IREPS registration: how vendors and contractors register on Indian Railways' portal

IREPS registration is the first step for any firm that wants to sell to, work for, or buy scrap from Indian Railways online. This guide explains who must register, the DSC you need, IREPS registration fees, the step-by-step process for e-tenders and e-auctions, and common problems with their fixes. It is based on IREPS's own user manuals and notices, and the CCA's guidelines on digital signatures.

Who needs IREPS registration?

IREPS says registration is mandatory for submitting bids against tenders issued through it. Without an account you can only search tenders. Which sign-up link you use depends on what you want to do:

When you register for e-tenders, you choose the modules: Goods & Services, Works, Earning Tenders, or a combination. You can bid only in the modules you are registered for. Railway officials use a different form and don't register as vendors.

IREPS registration fees

• E-tender registration: free of charge.
• E-auction leasing: a one-time, non-refundable fee of ₹10,000 + GST, paid through SBI net banking. If you give your GSTIN, reverse charge applies: you pay the basic amount online and deposit the GST yourself (firms in an SEZ pay GST forward charge). Without a GSTIN, you pay ₹10,000 plus GST online.
• E-auction sale (scrap): a one-time entry fee of ₹10,000 through SBI net banking. It is refunded when you de-register.
• Your DSC: you buy it from a Certifying Authority at that CA's price. IREPS doesn't sell DSCs.
• Per tender: a tender may ask for a tender document cost and EMD, or let you claim exemption. See EMD in tenders.

DSC for IREPS: what kind you need

• Class 3 with your firm's name. IREPS asks for a "Class III Digital Signature Certificate with Firm's Name". This is an organisational certificate, where the organisation name in the certificate matches your firm. A DSC without the organisation name, or with "Personal" as the organisation, will not be accepted.
• From a licensed Certifying Authority. Buy it from any CA licensed by the Controller of Certifying Authorities. The list is on cca.gov.in.
• Class 3 only. Under CCA guidelines, CAs no longer issue Class 2 signing certificates on their own; individual signing certificates are now Class 3.
• Same address as your railway records. If your firm is registered with a zonal railway or approved by RDSO or another railway agency, get the DSC with the same address as in their records, and use that address on IREPS.
• Same name as your user account. IREPS won't link a DSC whose name doesn't exactly match the user's name in the account.

More on getting and using a DSC is in DSC for e-tender.

Details and documents to keep ready

The registration form has several tabs. Keep these ready:

• Basic details: firm name and address, contact details, details of the primary user, and the modules you want.
• Constitution: whether you are a company, partnership, proprietorship and so on, with details of all directors or partners.
• Approvals: MSE registrations, if you have any. MSE firms should fill this in, or they may lose MSE benefits. See MSME benefits.
• Statutory details: GSTIN, or a reason if you are exempt from GST registration; PAN, which is mandatory for Indian firms except government departments; and, for companies, registration with the Registrar of Companies.
• Uploads: supporting documents for what you entered, plus the Identification Form and the Authorisation and Declaration Form. Standard formats for both can be downloaded on the upload page.

For a general checklist of tender documents, see documents required for government tenders.

How to register on IREPS for e-tenders, step by step

1. Get your computer ready. Install Java (JRE) and the IREPS Signer (version 1.5) and insert your DSC token. IREPS asks you to read its "User Manual for Registration of New Vendors & Contractors" and "Getting Your System Ready" first.
2. Open the sign-up page. On ireps.gov.in, click Sign Up → New Vendors/Contractors (E-Tender/E-Auction Leasing).
3. Start a request. Choose Initiate Registration Request and click Proceed.
4. Attach your DSC. Read the instructions, click Proceed, and select your firm's DSC in the signer window.
5. Fill in Basic Details and click Save as Draft. A request ID appears. Note it: with it you can stop and resume later through "Continue with registration request initiated earlier".
6. Fill in the other tabs: Constitution, Approvals, Statutory and Upload Documents. Each upload is signed with your DSC. A wrong document leads to rejection, so check each one.
7. Sign and submit. The last tab shows everything you entered. Check it, click Sign and Submit and apply your DSC.
8. Track the request. Choose "View Status of my registration request" and enter your request ID. If the IREPS admin raises a query, answer it through Reply to Query.
9. Get your password. Approval normally takes about 3–4 working days. You then get an email with your password. Your username is the primary user's email ID.

Verification, approval and first login

The IREPS (EPS) admin checks your request and may ask questions before approving. If the status shows "approved" but no email arrived, check your spam folder, then use Click Here to Reset Password Using DSC on the login page. Enter your email ID, set a new password and sign with your DSC.

To log in, open Login → E-Tender (or the module you want), enter your email ID and password, then attach your DSC. After the first login, complete your profile and add your bank account details.

Primary and secondary users. Each firm has one primary user. The primary user can add secondary users, and both can submit bids and handle tenders. Only the primary user can add or remove users, or hand over the primary role to a secondary user.

IREPS registration for scrap e-auction (E-Auction Sale)

Scrap buyers register separately, through Sign Up → New Bidder (E-Auction Sale).

1. Attach your DSC. You need a valid Class 3 DSC with your firm's name.
2. Fill in the form and upload the documents asked for. Choose your Railway and depot carefully: you can't change them later, and only that depot can approve you.
3. Pay the ₹10,000 entry fee online through SBI net banking. Note the Transaction ID and Request ID shown after payment.
4. Visit the depot. Take the original notarised affidavit, in IREPS's format, and a scanned copy to the depot you chose. The depot official uploads it and approves your registration, and keeps the original.
5. Log in. You get a login password and a separate bidding password by email. Change both, add your bank details and choose the depots whose auction emails you want.

Points to know:

• Only one user and one email ID can be registered per firm.
• You also need a GSTIN and PAN.
• The login password expires every 60 days. When you change it, you must change the bidding password too.
• To get the ₹10,000 back, raise a de-registration request in your login after clearing any pending payments. The railway or depot that approved you refunds it.

IREPS registration for leasing e-auctions

If you already have an IREPS account for any module, you don't register again.

1. Add the module. The primary user opens View My Account Profile → Edit Account Profile, ticks E-Auction Leasing, clicks Sign & Update, then logs out and in again.
2. Pay the fee of ₹10,000 + GST from the Auctions tab. A GST invoice can then be downloaded.
3. Set up EMD payment. Either link an SBI current account for lien marking, or use your Virtual Account (VAN), which IREPS creates after the fee is paid, normally within 24 hours. You can fill a VAN by NEFT or RTGS from any bank.
4. Enter your turnover for at least one of the last three financial years, with audited balance sheets and profit and loss statements. Without it, you can bid only in lots that need no minimum turnover.

IREPS registration vs RDSO and other vendor approval

IREPS registration lets you bid. It doesn't make you an approved vendor.

Indian Railways buys items related to passenger and train safety only from approved vendors. Approving agencies include RDSO, ICF, MCF, RCF, BLW, CLW and CORE. Their approvals now run online through the Unified Vendor Approval Module (UVAM) on IREPS:

• You need an IREPS account first, then you apply in UVAM after logging in. The item master shows each item's drawings, specifications and technical requirements.
• Since 1 April 2022, Railway Board has treated only the UVAM vendor directories of RDSO, CLW, BLW, RCF, ICF, MCF and CORE as valid.
• Each agency sets its own fee. For example, RDSO lists ₹15,000 (₹10,000 for MSMEs, ₹40,000 for foreign vendors) plus 18% GST for a fresh request, and half that for a resubmission. Sample, prototype and other testing charges vary by item.

Firms approved by RDSO or a production unit, or registered with a zonal railway for an item, may be exempt from EMD or tender document cost when they bid for that item, if the tender allows. GeM is separate again: see GeM registration.

Common IREPS registration problems and fixes

• The DSC isn't detected. When the browser asks to "Access other apps and services on this device", click Allow. If no popup appears, clear the browser cache, close and reopen the browser, and log in again. If the signer still fails, open https://127.0.0.1:2175/ and allow the connection.
• "Failed to Open Web Signer". Java is missing or damaged. Reinstall it.
• DSC rejected. It probably lacks your firm's name or says "Personal". Get a Class 3 organisational DSC.
• Name mismatch with the DSC. If the DSC name is wrong, get a corrected DSC from the CA. If the IREPS account name is wrong, the firm's authorised signatory must apply to the helpdesk with an authority letter, an affidavit on ₹100 non-judicial stamp paper, the user's PAN, the Authorisation and Declaration Form, the Identification Form and the DSC's public key.
• The primary user has left the firm. The authorised signatory applies to the helpdesk with a similar set of documents to create a new primary user or promote a secondary user.
• "User Name is not registered with us" (ADM.008). The registration didn't go through. Check its status with your request ID or contact the helpdesk.
• The DSC is expiring. Change it before it expires. The helpdesk handles DSC change requests, and the name in the new DSC must match your account.

The IREPS helpdesk is on 011-41385200, 8 am to 7 pm, except Sundays and gazetted holidays, or raise a query through "Ask a Question" on the website. Once you are registered, our IREPS tenders guide explains searching and bidding.

While you wait for approval, you can follow Indian Railways tenders that appear on GeM and other portals on GovtTenderHub.

Common questions

What is the IREPS registration fee?

Registration for e-tenders is free. Leasing e-auctions need a one-time, non-refundable ₹10,000 + GST, and scrap e-auctions a one-time ₹10,000 entry fee that is refunded when you de-register. Your DSC is bought separately from a Certifying Authority.

How long does IREPS registration take?

IREPS's manual says approval normally takes about 3–4 working days. It can take longer if the admin raises a query, so check the status with your request ID and reply quickly.

Which DSC is required for IREPS?

A Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate with your firm's name, from a CA licensed by CCA. A DSC without the organisation name, or with "Personal" as the organisation, is not accepted.

Can one firm have more than one IREPS user?

For e-tenders, yes. One primary user can add secondary users, who can also bid. For the scrap e-auction module, only one user and one email ID can be registered per firm.

Is IREPS registration the same as RDSO approval?

No. IREPS registration lets you bid on IREPS. RDSO and other agencies approve vendors for specific safety items through UVAM, which needs an IREPS account and has its own fees and tests.

Can I register on IREPS without GST?

Yes, if your firm is exempt from GST registration. Choose the exempt option in the Statutory tab and give the reason. Otherwise GSTIN details are mandatory, and the scrap e-auction needs a GSTIN.

Is one IREPS registration valid for all railway zones?

The official conditions for both e-auction modules say one registration covers all of Indian Railways. For e-tenders, you register once and choose modules (goods and services, works or earning); IREPS ties your access to those modules, not to a zone.