GeM, CSC Join Hands To Boost Access To Public Procurement for MSMEs

New Delhi, Jun 19 (KNN) The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Common Service Centre e-Governance Services India (CSC) to expand access to government procurement opportunities, particularly for businesses in rural and underserved regions.

The agreement, signed in New Delhi on June 18, builds on the GeM-CSC partnership launched in 2022 and expands support beyond seller registration to include catalogue listing, vendor assessment, brand approval, and product and service catalogue creation.

As part of the initiative, 50 GeM Suvidha Kendras will be launched on a pilot basis across states including Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and West Bengal. 

These centres will provide onboarding support, training, guidance and grievance redressal services for sellers using the GeM platform.

The partnership aims to strengthen participation in public procurement by supporting micro and small enterprises, women entrepreneurs, SC/ST entrepreneurs, startups, artisans, weavers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and local manufacturers.

According to GeM, the earlier collaboration with CSC helped around 5.3 lakh sellers complete registration and profile creation through the CSC network. 

The enhanced partnership seeks to improve seller onboarding outcomes, expand catalogue availability and strengthen GeM's last-mile outreach across the country.

The MoU was signed by GeM Additional CEO Ajit B. Chavan and CSC-SPV Senior Vice President Subodh Mishra.

(KNN Bureau)