GeM
How to read a GeM bid document, section by section
A field-by-field guide to the GeM bid document: dates, offer validity, turnover and experience, EMD and ePBG, evaluation, reverse auction and ATC.
By GovtTenderHub editorial teamUpdated 9 min read
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In short
- Every GeM bid has a public PDF bid document. It opens with Bid Details (dates, buyer, quantity, eligibility, EMD, ePBG, evaluation), then the specifications, the consignees and delivery days, and the buyer's Additional Terms and Conditions (ATC).
- Check eligibility first: Minimum Average Annual Turnover, Years of Past Experience, Past Performance and Document required from seller. MSEs and startups are relaxed only where the bid says "Yes".
- Then the money: the EMD Amount, the ePBG Percentage and duration, and the Bid Offer Validity you must hold your price for.
- Type of Bid, Evaluation Method, Bid to RA and the MII and MSE purchase preference lines tell you how bids will be ranked.
- The ATC overrides GeM's General Terms and Conditions (GTC) where they conflict, but GeM bans some clauses outright, such as naming a brand, asking for samples with the bid or charging a tender fee.
A GeM bid document can run past 20 pages of Hindi and English, and the lines that decide whether you qualify are spread across it. This guide goes through it in order, with each field named as it appears in the PDF. The figures are from the 11,009 live GeM bid documents GovtTenderHub had read on 29 September 2026.
Where to find it
GeM lists open bids on BidPlus (bidplus.gem.gov.in). Each bid number, such as GEM/2026/B/8014269, links to its bid document, a PDF anyone can open without logging in. The "View Corrigendum/Representation" link under each bid shows any changes the buyer has published.
GovtTenderHub's GeM bid pages show the key terms read from the bid document, from EMD and turnover to consignees, next to the full PDF: start from live GeM bids.
Bid details: dates, buyer and quantity
| Field | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Bid End Date/Time | The deadline. You can only bid with a product or service listed in that category, and GeM normally takes 48 hours to approve a new listing |
| Bid Opening Date/Time | Technical bids are opened. A hard copy of any EMD instrument is due within 5 working days |
| Bid Offer Validity (From End Date) | How long your offer must stay open from the bid end date; the buyer awards within it. Buyers choose 15 to 180 days: 180 in 43.9% of live bids, 120 in 18.6%, 90 in 17.8% |
| Ministry/State Name, Department Name, Organisation Name, Office Name | The buyer. A state buyer can apply its own MSE and Make in India policy, and ask MSEs for EMD, through the ATC |
| Total Quantity, Item Category | What is being bought. Service bids add a Contract Period |
| Estimated Bid Value | Shown in only 15% of bids (median ₹28 lakh where shown). The bid says it guides EMD and eligibility and "has no relevance or bearing on the price to be quoted" |
Time allowed for Technical Clarifications during technical evaluation (for example "2 Days") is how long you'll have to answer a buyer's query. If Do you want to show documents uploaded by bidders to all bidders participated in bid? says "Yes", rival bidders can see your uploads.
Eligibility: turnover, experience and past performance
| Field | What the bid asks for | Share of live bids |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Average Annual Turnover of the bidder (For 3 Years) | Average over the last three financial years ending 31 March of the previous year, proved by audited balance sheets or a CA or cost accountant's certificate. Younger firms use their completed years | 43.5% |
| Years of Past Experience Required for same/similar service | You or your OEM supplied the same or similar items or services to a central or state government body or PSU in each of that many financial years, backed by contracts (and, for goods, proof of delivery such as CRAC) | 52.8%, most often 3 years |
| Past Performance | You or your OEM supplied that percentage of the bid quantity to a government body or PSU in one of the last three financial years | 38.7%, most often 50%, then 80%, 10% and 30% |
| MSE Relaxation / Startup Relaxation for Years of Experience and Turnover | "Yes | Complete" relaxes MSEs (or DPIIT-recognised startups) from experience and turnover, subject to quality and specifications, on uploading proof | 36.5% for MSEs, 33.5% for startups |
Some bids add an OEM Average Turnover (Last 3 Years), the same test for the maker of the product you offer.
Document required from seller lists what to upload, for example "Experience Criteria,Past Performance,Bidder Turnover,Certificate (Requested in ATC),OEM Authorization Certificate". "Requested in ATC" means the ATC names the certificate.
EMD and performance security
EMD Detail shows the "EMD Amount" (item-wise bids can list one per schedule) or "Required: No", with the beneficiary. Under the GTC there's no EMD when the estimated value is under ₹5 lakh, and the buyer can ask for 0.5% to 5%. MSEs making the product or providing the service, DPIIT startups and a few others are exempt, but "Traders are excluded". EMD is asked in 45.9% of live bids, a median 2.0% of the estimated value where both are shown. See EMD in tenders.
ePBG Detail shows the "ePBG Percentage(%)" and "Duration of ePBG required (Months)". Only the winner gives it, within 15 days of the award, and payment is due only after the buyer has it. The GTC caps it at 5% and wants it valid two months beyond all contract obligations, including warranty: an ECG machine bid with a five-year warranty asks for 62 months. ePBG is asked in 50.7% of live bids: 5% in 73% of those, 3% in 24%. See performance security.
How bids will be compared
- Type of Bid: a "Two Packet Bid" (87% of live bids) has a technical bid and a separate price bid. Any price in the technical bid gets your offer rejected under the GTC. A "Single Packet Bid" can't go to reverse auction.
- Evaluation Method: "Total value wise evaluation" (90%) gives one L1 for the whole order. "Item wise evaluation" (8.9%) finds a separate L1 for each item or schedule, so you can win part of the bid. GeM also has item-and-consignee wise and group wise evaluation.
- Bid to RA enabled and RA Qualification Rule ("H1-Highest Priced Bid Elimination" or "50% Lowest Priced Technically Qualified Bidders"): when "Yes" (36.1%), price bids are followed by a live auction. See GeM reverse auction.
- Payment Timelines, where shown, replace the GTC's payment within 10 days of acceptance; one bid we read allowed 45 days.
Make in India and MSE purchase preference
| Line in the bid | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| MII Purchase Preference | Yes | Class-I local suppliers get preference |
| Purchase Preference to MII sellers availabele upto price within L1+X% | 20 | A Class-I supplier within 20% of L1 can match L1's price |
| Maximum Percentage of Bid quantity for MII purchase preference | 50 | The share it can get |
| MSE Purchase Preference | Yes (85.7%) | MSEs get preference |
| Purchase Preference to MSE OEMs/ Service Provider available upto price within L1+X% | 15 | An MSE within 15% of L1 can match L1's price |
| Percentage of Bid quantity/amount for MSE OEMs/ Service Provider Purchase preference | 25 | The share MSEs can get |
The bid also states the local content needed, for example "Minimum 50% and 20% Local Content required for qualifying as Class 1 and Class 2 Local Supplier respectively". MSE preference is only for MSEs that make the product or provide the service; resellers "are not eligible". Service bids show "MII Compliance" instead of the MII lines. More in Make in India and MSME benefits.
Specifications, consignees and delivery
- Technical Specifications lists the category's parameters and "Bid Requirement (Allowed Values)", or points to the buyer's own specification document. You may offer the same, an equivalent or a superior specification; the buyer decides.
- Consignees/Reporting Officer and Quantity gives each delivery address with PIN code, the quantity and the "Delivery Days", counted from the date the contract is placed. Only 2.4% of live bids have more than one consignee.
- Price to the door: GeM prices are for free delivery at site, including loading and unloading, and bids are compared on the all-inclusive landed price at the consignee unless the ATC says otherwise. Late delivery costs 0.5% of the delayed quantity's value per week, up to 5% of the contract (10% for inordinate delay).
The ATC and how it relates to the GTC
The buyer's own clauses sit under Buyer Added Bid Specific Terms and Conditions, sometimes with a "Buyer uploaded ATC document" file. They often cover payment, warranty, service support, forms of EMD and performance security, and extra certificates. Read every line: a standard clause says the offer "is liable to be rejected" if any certificate sought in the bid, ATC or corrigendum isn't uploaded.
How the ATC fits with GeM's terms:
- The contract is made of the scope and price, the GTC, the category's special terms (STC) printed in the bid, and the ATC. STC overrides the GTC, and ATC overrides both where they conflict.
- The buyer adds ATC only with its competent authority's approval and only through GeM's ATC module, and answers for its effect on competition. Conditions kept on an outside website or document aren't allowed.
- ATC can't take away an exempt seller's EMD exemption; such clauses are "null and void". State government bodies and state PSUs may still ask MSEs for EMD this way.
The Disclaimer after the ATC lists clauses that make the bid "null & void" and let GeM cancel it, including:
- Naming a brand, make, model, manufacturer or dealer (except proprietary purchases)
- Requiring physical documents to qualify, other than EMD and the signed integrity pact within 5 days of bid opening
- Samples with the bid or during evaluation, unless the buyer's ministry has a published policy allowing them
- Experience from a specific organisation, or foreign or export experience
- A tender fee or bid participation fee
- Clauses contradicting the bid details, such as specifications, EMD, ePBG or the MII and MSE sections, unless the GTC allows it
To object to a clause, use the representation window in your seller dashboard; the buyer must reply before opening bids. For a Disclaimer-list clause you can go to GeM, until technical evaluation is finalised, if you raised it with the buyer before the bid opening date without a satisfactory reply. Check for a corrigendum before you submit: a buyer can revise its ATC up to three days before the end date if no seller has bid yet.
Common questions
What is ATC in a GeM bid?
Additional Terms and Conditions: the buyer's own clauses for that bid, under "Buyer Added Bid Specific Terms and Conditions". Where they conflict with GeM's GTC or the category's STC, the ATC prevails, but it can't include the clauses in the bid's Disclaimer.
What does bid offer validity mean on GeM?
The number of days, counted from the bid end date, for which your offer must stay valid. The buyer has to award the order within that time.
Is the estimated bid value the price I should quote?
No. The bid document says it only guides EMD and eligibility and has no bearing on the price to be quoted. Most bids don't show it at all.