Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

In Context 

• 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). 

Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

• It was launched in 2016.
• It is a 100% Government owned Section 8 Company set up under the aegis of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Central and State Government Departments / Organizations /Public Sector Undertakings ( PSUs).
• The government has made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of their goods when registering new products.
• Facilities provided by GeM:

• Listing of products for individual, prescribed categories of Goods/ Services of common use.
• Estimation, comparison and buying facility on dynamic pricing basis.
• Buying Goods and Services online, as and when required.
• Transparent, efficient, easy, secure and cost-saving of buying goods. 
• Useful for low value buying and also for bulk buying at a competitive price using Reverse Auction/ e-bidding.
• Continuous vendor rating system.

• Achievements 
  • GeM has completely replaced a previously fragmented public procurement ecosystem with 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.

Source: PIB