GeM
How to participate in a GeM bid, step by step: from finding the bid to getting paid
How to participate in a GeM bid: what you need, each bid submission step, representations, technical and financial evaluation, charges and getting paid.
By GovtTenderHub editorial teamUpdated 10 min read
On this page
- What you need before you bid
- How to find GeM bids
- How to raise a query or representation before the bid closes
- How to participate in a GeM bid, step by step
- How GeM technical and financial evaluation works
- After you win: delivery, invoice and payment
- What GeM charges to bid and to win
- Why GeM bids get rejected
- Common questions
In short
- To participate in a GeM bid you need a complete seller profile and an approved product or service in the bid's category that meets the bid's allowed specifications. BOQ bids need no catalogue.
- Bidding is free. GeM charges only on orders won, once your orders in a financial year reach ₹20 lakh: ₹10,000 + GST once a year, then 0.30% of each order above ₹10 lakh, capped at ₹3 lakh.
- The steps: click Participate, choose your catalogue, enter quantity and a per-unit price with GST, upload the documents asked for, give EMD or claim exemption, declare MSE and Make in India status, and verify with OTP, e-sign or DSC.
- Until the end date you can withdraw and bid again, at most twice. Rejected at technical evaluation? You get one representation within 48 hours.
- Contracts from bids are deemed accepted. Give any ePBG within 15 days, deliver, invoice on GeM, and expect payment within 10 days of the consignee's acceptance certificate (CRAC).
Registration gets you onto GeM; bids win you orders. This guide shows how to participate in a GeM bid from start to finish: what must be ready, each step of bidding on the GeM portal, how evaluation works and what you must do after you win. The rules are from GeM's General Terms and Conditions (GTC, version 1.29), FAQs and training material.
What you need before you bid
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Complete seller profile, verified bank account | GeM judges turnover and MSE eligibility from data validated with Income Tax, MCA21, Udyam and GSTN, so keep those records matching |
| Income tax return details | GeM's FAQ says they're needed to bid; firms under two years old can be exempted |
| An approved offering in the bid's category | You can offer only a product or service already listed on GeM, within the bid's allowed values ("Golden Parameters") |
| OEM status or authorisation | OEMs need a vendor assessment unless exempt; resellers may need the OEM's authorisation, depending on the category |
| Udyam or DPIIT certificate | For MSE or startup EMD exemption and MSE purchase preference |
| e-sign or a DSC | GeM still accepts OTP but says it's supported "for a limited time" |
List early: the GTC says GeM "normally requires 48 hrs" to approve a new product or service, and its FAQ gives 3 working days. For a custom bid you upload a custom product while participating. Registration and vendor assessment are covered in GeM registration.
How to find GeM bids
Open bids are on BidPlus, bidplus.gem.gov.in, which anyone can browse. Search by keyword or bid number, filter by bid type (product, service, bid to RA, BOQ and others) or end date, and sort by start or end date. Each bid has a number such as GEM/2026/B/8014269 and a PDF bid document, and GeM notifies sellers of new bids in their categories.
A normal GeM bid is open 10 to 45 days; GeM also allows short bids of 3 to 10 days. Of the live GeM bids on 2 October 2026, the median was open for 15 days. Read the bid document first: how to read a GeM bid document explains each field. GovtTenderHub lists live GeM bids with their key terms and can email you new ones.
How to raise a query or representation before the bid closes
Pre-bid queries and objections go through the representation window: open the bid from your dashboard, create a representation, pick the bid section it concerns and submit.
| Bid open for | Raise it within |
|---|---|
| 10 days or more | 4 days of publication |
| 6 to 9 days | 2 days |
| 3 to 5 days | 1 day |
You get one representation per window, and the window reopens when the buyer issues a corrigendum. The buyer must reply at least 72 hours before the bid end date and can't open bids with replies pending. Some bids also hold a pre-bid meeting, listed under Pre Bid Detail(s).
Check "View Corrigendum/Representation" on BidPlus before submitting, as terms and dates can change. Buyers can extend bids, and bid documents set automatic extensions: if fewer bids arrive than the "Minimum number of bids required to disable automatic bid extension", the bid is extended by the stated number of days, up to the "Number of Auto Extension count".
How to participate in a GeM bid, step by step
- Open the bid. Log in at gem.gov.in, find it under Bids → List of Bids and click Participate.
- Make the declarations shown, such as beneficial ownership and transfer of technology, which cover the GTC's rules on bidders from countries sharing a land border with India.
- Technical offering. Choose your catalogue (or fill in the form in a service bid), compare your specifications with the bid's, enter the maximum quantity and delivery period, and click Encrypt & Save.
- Price. Enter the per-unit price including GST, plus freight, maintenance, installation or buyback prices if the bid includes them, check the total and Encrypt & Save.
- Documents. Upload everything under "Document required from seller", in the ATC and in any corrigendum, and a price break-up if asked.
- EMD. If EMD applies and you're not exempt, download the EMD draft document from the bid, enter the details and upload proof; a physical instrument must reach the buyer within 5 working days of bid opening. If exempt, pick the category and upload your Udyam, startup or vendor assessment certificate. See EMD in tenders.
- MSE and Make in India. Select Yes and upload your Udyam certificate for MSE purchase preference. For Make in India, declare Class 1 or Class 2 and upload the supporting document (Make in India rules).
- Submit. Accept the terms and verify with OTP, e-sign or DSC.
By taking part you accept the GTC, the category's special terms and the bid's ATC, and you must keep the offered product listed during bid validity.
To change your bid, use Withdraw before the end date and participate again; GeM's FAQ allows re-participation at most twice. After that, your price changes only if the buyer asks for a lower one or holds a reverse auction.
How GeM technical and financial evaluation works
- Technical evaluation. After bid opening, the buyer or its committee checks your documents, EMD or exemption, and MSE and Make in India claims.
- Clarifications. Answer the buyer's queries from your dashboard within the "Time allowed for Technical Clarifications" in the bid (2 to 20 days). The GTC makes you responsible for checking notifications, so log in daily.
- Representation. A disqualified seller sees the reasons and can raise one representation within 48 hours of the technical result; the buyer must answer before opening price bids. More in tender status and results.
- Price bids. Only qualified sellers' prices are opened, ranked on the all-inclusive landed price at the consignee unless the ATC says otherwise. "Total value wise evaluation" gives one L1 for the whole bid, "Item wise evaluation" one per item. In the live GeM bid documents we had read on 2 October 2026, 91% were evaluated total value wise, 8% item wise and under 1% group wise.
- Reverse auction. In about a third of live GeM bids (33.8% on 2 October 2026), qualified sellers then bid down in a reverse auction. A tie at L1 forces one in goods bids.
- Negotiation and price match. The buyer may ask L1 for a lower price (you have 72 hours and can only reduce it) or ask MSE and Make in India sellers within the price band to match L1. An unworkable price can bring a request for justification within 48 hours.
- Award. Contracts from a bid or RA are deemed accepted; you can't decline. Losers' EMD is due back within 15 days of the award.
After you win: delivery, invoice and payment
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Transaction charge, if due | Within 15 days of the award, before your first invoice or before the first delivery date, whichever is earliest |
| Performance security (ePBG), if asked | Within 15 days of the award; payment isn't due until the buyer has it |
| Delivery | Within the contract's delivery days. Delay costs 0.5% of the delayed value per week, up to 5% of the contract (10% if inordinate) |
| Invoice | Generate it on GeM, possible only after any transaction charge is paid; send a proper GST invoice with the goods |
| Acceptance | The consignee issues a receipt (PRC), then accepts or rejects within 10 days (CRAC); GeM can generate the CRAC automatically if it doesn't |
| Payment | Goods: 100% within 10 days of CRAC and online bill. Services: monthly bills, within 10 days of the acceptance certificate (SDAC). Unless the bid's terms say otherwise |
| Security back | Within 30 days of completing all contract obligations |
Running late? Request a new delivery date from the order page: re-fixation carries no liquidated damages, an extension does, and the buyer approves either.
What GeM charges to bid and to win
GeM charges no bid fee. Its revenue policy has no charge for bidding, its FAQ says registration and catalogue approval are free, and GeM bid documents bar buyers from asking a "Tender fee / Bid Participation fee". A "bid participation fee" quoted by an agent is the agent's charge. Under revenue policy version 1.6, for bids opening on or after 26 August 2025:
| Your position | GeM's charge |
|---|---|
| Orders this financial year below ₹20 lakh | Nothing |
| Orders reach ₹20 lakh | ₹10,000 + GST, once a year |
| Then, an order up to ₹10 lakh | Nothing |
| An order above ₹10 lakh, below ₹10 crore | 0.30%: ₹15,000 + GST on ₹50 lakh |
| An order of ₹10 crore or more | Flat ₹3 lakh + GST |
An unpaid charge brings action under GeM's incident management policy until you pay.
Why GeM bids get rejected
| Mistake | What GeM's documents say |
|---|---|
| A document the bid, ATC or corrigendum asked for is missing | The offer "is liable to be rejected" (standard ATC clause) |
| A price in the technical bid | Rejected as non-responsive, except in single-packet bids (GTC 3(A)(xvii)) |
| Nil charges quoted | Non-responsive (GTC 4(xiii)(l)) |
| Product doesn't meet the specification | You may offer an equivalent or superior specification, but the buyer accepts or rejects it on merit (GTC 4(xiii)(f)) |
| EMD instrument late, or exemption wrongly claimed | A late instrument "may lead to rejection" (GTC 4(xiii)(m)); bid documents add that for MSE exemption "Traders are excluded" |
| Make in India claim without proof | No purchase preference without the OEM's local content certificate; a false declaration can mean debarment for up to two years (GTC 3(A)(xx)) |
| Bids from sister firms | Bids by "allied firms" count as multiple bids: all are rejected and EMD forfeited (GTC 29) |
Common questions
Can I participate in a GeM bid without listing a product?
Not in a normal category bid: upload the product or service and wait for GeM's approval first. BOQ bids need no catalogue, and in a custom bid you upload a custom product while participating.
Is there any fee to participate in a GeM bid?
No. GeM charges nothing to register, list products or bid; it charges only on orders won, once your orders in the year reach ₹20 lakh.
How do I raise a representation in a GeM bid?
Use the representation window on the bid in your seller dashboard, within 1 to 4 days of publication depending on the bid's length. A technical rejection can be challenged once, within 48 hours.
How do I check a GeM bid result?
On bidplus.gem.gov.in, choose Bid/RA Status and click View Bid Results to see who qualified and the price ranking, without logging in. Sellers can also follow it under Participated in their dashboard.
When does a GeM seller get paid?
Within 10 days of the consignee's CRAC and your online bill for goods, or of the SDAC for services, unless the bid sets other terms. Where performance security was asked, payment waits until the buyer has it.