How to Get Orders on GeM Portal: A Manufacturer’s Guide

If you are working out how to get orders on GeM portal, start with one fact: it is a price-led marketplace where government buyers purchase listed goods, so winning means being found, being compliant and quoting a number you can live with. Here is the path for an Indian manufacturer or MSME, from registration to a first order.

How to get orders on GeM portal: is it worth it for a manufacturer?

Yes, if you make something government buyers purchase repeatedly and you can live with price-led competition. GeM is the portal central ministries and departments are required to use for the goods and services it lists, and states and PSUs buy there too. You get orders by being registered, listed and compliant, then winning on price.

The reason GeM matters is GFR 2017, Rule 149: for goods and services available on GeM, procurement through it is mandatory for central ministries and departments (official text in the Department of Expenditure’s General Financial Rules, updated to July 2025). States and PSUs set their own rules, so check what your target buyers follow. The upside is access without relationship selling: buyers find you by category. The downside is price. Expect lookalike sellers and a comparison on price once specifications match. It suits standard, specification-led products and MSMEs with room at the lowest price. Selling medical equipment? Our note on medical device marketing covers buyers beyond GeM. The path has six steps.

1. Register as a seller and complete identity, business and bank verification.
2. Add Udyam or startup details if you qualify, so you can claim the benefits.
3. Choose the exact category and list products with accurate specifications.
4. Check ongoing bids daily and shortlist the ones that match your catalogue.
5. Bid with a floor price and a complete document pack.
6. Deliver on time, because delivery builds the seller rating later buyers see.

How do you register on GeM portal online as a seller?

Go to gem.gov.in, choose Sign Up as a seller, and verify your identity, business PAN and bank account. GeM’s own seller FAQs say there is no charge or fee for registration. Keep your PAN, GST details, bank details and, if you have it, Udyam registration ready before you start.

The GeM seller FAQs list what is needed: identity verification through Aadhaar or PAN as the current flow allows, an active email, a business PAN, a bank account with IFSC, and a CIN for companies. Udyam and startup numbers are optional at sign-up, but you need them later to claim MSE or startup benefits, so add them now. Do not pay an agent to ‘get you registered’; the steps are self-serve and registration is free. Orders can carry charges, though. GeM cut its seller transaction charges in August 2024, with no charge on orders up to ₹10 lakh as reported by IBEF, so read the current schedule on the portal before you price. Rules change, so treat this post as orientation and the portal as the source of truth.

How do you list a catalogue that buyers actually find?

Match your product to the exact GeM category, then write specifications the way a buyer’s bid would: same units, same standards, same grades. Listings are reviewed before going live, so accuracy up front saves days. Buyers search by category and specification, not by your brand story.

From the seller dashboard you add a product, choose the category, enter specifications, upload clear images and set the price. The seller FAQs describe a review step of typically about three working days, with auto-approval in some categories where a brand’s OEM dashboard is approved. Enter your real delivery period and your GST-inclusive price. Seller ratings are built from reliability, quality, coverage, timeliness and incident history, and buyers see them, so an optimistic delivery promise costs you later. Upload the certificates and test reports your product has. Some categories need extra steps such as certification or assessment; the category page says which. A thin catalogue loses at the first filter. A complete one gets found when a buyer is ready to spend.

How does buying work on GeM: direct purchase, L1, bids and reverse auctions?

For central government buyers, Rule 149 sets three bands: direct purchase up to ₹50,000, L1 comparison above that and up to ₹10 lakh, and mandatory bids or reverse auctions above ₹10 lakh. Limits get revised, scientific and research bodies have a higher direct-purchase limit, and states and PSUs differ, so confirm current figures.

The band decides how you win. Below ₹50,000 the buyer can choose any listed seller that meets quality, specification and delivery period, so catalogue quality and rating matter most. In the middle band the buyer picks the lowest price among at least three different manufacturers, so price and being one of those manufacturers matter. Above ₹10 lakh the buyer must run a bid, and a complete document pack decides whether your price is even read. A GeM bid is a formal RFQ; our guide to RFQ basics and winning RFQs covers the habits that carry over.

How do you search the GeM tender list and find bids by keyword or bid number?

GeM publishes live bids on public BidPlus pages, so you can search without logging in. Type a product keyword or a bid number, then narrow with Advance Search and filters such as bid type, high-value bids, status and end date. Check your shortlist every morning, because bids close on fixed dates.

On the GeM bids page, the Contains search matches words in the listing and an Exact Search toggle narrows it. A bid number, which looks like GEM/2026/B/ followed by digits, takes you straight to one bid. Advance Search adds finer filters for ongoing bids, such as ministry or consignee location. Build a keyword list of what you make, including how buyers describe it, and run it daily. For each match, open the bid document and read the technical specification, eligibility and additional terms first. Ask three questions: do we meet every specification, can we deliver to that consignee by that date, and does the price work after freight and GST? Drop anything that fails the first two. Two minutes of screening saves an afternoon of paperwork.

What do MSEs and startups get on GeM, and why do bids get rejected?

MSEs and recognised startups can claim benefits such as purchase preference and, where a bid allows it, exemption from earnest money (EMD). Most rejections come from paperwork, not price: specification mismatch, missing or expired documents, wrong price format and OEM authorisation gaps. Read the bid terms line by line.

Under the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises, central ministries and CPSEs have a 25% annual procurement target from MSEs, with sub-targets for SC/ST- and women-owned MSEs. On GeM you declare MSE status and Make in India compliance when you bid, so keep your Udyam registration current and your local-content declaration honest. The seller FAQs say startups can be exempt from EMD, and each bid’s own terms state whether an EMD applies and who is exempt, so never assume. Rejections follow patterns: a product that nearly matches the specification, a certificate that expired last month, a reseller bidding without valid OEM authorisation for that model, a price entered in the wrong format. Build a document pack once, keep expiry dates in a sheet and check the pack before each bid. GeM also warns against bid rigging and collusion and publishes a list of suspended sellers, so never coordinate prices with a rival.

How do you price on GeM without wrecking your margin?

Calculate a floor price before you open the bid and never bid below it. Add material, labour, packaging, freight to the consignee, GST effects, warranty and the cost of waiting for payment. L1 competition rewards the lowest acceptable price, not the best product, so pick bids where your cost advantage is real.

Price pressure is the honest cost of this channel. In a reverse auction sellers see the current lowest rank and cut in steps, and the lowest eligible price wins. Winning at a loss is not an order, it is a bill. Decide your walk-away number in advance and write it on the bid sheet. Then read the delivery clauses: the delivery period, any penalty for delay, the inspection process and the payment terms. Payment follows delivery acceptance and the contract states the period, but government payment can lag, so cost your working capital at the slow case. Clean first orders raise your rating and help later bids. Keep GeM in proportion too. It is one channel. Large companies and PSUs run their own onboarding, covered in vendor registration with large companies, and the rest of your pipeline still needs outbound and referrals.

The seller who wins every reverse auction is usually the one who forgot to count freight. Decide your walk-away price before the clock starts, then let the others chase it.— Murtaza Udaypurwala, DESENO

The bottom line

GeM rewards the prepared. Register for free, build a catalogue that mirrors how buyers write specifications, learn which buying band your product sits in, search bids daily, and bid above a floor price you calculated. Keep your document pack current. Treat GeM as a steady, price-led channel beside outbound and referrals, not your whole pipeline. If you want help building the wider pipeline for institutional buyers, talk to DESENO.