Common Mistakes to Avoid During GeM Registration

Introduction: There is one system in the form of a Government e-marketplace, otherwise known as GeM that has been quite instrumental for India in streamlining governmental procurement processes because this platform offers avenues wherein government departments source from registered vendors. What seems to be holding critical importance in business acquisitions today through procurements from the government are GeM registrations, which most of them usually strike somewhere along their registration process with evitable mistakes. Some pitfalls of GeM registration are discussed in the succeeding parts of this article for use in negotiating effectively against such pitfalls. 1. Not Eligible: Eligibility criteria need to be well understood in advance of applying for GeM. If an ineligible vendor applies, then this application gets rejected. Again, this can prove to be a waste of valuable time and effort. The very basic or minimum eligibility criteria are: •Valid business registration. •Latest documentation of company financial statements •Producing products or services compatible with relevant standards and qualifications Pro Tip: Ensure that your organization has all its relevant and updated valid documents needed to be uploaded. Many registrations are being rejected due to wrong information or incomplete submissions 2. Defective/Incorrect Documentation: This is a very common reason, many geM registrations face rejections due to a set of wrong and deficiently prepared documentation. geM registration documentations involve, Company Incorporation Certificate PAN Card along with GST Registration Details of the Bank Account Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) • Aadhaar Card of Authorized Person Irrelevant and uncorrected documentation would delay the process much longer and even worse; cancel your registration Solution: Confirm that all the business documents that will be presented are updated and that correct business information is provided 3. Inaccurate Business Profile Information: Another important step in the geM onboarding process is an incorrect or incomplete business profile. A business profile is simple, as this profile basically lets any government procurer know the legitimacy of the concern. Product Information - This includes category, detailed description, or specification and rate Services - Write all the details about all services which are being sold; with Emphasis on skills and experience. • Organization Details: This can be as basic as just information about the organization, contact address details, the nature of the business it undertakes, and previous clients with whom you may have worked appropriately. Not shirking the challenge: Use time to detail with keenness, all information within each section should be current and aligned to the business profiles you may be carrying when trading online. 4. Failure to pass up to GeM's standards for compliance: GeM has several compliances that are to be met in letter and spirit. Failure to do this can even delay the registration process sometimes and attract a penalty most of the time. However, the most critical area of compliance includes the following: • Compulsory Certifications: Irrespective of whether it is about electronics, food products, or pharmaceuticals, it can very well be more than compulsion that the respective concerned certification, say ISO, BIS, or FSSAI exists. Quality Standards: The products supplied under GeM must meet one or more of the following standards of quality. Establish the fact that there are some quality parameters under which all purchased articles fall. Hint: Monitor the changes in compliance on GeM considering that the update is provided concerning the rules according to which it keeps changing. 5 Not Using DSC: The most critical requirement for the GeM registration process is the DSC. However, practically all businesses have been ignoring this factor. The DSC would authenticate that the digital document is original. Also, it would ensure the authentication of the identity of a business representative. All this would be secured and authenticated. • General Mistake: There is no procurement of genuine DSC before the registration. Due to that, it is always lagging during the registration time. • Solution: Get the DSC before even the start of the entire process. DSC shall be obtained for registration under the name of the authorized signatory only. It should be an upgraded version. It should also be supporting the GeM portal, too. For value products or services, GeM asks for a Vendor Assessment through which the suppliers have to be qualified under quality and operation standards. Most of the vendors avoid or are in a hurry to complete it, which causes a rejection or delay. • Why It Matters: It involves looking at and evaluating your manufacturing set-up or service environment in real life. • Preparation: Prepare oneself to clear the assessment of the vendor so that all its facilities as well as procedures and paperwork must be mark-compliant. Success Tip: Success in Vendor Assessment gives confidence with Higher Quotation Grabbing 6. Proper Listings Preparation for the Products: The products are seldom listed by most of the vendors of GeM. This is due to the reason that product details were not enough placed against it. Product descriptions should contain the following • Descriptive Text: A short and elaborative description would be used to depict the details of the product in front of the buyer. • Pricing Information: Competitive but not very steep according to market standards with GeM's directives as well. • Quality Pictures: Of superior quality pictures that would showcase the best of the product. Best Practice: Invest the time required so that the description reflects the 'unique selling points' of a product. This would provide greater visibility and confidence to the buyers. 7. Lack of Training and Updates for usage of the GeM platform: GeM gives periodic updates on the features and guidelines of the platform; therefore, vendors get updated. The training and tutorial on GeM are provided for proper usage; and in case someone shuns them, then there are lost chances and mistakes while completing some sort of formal procedure. • For Updating: Updating of features and guidelines is done on a periodic time in GeM, so any wrong mistakes that do not seem right are avoided. • Training: It is useful because the vendors come to know about the recent features and tactics that can be applied to bidding. Recommendation: Regular checkup cycle for updating at the official website of GeM and attend vendor training cycles. 9. Rejection of Competitive Price: One of the barriers to achieving success through GeM is setting an inappropriate price of your products and services. A government unit looks at how to cut costs; therefore, the sellers must make sure that the prices are competitive yet profitable. • Research market trends: Get to know how the prices of similar products change. • GeM Standards: Compare the price to the geM set standard and at the same time should fall within the reasonable range among competitors. Tip: Keep on evaluating and updating the prices to be on the fray and also very attractive to the government buyer. Conclusion: If the errors are not made at the time of GeM registration, it would be possible to save time, and costs, and also enhance credibility for business purposes while selling on GeM. Proper business profile preparation based on eligibility criteria and proper information documentation increases the chances that the government may offer to sell its products under this contract. Once registered on GeM, it opens the Indian marketplace for businesses to various government buyers. Proper preparation and awareness are keys to getting business opportunities through GeM registration in a government procurement scenario.