Government e-Marketplace
About
- Launched in 2016, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is India’s national public procurement portal with a mission to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
- The fully digital, cashless platform is a 100 percent government-owned non-profit company set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- The government has made procurement of products and services available on GeM mandatory to all the central government ministries, departments and central government organisations.
- In 2022, the government gave its approval for expanding the mandate of GeM to allow procurement by Cooperatives as buyers on GeM.
- As per existing mandate, GeM is not available for use by private sector buyers. Suppliers (sellers) can be from across all segments: government or private.
Womaniya Initiative
- GeM launched the Womaniya initiative in 2019 to enable women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups [SHGs] to sell products manufactured by women to various ministries, government departments and institutions.
- The move aligns with the Government’s mandate to reserve 3 per cent in state procurement from women-owned and women-led enterprises.