well. BidAssist brings you all the tenders in one place. For more assistance, you can sign up on their portal and they will help you register on the GEM Portal and provides you services tailored to your need.
As a seller, how do I register on the portal?
Any seller that manufactures and provides legitimate products or services is eligible to sell on the GEM portal. To be registered on the GEM portal, sellers must have the following documents:
- PAN CARD
- Company or LLP Registration
- Number of VAT/TIN (if applicable)
- Bank account and accompanying documents for KYC
- Identity Proof
- Address Proof
- Cancelled cheque copy
- Registration Procedure
- The registration process is quite easy, and once completed, a GEM user ID and password will be provided to you for you to access your seller account.
- The seller or service provider can list their items or services, as well as their pricing, using the seller account. The vendor is able to establish the product’s price based on his or her costing. However, it is critical to include in the final price the cost of logistics, packing, taxes, duties, and so on, as well as an appropriate margin to arrive at the Selling Price on an all-inclusive basis, stating the proportion of Excise Duty, Service Tax, and CST/VAT as applicable, with delivery on-site.
- Following the completion of seller registration and listing, the seller will begin receiving orders via the seller dashboard. GEM will send you an e-mail notification whenever a customer places an order, and orders may be managed through the GEM portal itself. It is the seller’s responsibility to pack the goods and send them to the buyer on time after receiving the order and ensure they are delivered securely to the consignee.
- Payment for goods or services purchased through the GEM portal will be transferred immediately to the seller’s bank account via online banking within 10 days of receipt and acceptance of the goods or services or after the expiration of the 10-day return policy time frame.
Will it be beneficial for my business to register and sell on the Government’s E-Marketplace?
The government of India is one of the country’s largest purchasers of goods and services. However, because of lengthy procedures and payment delays, most SMEs and startups in India have been unable to sell to the government. The GEM portal, attempts to change the current system and replace it with a clean and efficient method for government purchasing. As a result, it is very much important for all enterprises to register on the GEM portal to start their Eprocurement business with the government. Some of the added benefits of selling on the GEM portal include:
- There is no need to keep an eye out for tenders from various government departments: once you sell your goods, government departments will approach you.
- Products that are accepted on the basis of the supplier’s guarantee or warranty and are often exempt from routine consignment inspection, testing, and assessment procedures.
- There is no need to customize to stated specifications. Market your product with all of the qualities that you have identified. Update and upgrade products as quickly as possible and as many times as necessary.
- Dynamic pricing entails changing the price dependent on market conditions; there is no fixed price for the entire year; and there is no concern of raw material price fluctuations or exchange rate fluctuations.
- Payment will be made on time as they adhere to the contract terms signed at the time of the agreement.
The seller registration process on the GEM portal can be complicated for someone who is doing it for the first time. Hence, if you need assistance, you can get in touch with the team of Bidassist from where you can find easy access to tender and contract information without going anywhere. They have many pricing plans starting from Rs.499 onwards where you will get access to GEM services, technical and financial evaluation updates, and assistance on how can you start eprocurement through the GEM portal depending upon the plan you took.
