GeM to onboard self-help groups and artisan clusters

The products will be categorized as Emporium Products where the unique items produced by India’s artisans will be available on GeM.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is working with the Rural Development Ministry, State Government Emporia and Development Commission Handicrafts to onboard self-help groups (SHGs) and artisan clusters on GeM. This was announced by CEO GeM, Talleen Kumar in New Delhi yesterday. The products will be categorized as Emporium Products where the unique items produced by India's artisans will be available on GeM. Work is underway to factor in technical solutions so that working capital and traceability of the items are available to buyers and sellers on the platform.

More than 3000 startups are already registered on GeM and they have received orders amounting to Rs. 522 crore till date. More than 58,101 MSMEs are registered on the platform and 50% of the entire transactional value on GeM is from MSMEs.

CEO GeM informed that the Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) on the GeM portal has crossed Rs. 36,000 crores. Nearly 40 thousand buyer organisations are registered on this procurement portal. There are over 2.95 lakh sellers/service providers on GeM. The average time taken for seller registration has come down from 20 days to 2 days. Given the shorter procurement cycles and competitive prices, Government entities in general and CPSUs, in particular, are increasingly procuring from GeM.

CEO GeM also outlined some of the initiatives that are underway:

Designing and implementation of a Flexible Bid Document builder with Best PracticesFaster and more accurate creation of categories/ services

Onboarding Works Contract and project buying

Use of AI, ML to sanitize catalog of products and services

UI/UX improvement for enhancing the experience of buyers and sellers

Pre-despatch inspection services for buyers

Feedback on quality from buyers and ensuring quality in public procurement

A contextual AI/ ML/ Deep Learning driven virtual assistant so that the experience of buyers and sellers is enhanced

Moving towards a framework for ensuring payment within a guaranteed timeframe

Opening up GeM for Government contractors and private entities for bulk buying

The gem is working on a robust online seller and buyer rating mechanisms which will allow sellers to avail working capital loans where the cost of capital is linked to the performance and rating of sellers. This will also help buyers to procure from highly rated sellers in critical areas of procurement.

Setting up of GeM Organisational and Transformation Team (GOTT) in the buyer organizations on an outcome-based self-sustenance model to realign the procurement process in the organization and leverage the marketplace procurement platform to its fullest potential

GeM has become a partner in the growth story of MSMEs and Start-ups. GeM SPV is the National Public Procurement Portal for ensuring efficient and transparent mechanisms for the procurement of goods and services by Central and State government organizations in a cashless, contactless and paperless manner. Through continuous innovation and improvement of offering, GeM is set to become the Best e-Marketplace in the world.

The gem is a complete online marketplace that allows all bonafide sellers to register themselves and transact on the platform. All verifications are done through online integration. The gem promotes inclusiveness and promotes ease of doing business with the government. It is a fully transparent online marketplace which not only speeds up public procurement but also ensures substantial savings in the process (15-25% on an average)

GeM ensures efficient transmission of policy intent which can benefit SMEs such as MSME Preference Policy, Make in India and Start-ups which can be effectively implemented on a rule-based electronic platform.

(With Inputs from PIB)