What Is Government eMarket Place? What Are Its Benefits?

What Is Government eMarket Place?

The DGS&D-hosted Government eMarket Place, often known as the GeM, is an online portal based in India for the public procurement* of goods. 

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India announced the project on August 9, 2016, with the aim of developing an open, efficient, and transparent procurement platform and uplifting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. GeM is a dynamic, self-sufficient, and user-friendly site allowing government officials, organizations, and PSUs to purchase common goods and services online. 

GeM is developed by GeM SPV, a wholly owned, nonprofit corporation run by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries of the Government of India. 

To help government users get the most for their money, it offers additional services such as e-bidding, reverse e-auction, and demand aggregation technologies. It is an entirely digital, cashless, system-driven marketplace that makes it possible to buy everyday goods and services with little to no human interaction.

According to the National Portal of India, the GeM POC portal currently offers more than 7,400 products in around 150 different categories, along with the option to hire a transport service. Through the portal, transactions totaling more than Rs 140 Crore have already been executed.

*Public Procurement means the buying of goods and services by the central or state governments, Enterprises, PSU’s, and government officials. 

What Are The Benefits Of Government eMarket Place (GeM)?

World Bank conducted an independent study on GeM and found that buyers in the Government e-Marketplace site often save 9.75% on the median price.

Benefits of GeM for Sellers

• Sellers have direct access to all Government departments.
• One-stop shop for marketing with minimal effort.
• One-stop shop for bids / reverse auctions on products/services.
• New Product Suggestion facility available to Sellers
• Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions.
• Seller-friendly dashboard for selling and monitoring supplies and payments.
• Consistent and uniform purchase procedures. 

Benefits of GeM for Buyers

• Rich listing of products for individual categories of Goods/Services.
• Search, Compare, Select, and Buy facility.
• Buying Goods and Services online, as and when required.
• Transparency and ease of buying.
• A continuous vendor rating system.
• User-friendly dashboard for Buying and monitoring supplies and payments.
• Easy return policy.

Note: The above information has been taken from the National Portal of India. 

The following can register themselves as buyers and make authorized payments on the GeM portal:

• The Central Government. 
• Ministries and departments of different state governments. 
• Central and State autonomous bodies. 
• PSUs- Central and State.

If you are a small business owner, then you can register yourself on the Government eMarket Place and sell your products or services directly to the government, PSU, and state-owned enterprises.