Questions
Indian government tenders, answered
53 questions contractors ask about GeM, CPPP, EMD, eligibility and preference, each answered from the rule or the measurement that settles it, with the source linked.
Finding tenders
Most missed tenders are not hidden. They are on a portal nobody on the team was reading that week. These are the questions that come up when a firm starts looking properly.
- Where are central government tenders published in India?
- How many government tenders are published in India each month?
- Is every GeM bid also listed on CPPP?
- Why can I not find a tender on CPPP that I was told about?
- How long do government tenders stay open for bids?
- What is a corrigendum in a tender?
- Do I need to register on a portal just to see its tenders?
- Are Indian government tenders actually competitive?
GeM
GeM is not one buying method. Below one threshold a buyer can purchase directly, above another a bid or reverse auction is mandatory, and the bid document decides the rest.
- When does a GeM purchase need a bid or reverse auction?
- What does bid to RA mean on GeM?
- What is H1 elimination in a GeM reverse auction?
- How is L1 decided on GeM?
- Who counts as an OEM on GeM, and who is a reseller?
- When does a GeM bid need an OEM authorisation certificate?
- Does it cost money to register and sell on GeM?
- Can I see GeM bids without registering?
- Is it enough to watch GeM through CPPP?
CPPP
CPPP is the portal most contractors think they know, and it is several listings wearing one name. These are the questions that come up once you start bidding on it.
- What digital signature certificate do I need to bid on CPPP?
- Can I still use a Class 2 digital signature?
- What is the difference between a Tender ID and a tender reference number?
- Why does a CPPP tender link say Invalid Url when someone shares it?
- What is the minimum time allowed to submit a bid?
- What is the two-bid system?
- When does a buyer have to advertise an open tender?
- What is CPPP ePublishing, and why does it matter?
- Does a CPPP listing show the EMD?
EMD and security
Money you lodge to bid, and money you lock up if you win. Both rules changed in the last few years, and a lot of what is written about them online still quotes the old figures.
- What is EMD in a tender?
- How much EMD does a government tender ask for?
- What is a bid security declaration, and is it mandatory now?
- Who is exempt from paying EMD?
- When can EMD be forfeited?
- How much performance security does a government contract need?
- What is ePBG in a GeM bid?
- What is the difference between EMD and performance security?
Eligibility and preference
Preferences change how bids are compared, not who may bid. Relaxations change who may bid, and only when the buyer grants them. Mixing the two up is how firms talk themselves out of tenders they could have won.
- What is MSE purchase preference in a government tender?
- How much government procurement is reserved for MSEs?
- Are MSEs exempt from prior turnover and experience criteria?
- Can a startup bid without prior turnover and experience?
- Do MSE benefits apply to traders and resellers?
- What is a Class-I local supplier?
- What is the margin of purchase preference under Make in India?
- Can a government buyer issue a global tender for a small purchase?
- Does Make in India or MSE preference stop others from bidding?
About ScanX
The questions buyers ask before a pilot, answered with the same numbers that are on the rest of this site.
- What is ScanX?
- How is ScanX different from a tender alert service?
- What does it mean that ScanX verifies a match against the bid document?
- Which portals does ScanX read?
- Who writes the matching rules?
- How much does ScanX cost?
- When does the list arrive, and how fresh is it?
- Where is my data stored, and for how long?
- Does ScanX tell me who won a tender, or what to bid?
- What happens when a portal is down?
Looking for a single term rather than a question? The glossary defines EMD, ePBG, L1, reverse auction and the rest, each on its own page.
The reading, done every hour
Most of these questions come from reading portals by hand. ScanX reads India's central, defence and PSU procurement portals every hour, reads each match's bid document, and ranks the result for your bid team.