GeM Samvaad | 20 Jan 2020
Why in News
Public procurement platform 'Government e-Marketplace (GeM)' has launched a national outreach program called GeM Samvaad to attract sellers to sell products online to government buyers.
- The government is trying to reach out to stakeholders across the country and also local sellers in order to facilitate the on-boarding of local sellers on the marketplace while catering to specific requirements and procurement needs of buyers.
- Under the ‘Voice of Customer’ initiative, the GeM is also looking forward to receiving feedback from users which will be used for making improvements and advancements in the system.
Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
- GeM 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).
- It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
- It operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- The procurement of goods and services by Ministries and the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is mandatory for goods and services available on GeM.
- It also provides the tools of e-bidding and reverse e-auction to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
- At present, GeM has more than 15 lakh products, around 20,000 services, and more than 40,000 Government buyer organizations.