GeM vendor assessment: who needs it, fees, documents and the RITES process

If you make your own products and want to sell them on the Government e-Marketplace as the manufacturer, you will meet GeM vendor assessment early. It is the check that turns a registered seller into a recognised OEM, with its own brand and catalogue on GeM. This guide explains who needs it, who is exempt, the fees, the documents, each step on the GeM and RITES portals, and what happens after, using GeM's Vendor Validation Policy (version 5.0, in force from 25 September 2026), its General Terms and Conditions (GTC) and its seller FAQs.

What is vendor assessment on GeM?

Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules requires GeM to certify the credentials of its suppliers. GeM does most of this online: your PAN, company registration, GST, turnover and Udyam status are checked against government databases when you register. What a database can't show is whether you can actually make the product. That is what vendor assessment checks.

A few terms you'll see:

• OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): in GeM's GTC, the owner of the brand or trademark of the product, or, for an unbranded or own-brand product, the actual maker of the final product.
• Deemed OEM: an Indian entity that represents a foreign OEM on GeM.
• VA report: the result of a successful assessment, issued for the GeM categories you applied in.
• VAE (vendor assessment exemption): a lighter route for vendors who meet one of GeM's exemption criteria.
• OEM dashboard or OEM panel: what an approved OEM uses to create catalogues and manage its resellers on GeM.

Vendor assessment comes after GeM registration, and only for the categories you choose.

Who needs GeM vendor assessment: OEM or reseller

Two points from the policy matter for resellers. A reseller's VA or VAE application is processed only if the OEM of that brand holds a valid OEM dashboard on GeM; otherwise it is liable to be rejected. And GeM's VA guidelines accept applying as a Deemed OEM only when the actual OEM is outside India.

For service categories, the agency validates your certificates (such as FSSAI, PSARA or ISO) and your past government projects. The buyer that gave you the work must confirm it by email within 4 working days, and GeM expects to process the application within 5 working days. Only government projects completed in the latest three financial years count.

Vendor assessment exemption (VAE): who is exempt

An exemption skips the video assessment, but your documents are still checked in a desktop assessment. Under the Vendor Validation Policy v5.0, these vendors can apply for VAE:

• OEMs holding a valid BIS licence (CML) for the GeM category applied for, checked against the BIS database.
• Specified government entities as OEMs, such as ministries, departments, autonomous and statutory bodies and government companies, but not if they use a contract manufacturer for that category.
• OEMs recommended by a GeM buyer organisation for categories built on that buyer's own specifications.
• Vaccine makers or importers on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's list for the Universal Immunization Programme.
• Drug and medicine makers or importers with a valid drug manufacturing or import licence, and medical device makers or importers with a valid licence.
• Automobile OEMs with a valid CMVR certificate.
• KVIC, WDO, Coir Board, TRIFED, and farmer producer organisations verified and forwarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• OEMs extending an earlier VA or VAE after renewing a certificate that expired early.
• Resellers that are registered societies, trusts or other bodies with government representation.

A VAE is valid for 3 years from approval, or until the supporting document expires (a CML licence, for example), whichever is earlier. If you apply for a full VA while you qualify for an exemption, the policy says the VA application will be rejected; GeM's FAQ adds that your VA fee may then be refunded.

GeM vendor assessment fees

The fee is paid directly to RITES Ltd, not to GeM, at the end of your application on the RITES portal:

• Your fee slab comes from the turnover in your GeM profile. GeM's VA guidelines warn that wrong turnover details leading to a wrong fee may make the application fail, with no refund.
• Answer every query on time. Not responding to the agency's non-conformity notices (NCs) in time can lead to rejection and forfeiture of the fee.
• Reassessments ordered by GeM are free. GeM can order a physical assessment or a reassessment without extra charges to you.
• Brand and catalogue approval cost nothing. GeM's FAQ says it charges no fee for product or catalogue processing or approvals.

Documents for GeM vendor assessment

Before you start, GeM requires your seller profile to be 100% complete. Your registered address, manufacturing addresses (including a contract manufacturer's), and turnover for at least the last three assessment years must be up to date, because the RITES form pulls them from your profile and you can't edit them there.

The main documents, from GeM's "Guidelines for VA Application":

• GSTIN certificate, if your GSTIN shows on the RITES form.
• Address proof for your registered office: for example an electricity, water, telephone or PNG bill not more than 3 months old, a property tax receipt not more than a year old, a valid factory licence, ownership papers or a notarised rent deed. Companies, trusts and government bodies must give proof in the entity's own name; proprietors and partners may use their own.
• Product catalogue or brochure for every category applied for, with pictures and specifications, issued by the OEM or on its letterhead, with an index of pages.
• Quality certificates, test reports and licences (such as a BIS CML or CMVR certificate) that the category requires.
• Manufacturing sites: name, address and GSTIN of each site to be assessed, up to 4, with address proof.
• Production details: process flow diagram, list of machines, stage-wise quality plan, list of raw material suppliers and a safety procedure manual, where you have them.
• Your status: a self-declaration on letterhead that you are the OEM, a Deemed OEM Undertaking, or, for resellers, a Manufacturer's Authorization Form signed by the OEM.
• Beneficial ownership and land border compliance: details of every shareholder with 5% or more, and of directors, up the ownership chain. You can give this as an undertaking (Annexure-II) signed by a director on notarised stamp paper of at least ₹100, or by your statutory auditor on letterhead with a valid UDIN. This checks compliance with Rule 144(xi) of the General Financial Rules on bidders from countries that share a land border with India.
• Constitution documents: for a company, MCA master data, list of directors, last year's MGT-7 annual return and a board resolution for the signatory; for an LLP, its incorporation certificate, LLP agreement and partner list; for a partnership, the deed and partner list; for a proprietor, nationality proof; for a trust, the trust deed and trustee list.
• Past orders (optional): your top three orders by value in the last three years, with the buyer official's contact details.

Books and printer cartridges have extra checks. Cartridge makers, for example, must show three raw material and three sales invoices not older than six months, and mere refillers don't count as manufacturers.

How to apply for vendor assessment on GeM, step by step

1. Open the Vendor Assessment tab in your GeM seller account and click New Assessment Request. Choose whether you apply as an OEM or Deemed OEM, or as a reseller.
2. Check your pre-filled details. They come from your GeM profile and can't be edited here; if something is wrong, fix the profile and start a fresh request.
3. Verify your bank account and add any extra contact details.
4. Select the GeM categories to be assessed, up to 40 in one application.
5. Submit the request on GeM. You get a VA ID, and the login details for the RITES platform arrive on your GeM-registered email.
6. Log in at ritesva.com and read the "Instructions to vendors" on the login page.
7. Fill in the vendor form in five parts (information, product details, details of the firm, ownership, documents) and upload the documents. You can save a draft.
8. Pay the fee. A successful payment submits the application to RITES.
9. Answer non-conformities (NCs) the agency raises, within the time shown on the RITES portal.
10. Take the video assessment (OEMs). On a video call, the agency checks the geo-tagged location of your factory against your declared address and watches production of the applied products. If you can't show every product in one slot, you can choose one more slot; the report is issued only after both.

You can have at most 3 open VA applications at a time. Once submitted, an application can't be cancelled on GeM; contact RITES with your VA ID.

Timelines and validity

These are targets: the policy says the applicant "cannot claim any right" over them. If GeM changes the VAE criteria, affected vendors may have to redo their VAE within one month. If GeM replaces a category with a new one, you need a fresh VA; if it only upgrades the category, a valid VA in the old version lets you apply for VAE in the new one.

After the assessment: brand approval and OEM dashboard

A VA report doesn't list your products by itself. Next you apply for brand approval and an OEM dashboard, and you can follow your requests under Catalogue → Product → Search my offering → More → Brand / OEM requests. GeM's FAQ lists what each type needs:

• Registered brand with OEM dashboard: a trademark certificate in "Registered" status on IP India in the right class of goods, plus VA or VAE. Add a brand authorisation letter if the trademark owner's name differs from yours.
• Unregistered brand: an undertaking in GeM's format, signed and stamped on every page, notarised and attested, plus VA or VAE.
• Unbranded products: VA or VAE in the category.

Brand requests take 4 working days. A returned request comes with comments; GeM's FAQ allows 3 attempts to resubmit with the right documents, after which the request counts as rejected. False brand information can lead to suspension, removal from GeM and legal action.

Reseller on GeM: OEM authorisation

GeM sorts product categories into quadrants (its Catalogue Management System), which decide what a reseller may do:

To become an authorised reseller, get an authorisation code from the OEM, then go to My Account → Reseller Panel, pick the category and brand, enter the code and click Request. You are authorised once the OEM approves.

In Q3 and Q4, a reseller the OEM hasn't approved on GeM is deemed to give an undertaking each time it lists, accepts an order or bids: that it sources from the OEM's authorised channel, will show the chain documents at delivery, and will replace anything found not genuine. In Q4 the reseller also gives the replacement warranty. Buyers need not ask for OEM authorisation for an "OEM verified" catalogue or for Q1 and Q2 products.

If your vendor assessment is rejected

The policy lists the usual reasons: invalid, incomplete, unreadable, expired, mismatched or forged documents, inconsistent information, or not answering NCs in time. To recover:

1. Read the report. For a VA, check the desktop and video comment sections; for a VAE, the comment section.
2. Fix the cause, often by updating your GeM profile first, so the documents and profile match.
3. Apply again with a fresh application. A VA application is submitted only when its RITES fee is paid.

A suspected forgery brings a show cause notice from GeM before any decision. Keep later catalogues consistent with what you declared in the VA: the policy warns that a mismatch in certificates can bring action under GeM's incident management policy.

What a valid assessment gets you

• Recognition as an OEM in the assessed categories, an OEM dashboard, and control over your catalogues and resellers.
• EMD exemption. GeM's GTC exempts sellers holding a valid VA or VAE for the bid's primary product from bid security; upload the VA report or VAE confirmation when you bid. See EMD in tenders.
• Entry into Q1 and Q2 categories, where only OEMs and their authorised resellers can sell.

Next, see how to bid on GeM, and find live GeM bids by state and category on GovtTenderHub.

Vendor assessment helpline

GeM's Contact Us page lists RITES for vendor assessment and exemption queries: email gem.helpdesk@rites.com, helpline +91-9667629900, Monday to Friday (except holidays), 0900 to 1730 hours, portal ritesva.com. For other GeM problems, see our GeM helpdesk guide.

Common questions

Is vendor assessment mandatory on GeM?

For OEMs of products, yes, unless you qualify for an exemption (VAE). For resellers it is optional. You need VA or VAE before GeM approves an OEM dashboard for your brand.

What is the GeM vendor assessment fee?

₹871.61 + GST for turnover up to ₹20 lakh, ₹1,743.22 + GST for ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore, and ₹3,486.44 + GST above ₹1 crore. You pay it to RITES Ltd on its portal.

How long does GeM vendor assessment take?

GeM's policy expects 15 working days for a VA and 2 working days for an exemption, but these are targets, and time you take to answer queries isn't counted.

Is vendor assessment valid for life?

No. It is valid for 3 years, or until the earliest-expiring certificate you submitted. Apply for a fresh VA at least 2 months before it expires.

Can a trader get vendor assessment on GeM?

Yes, as a reseller, with a Manufacturer's Authorization Form signed by the OEM, but only if that OEM holds a valid OEM dashboard on GeM. It doesn't make you an OEM.

Do BIS-certified manufacturers need vendor assessment?

An OEM holding a valid BIS licence (CML) for the GeM category can apply for an exemption instead. It lasts 3 years or until the CML expires, whichever is earlier.