Government e-Market place (GeM)

Key updates-

• The MSMEs will benefit from the move as they form the bulk of sellers on the GeM portal.
• The move will help over 8.54 lakh registered cooperatives and their 27 crore members as they would get products at competitive rates from the GeM portal.
• The GeM will provide technological infrastructure to support new users, as well as aid cooperatives with onboarding and transaction journeys, via available contact centres, in-field training and other support services.
• In order to encourage cooperatives, the Ministry of Cooperation will issue necessary advisories in order to encourage them to make use of the GeM platform for procurement of goods and services.

About GeM portal-

• GeM is a one stop government e-Market place where common user goods and services can be procured. 
• The Finance Minister in his Budget speech for FY 2016-17, announced setting up of a technology driven platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
• The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with technical support of the National eGovernance Division (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has developed the GeM portal.
• It was launched on 9th August 2016 by the Commerce & Industry Minister. 
• GeM is dynamic, self-sustaining and user-friendly portal for making procurement by Government officers.
• It is a web portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organisations / PSUs.
• It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users to achieve the best value for their money.
• All Central government and State Government Ministries/Departments including its attached/subordinate offices, Central and State autonomous bodies, Central and State Public Sector Units and local bodies etc. are authorized to make procurement through Gem portal.
• Authorised officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary/Equivalent or Head of the Office at Sub Center / Unit / Branch of Government Organisation / PSU / Autonomous Bodies / Local Bodies / Constitution Bodies / Statutory Bodies can register as Primary Users on GeM.