As an initiative to improve transparency in procurement, Government has set up Government e- Marketplace as a 100% Government owned company registered under the Companies Act, 2013 for providing online platform for procurement of common use goods and services by government organizations.

Government e- Marketplace (GeM) is an online platform for government users which was launched on 9th August, 2016. It leverages technology to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement. It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users, achieve the best value of their money. It is paperless, cashless and contactless platform giving end to end solution.

All the State Governments are utilising the services offered by Government e-Marketplace. In addition, 22 States namely, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and West Bengal have signed Memorandum of Understanding for making procurement through GeM portal mandatory in their state.

This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce & Industry C R Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

Transparency in public procurement: a centralised online marketplace uses e bidding and reverse auctions to streamline government buying. GeM creates a centralised, paperless, cashless and contactless online procurement platform that uses e bidding, reverse e auction and demand aggregation to enhance transparency, efficiency and value for money in government procurement; multiple States have entered memoranda of understanding to mandate procurement through the portal.