Procurement Schemes in India: Government e-Marketplace

About Government e-Marketplace(GeM), 2016 (Ministry of Commerce and Industry)

• GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement  Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by centres, States, their organizations and PSUs.
• Procurement of goods & services by Ministries and CPSEs is mandatory for goods and services available on GeM. It will bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
• It also provides the tools of e-bidding and reverse e-auction to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
• At present, GeM has > 15 lakh products, ~ 20,000 services, and > 40,000  Government buyer organizations.
• SWAYATT is an initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through e-Transactions on Government e Marketplace (GeM).
• GeM Start-up Runway is an initiative of GeM in association with Start -up India to facilitate Start-ups registered with Start -up India to access the public procurement market and sell innovative products and services to government buyers.

Government e-Marketplace wins CIPS Award

• Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was announced as the winner in the "Best Use of Digital Technology" category at the CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards 2021 (CIPS Awards). GeM emerged the winner in this category after competing with some of the biggest and best names in procurement across the public and private sector globally, including GEP, Jaguar Land Rover, Royal Dutch Shell, Vendigital and Shell. GeM was shortlisted as a finalist in two additional categories as well, i.e., 'Public Procurement Project of the Year' and 'Best Initiative to Build a Diverse Supply Base' where it was in the august company of some path-breaking organizations with great initiatives. The award was received on behalf of GeM by Shri Rohit Vadhwana, First Secretary (Economic), High Commission of India, in the UK at a ceremony held London yesterday.
• The CIPS Awards are one of the leading recognitions around procurement globally, which is conducted under the aegis of The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), London. CIPS is a global not-for-profit organisation and professional body dedicated to promoting good practices in procurement and supply management, with a community across 150 countries.
• Recognition of GeM on a global platform of this stature is a tremendous shot in the arm for the GeM team and a testament to the vision of the PM Shri Narendra Modi.  GeM has brought its technology-driven innovations and strategic business processes in pursuit of three fundamental goals: driving transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness in public procurement. The design and development of the GeM platform- its digital features and functionalities, key business processes as well as the ancillary offline activities like outreach and training of stakeholders-is guided by these three goals. The use of forward-looking technologies has helped GeM to broadly achieve these goals and more, over the past five years. GeM offers a cashless, contactless, and paperless experience for sellers and buyers, and serves as an end-to-end solution for procurement of common-use goods and services by Government buyers. GeM has completely replaced a previously fragmented public procurement ecosystem by a unified and easy-to-use e-marketplace helping to leverage competitiveness, accessibility, and economies of scale of a diverse, open and transparent procurement system. GeM is an example of how digital platforms created with a strategic and clear intent to transform legacy processes can effect lasting change.
• Government e-Marketplace is a 100% Government owned Section 8 Company setup under the aegis of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry for procurement of goods and services by Central and State Government organizations.