GeM Registration - Process, Benefits, Vendor Assessment, Documents Required, Fees

Updated on June 19, 2021 11:30:35 AM

Government e-marketplace, commonly known as GeM, is a platform hosted by DGS&D for procurement of goods & services by the Government department. 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. The list of entities who can register their business on the GeM portal is Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Partnership, Private Limited Company, Public Limited Company, Foreign Subsidiary Company, etc.

Advantages of GeM Registration For Sellers

1. Access to National Public Procurement market
2. Special provisions and sections for startups, MSMEs, and Emporium products
3. Fully online, paperless, and contactless platform
4. Multiple invoices for a single order
5. Easy access to participate in bids/reverse auction
6. The clock has been enabled in RA to display the remaining time for seller participation
7. All sellers will be shown reasons for rejection
8. Seller friendly dashboard for monitoring supplies & payments
9. Seller belonging to North-East states and J & K are exempted from ITR at the time of bid participation
10. Dynamic Pricing - Price can be changed based on market conditions
11. Direct access to Government departments and their organizations

Vendor Validation is mandatory for all sellers in GeM. One component of Vendor validation is Vendor Assessment, which is mandatory for certain sellers. After registering on the GeM portal, a seller needs to list products and then set up an OEM to claim the ownership of the product and service they want to sell.

At present, Vendor Assessment is done by the Quality Council of India (QCI). The QCI Vendor Assessment is done online and the fee has to be paid directly to QCI.

What is Vendor Assessment?

A vendor assessment is performed to determine the quality of a product or service. The assessment will be put into GeM ratings, and the product/service will then be designated verified, which is a filterable parameter that the buyer may utilize in their selection process. This will help buyers make better decisions.

From August 1, 2017, it was made necessary to get a Vendor Assessment of the company's profile and the products that are registered on GeM for offering/sale. It is an important step for evaluating the credentials and quality standards of the seller.

Who can apply for Vendor Assessment?

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) can apply for Vendor Assessment. They can be:

1. Manufacturing Unit
2. Assembling Unit
3. Third-Party manufacturer with or without Brand Name

Please Note: It is important to note that manufacturers who are based outside India can also become OEM on the GeM portal. They have to be a registered foreign subsidiary company in India.

Process of Vendor Assessment

Vendor Assessment is carried out by QCI in two stages:

Desktop Assessment

Information and documents are submitted by the vendor and if any discrepancy is found then non-compliance (NC) would be raised. QCI validates the data and documents provided by the vendor in this stage. The purpose is to verify organization details, financial capacity, production capacity, quality, etc.

Video Assessment

Video Assessment is conducted by an expert using the mobile-based application through video calling. It will validate the entire process submitted by the vendor through documents in Desktop Assessment.

Video Assessment

The following facilities should be kept ready before the video assessment:

1. An android phone preferably Samsung, One plus, Redmi (Mi), Motorola, etc., and supported android version 5 and above.
2. A piece of headphone/earphone with microphone.
3. High-speed internet connection which works well inside the manufacturing site.
4. The manufacturing site should be in working condition, to show the manufacturing process of the products with all the machines at the site along with manpower.
5. The quality manager should be available to explain and depict the process of quality assurance of the product.
6. Documents and certificates for R&D, patent, and prototype (if available).

Once the application for Vendor Assessment is completed in the portal, and payment is made, the seller will be contacted by QCI for further proceedings. QCI shall verify the details and confirm the receipt of the request for assessment through email.

The agency shall conduct vendor assessment of seller based on information provided by sellers in vendor assessment format, fee, and related documents submitted by them for which sellers will be responsible.

The vendor assessment report will be prepared by Agency with due diligence and will be submitted within 15 days of confirmation of receipt of the request for assessment.

Note: Sellers are free to repeat the assessment even before the expiry of validity.

Benefits of Vendor Assessment

Vendor Assessment ensures that prospective vendors and suppliers can meet and comply with certain standards and quality checks.

Vendor Assessment Exemption

Entities having NSIC certificates are exempted from Vendor Assessment.

Fee for Vendor Assessment

The government fee for Vendor Assessment is Rs. 11,200 + GST.

Validity of Vendor Assessment

The validity of the Vendor Assessment is 3 years.