What is GeM Registration?

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is an online platform for public procurement of goods and services by central and state government  organizations.

Public procurement has always been an essential part of government activities. The government's intention behind introducing GeM was to enhance transparency, efficiency, and speed in public procurement.

GeM provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction, and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users, achieve the best value for their money.

Benefits of Registering on GeM Portal

* Access to National Public Procurement market

* Special provisions and sections for startups, MSMEs, and Emporium products

* Fully online, paperless, and contactless platform

* Multiple invoices for a single order

* Easy access to participate in bids/reverse auction

* The clock has been enabled in RA to display the remaining time for seller participation

* All sellers will be shown reasons for rejection

* Seller friendly dashboard for monitoring supplies & payments

* Seller belonging to North-East states and J & K are exempted from ITR at the time of       bid participation

* Dynamic Priing - Price can be changed based on market conditions

* Direct access to Government departments and their organizations

Documents Required For GeM Registration

For GeM registration, the following documents are required:
1. PAN Card
2. Udyog Adhaar or MSME certificate
3. GST registration certificate
4. Cancelled cheque copy
5. Aadhaar Card of applicant

GeM Seller Registration Process

The GeM registration process for a seller is as follows:

Step 1: Create a Seller Account on GeM

The primary step of seller registration on the GeM portal is account creation. Registration on GeM should be done only by an Authorized Person (Director of the Organization or a Key Person/Proprietor). Sellers can sign up on GeM through the Aadhaar or PAN Card of Key person of the organization.

Step 2: Update Organization Profile

Company Profile is divided into 4 main sections, which are mandatory to complete - PAN Validation, Company Details, Office Location and Bank Account. There are 3 other optional sections also - MSE, Startup and Tax Assessment. After updating the profile, caution money payment has to be made according to the turnover.

Step 3: Vendor Assessment on GeM

After the caution money payment, sellers must apply for Vendor Assessment on GeM to get the OEM certificate. GeM Vendor Assessment is mandatory for sellers who want to participate in the public procurement of Q1 and Q2 categories of products.
Manufacturers must become OEMs irrespective of the category of products they want to sell on the GeM Portal. Vendor Assessment for GeM is carried out by the Quality Council of India (QC).

Step 4: Brand Listing
After becoming an OEM on GeM, vendors can list their brands in the relevant category of products and services. Vendors can list their brands whether trademark registered, the brand owner but trademark not registered or unbranded products.

Step 5: Product Listing
After brand listing, the dealers, manufacturers, and service providers have to list their products & services on the GeM portal. This process is called Product Listing on Government e-Marketplace. The products and services of the sellers/vendors will go live on the GeM website after the GeM Authority approves the listing.

Step 6: Bid Participation and Appointment of Resellers
After listing products and services, sellers can participate in bids and accept orders on GeM. OEMs can appoint or authorize resellers to list their products and services after getting approval.

GeM Registration Fees
The vendor assessment fee for the GeM certification is about 11,200 with 18% GST on it. However the applicants are also required to deposit caution money prior to performing activities on the portal. The eligibility for the Caution money deposit depends on the sellers turnover.

Brand Listing on GeM
Applicant can list their brand on the GeM portal easily whether:
1. Trademark registered
2. Brand Owner but trademark not registered
3. Unbranded products

Product and Service Listing on GeM
After the GeM registration process, the dealers, manufacturers, and service providers have to list their products & services on the GeM portal. This process is called Product listing on Government e-Marketplace. The products and services of the sellers/vendors will go live on the GeM website after the listing is approved by the GeM Authority.

Direct Purchase on GeM
Direct Purchase mode is allowed for low-value transactions, allowing the buyer to directly obtain from any available seller on GeM who satisfies the buyer's requisite quality, specification, and delivery time.
GFR rule 149 allows direct online purchases on GeM up to Rs. 50,000/- through any of the available suppliers on the GeM, meeting the requisite quality, specification, and delivery period. However, GeM being a dynamic online marketplace, this is subject to procuring authorities convinced about the reasonability of rates.