GeM has achieved total procurement value of ₹2,70,384 Crore (as on 25 July 2022), since its inception. The Government of India set up the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in 2016 as an e-marketplace to revolutionize public procurement in India by leveraging technology. Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 01.06.2022 has given its approval for expanding the mandate of GeM to allow procurement by Cooperatives as buyers on GeM.

Previously, public procurement in India was characterized by inefficient, opaque, and time consuming manual processes conducted offline, complicated by a fragmented and complex policy landscape.

GeM’s approach is underlined by commitment to three pillars of transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness elaborated as under:

(i)   Transparency: GeM is an open marketplace wherein it promotes open access to information in a  transparent manner. Relevant information on Sellers, Goods and Services is easy to find and readily available for users. GeM provides database insights to support its users in decision-making process.

(ii)   Inclusiveness: GeM’s focus on inclusiveness is multifaceted, involving not only making the platform usable and trusted by every type of seller but also conducting active outreach to onboard marginalized and underserved seller segments including Small and Medium Enterprises, Women Entrepreneurs, Startups and Artisans.

(iii)   Efficiency:  In view of being an end to end online and integrated portal, GeM brings efficiency in Public Procurement by removing manual interventions at various stages of Public Procurement.

Government has amended the General Financial Rules 2017 (GFR) and made a provision under Rule 149 for making it mandatory to procure Goods and Services through GeM.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Mandatory GeM procurement strengthens public procurement transparency while allowing cooperatives to participate as buyers. Mandatory procurement through the Government e Marketplace (GeM) has been reinforced by an amendment to the General Financial Rules, 2017, making procurement of goods and services via GeM compulsory. GeM centralizes procurement online to reduce manual intervention, improve efficiency, and provide transparent access to seller and product information. The platform prioritizes inclusiveness by onboarding marginalized sellers, and the Union Cabinet has expanded GeM's mandate to allow cooperatives to act as buyers.