Guides to bidding on GeM

19 plain-language guides to bidding on GeM — registration, documents, EMD and exemptions, reverse auctions, evaluation and deadlines — each answered first, then explained.

Getting started

• How do I find government tenders in India? — Central government purchases of goods and services are published on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), and most state and PSU works tenders appear on their own e-procurement portals.
• What is GeM and who can sell on it? — GeM, the Government e-Marketplace, is the Government of India's online platform for buying goods and services, launched in 2016 and used by central ministries, departments, PSUs and many state governments.
• How do I register as a seller on GeM? — Registration happens on gem.gov.in under Seller registration: you verify the authorised person with Aadhaar or PAN, enter the business's PAN, GST and bank details, choose the business type, and then complete the seller profile before listing products or bidding.
• How do I read a GeM bid document? — A GeM bid document has the same parts every time: bid details with dates and EMD, the buyer's additional terms and conditions, the technical specification or scope, the bill of quantities, the evaluation method and the general terms.

Documents

• What documents does a GeM bid need? — Nearly every GeM bid asks for the same core set: PAN, GST certificate, proof of the legal entity, the Udyam or DPIIT certificate if you claim a relaxation, a cancelled cheque, and a letter naming who signs.
• What do turnover and experience criteria mean in a GeM bid? — A turnover criterion sets the minimum annual sales a bidder must show, usually as an average over the last three financial years and proven with audited accounts or a CA certificate; an experience criterion asks for similar work completed in a recent period, proven with completion certificates or work orders.
• What is an OEM authorisation certificate and when is it needed? — An OEM authorisation, often called a manufacturer authorisation form or MAF, is the manufacturer's letter confirming that you are authorised to offer its product in that bid and that warranty and support will be honoured.
• What is the Make in India local-content declaration (Class-I supplier)? — Under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, bidders declare how much of their product's value is made in India: a Class-I local supplier has 50 percent or more local content, a Class-II supplier at least 20 percent, and anything below is non-local.

EMD and money

• What is EMD and how much is it on a GeM bid? — EMD, earnest money deposit, is the refundable security a bidder puts up so that bids are serious; it is returned to unsuccessful bidders and adjusted or released for the winner after the performance security is in place.
• How do I get an EMD exemption on GeM as an MSE or startup? — Claim it with the certificate: a valid Udyam registration for micro and small enterprises, or DPIIT startup recognition for startups, uploaded with the bid where the bid document says the exemption applies.
• What is the difference between bid security and performance security (PBG)? — Bid security is the earnest money every bidder furnishes with the bid and gets back if unsuccessful; performance security is what only the winner furnishes after award, as a bank guarantee or an ePBG on GeM, to secure delivery of the contract, and it is released after the contract is performed.

The bid process

• What is a reverse auction on GeM? — A reverse auction is a live round after technical evaluation in which the qualified bidders lower their prices against each other within a fixed window, and the lowest price at the close wins.
• What does L1 mean in a tender? — L1 is the lowest evaluated price among the bidders who passed technical evaluation; L2 is the next, and so on.
• What happens after a GeM bid closes? — After the closing time the buyer opens the technical bids, disqualifies those that fail the document and specification checks, then opens the financial bids of the rest or runs a reverse auction if the bid has one.
• What is a corrigendum, and why do tender deadlines change? — A corrigendum is a formal amendment the buyer issues to a bid that is already open: a new closing date, a changed specification, a corrected quantity or a revised term.
• What is a pre-bid meeting and should I attend? — A pre-bid meeting is a session, often online, the buyer holds before the closing date so that bidders can ask about specifications, terms and quantities; the answers are issued to all bidders, usually as a corrigendum.
• Why do GeM bids get rejected at technical evaluation? — Most rejections are paperwork, not price: a missing or expired certificate, an unsigned undertaking, an exemption claimed without its certificate, a specification not met point by point, or a document uploaded for the wrong entity.

Using iBid.Win

• How do I track tender deadlines so I never miss one? — Keep one list of every bid you intend to work, with the closing date and time, the pre-bid meeting date, the EMD deadline and the internal date by which the document pack must be ready — and let a system, not a person, send the reminders.
• How current is the tender data on iBid.Win, and what does a visitor see? — iBid.Win keeps its own mirror of GeM and refreshes it about every fifteen minutes, so a live bid appears here shortly after publication and its closing date follows corrigendum extensions.

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