GeM Bid Document Checklist for Sellers and Bidders

By Khanal Group · Tenders and bids · Updated 25 October 2026 · Not legal or tax advice

How documents work on GeM

The Government e-Marketplace (gem.gov.in) is different from a classic e-tender portal in one important way: a lot of your eligibility is not uploaded with the bid at all. The General Terms and Conditions on GeM (GTC 4.0, version 1.29 of 25 March 2026) say that seller details are checked against government databases such as PAN, MCA 21 and Udyam, and that eligibility on turnover, past performance and profitability, and for policy benefits, is decided on data fetched or validated from sources such as the Income Tax and PAN database, MCA 21, Udyam, GSTN and certifying bodies like BIS.

So a GeM bid has two layers of documents:

Your seller profile, kept up to date once and validated by GeM.
Bid-specific uploads: whatever the bid document, the Additional Terms and Conditions (ATC) and any corrigendum ask for.

The bid document itself lists items such as "Document required from seller", experience and turnover criteria, EMD and ePBG details, MII and MSE purchase preference, and whether the bid goes to reverse auction. Read every one of these lines before you prepare anything.

Layer 1: the seller profile

The Department of Expenditure's Manual for Procurement of Goods (Second Edition, 2024) describes supplier registration on GeM as online and based on PAN, Aadhaar, GST registration, bank account and financial information, corporate registration documents (Udyam registration for MSEs), proof of address and contact details. Keep these current:

Identity and tax: PAN, GSTIN for each state you supply from, and company or LLP details matching MCA 21.
Udyam registration, if you will claim MSE benefits. GeM validates it online. See the Udyam registration guide.
DPIIT start-up recognition, if you will claim start-up benefits.
Bank account for payments and refunds.
Changes: the GTC says details must be updated on GeM within 7 days of a change, and a conflict with the validating databases can lead to automatic suspension.

OEM, reseller and vendor assessment

The GTC treats a seller as either an OEM (the brand or trademark owner, or the actual manufacturer for unbranded products), a reseller with OEM authorisation, or a reseller without it within GeM's quadrant policy. To be recognised as an OEM, a seller needs a Vendor Assessment Report from the designated agency unless exempted under GeM's vendor assessment policy. What to keep:

OEMs: the vendor assessment report or exemption confirmation, and BIS licences for the product where they apply. Both can also support an EMD exemption claim.
Resellers: the OEM's authorisation in the format the bid asks for. The GTC says buyers need not insist on it where an OEM verified reseller offers an OEM verified catalogue, or for products in quadrants Q1 or Q2. Resellers also undertake to supply chain documents proving the goods are genuine.
Third-party manufacturing: for electronic products registered with BIS by the brand owner, the authorisation must come from the brand owner, not from the contract manufacturer named on the BIS certificate.

Experience, turnover and past performance

Bid documents often set a minimum average turnover for the bidder or the OEM, years of experience, and past supply of a stated percentage of the bid quantity. Prepare:

Purchase orders or contracts with the matching completion or performance certificates, showing the value, item and dates the bid asks for.
Audited financial statements or a chartered accountant's turnover certificate, if the bid asks for them in addition to GeM's validated data.
Exemption proof, if you claim one. Many bids state "MSE exemption for years of experience" and "start-up exemption" as yes or no, and say the documents proving the exemption must be uploaded for the buyer to evaluate.

Work out the bid's thresholds against your figures early. The tender eligibility calculator does the arithmetic.

ATC compliance

The ATC are the buyer's bid-specific terms, and the GTC says they prevail over the GTC and the category STC where they conflict. Typical ATC items are scope of work, payment terms, an option clause on quantity, inspection, warranty, local service presence, and a list of certificates. Two rules help you:

The GTC says buyers can add eligibility criteria and terms only through GeM's filters and ATC module, and may not add criteria by referring to websites or documents outside the portal.
The GTC also says no EMD may be taken from exempt categories through ATC or STC clauses; such clauses are void. State government buyers may, however, specify in the ATC that EMD is sought from MSEs.

Answer each ATC clause with an upload or a signed compliance statement, using the clause number. A clause you do not accept is better raised before the bid end date than left silent.

EMD or exemption

The GTC says there is no bid security for bids with an estimated value below ₹5 lakh. Above that, the bid states the amount; GeM recommends 1% and allows 0.5% to 5%, valid for 45 days beyond bid validity. A scan is uploaded with the bid and, where a physical instrument is required, the hard copy reaches the buyer within 5 working days of bid opening. Exempt categories include MSEs holding valid Udyam registration that manufacture the offered product or provide the offered service, DPIIT-recognised start-ups, KVIC and certain other bodies, vendor-assessed sellers for the primary product, BIS licence holders for the primary product category, central and state PSUs, and sellers registered with an agency named in the bid. Upload the proof for the category you claim. See EMD, bank guarantee and performance security.

Make in India and other declarations

Local content: the GTC requires self-certification of local content at the time of bidding under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 as revised on 19 July 2024. For contracts above ₹10 crore, a certificate from a practising cost or chartered accountant is required at execution. See Make in India preference.
Land border declaration and any other undertakings the bid asks for.
One bid per bidder: the GTC says a bidder submits only one bid in a bidding process unless the bid allows more, and addresses bids by affiliates and sister concerns.
Price break-up: if the bid says a financial document indicating price break-up is required, upload it with the price bid, not the technical bid.

Checklist

Item	Source of the requirement	Ready
Seller profile: PAN, GSTIN, MCA data, bank account current	GTC, GeM registration	☐
Udyam or start-up certificate valid on the bid date	GTC, MSE policy	☐
Product listed on GeM in the right category before bid end	GTC e-bidding clause	☐
Vendor assessment report or OEM authorisation	GTC, bid document	☐
Experience and past performance proofs, or exemption proof	Bid document	☐
Turnover proof if asked in addition to GeM data	Bid document	☐
Every ATC clause answered by number	ATC	☐
EMD instrument or exemption document	Bid document, GTC	☐
Local content self-certification and other declarations	GTC, MII Order	☐
Price break-up in the financial part	Bid document	☐
Corrigenda checked just before submission	Bid page	☐

The GTC also asks sellers to list their product on GeM well before bid closure, because approval of a new product listing normally takes about 48 hours.

Keeping documents bid-ready

Most GeM rejections are about a document that was expired, not uploaded or not in the format asked. K-Tender keeps company documents in a versioned vault with expiry alerts, builds GeM bid checklists from templates with owners and reviews, and freezes the exact versions used when you record the submission. Your team still uploads and submits on GeM itself.

Common questions

Does GeM take turnover from my uploaded balance sheet?

Not primarily. GeM's GTC says eligibility on turnover, past performance and profitability is decided on data fetched or validated from databases such as the Income Tax and PAN database, MCA 21, Udyam and GSTN. If those databases are wrong, correct them at source; GeM uses the validated data until then.

Do I need an OEM authorisation letter for every GeM bid?

A reseller generally does, if the bid asks for it. The GTC says buyers need not ask for OEM authorisation where an OEM verified reseller offers an OEM verified catalogue, or for products in quadrants Q1 or Q2.

Can a buyer add conditions outside GeM, such as a link to its own website?

No. The GTC says buyers can add eligibility criteria and additional terms only through the filters and ATC module on GeM, not by referring to other websites or documents outside the portal. Raise any such clause as a query or grievance with the buyer.

Is EMD needed for every GeM bid?

No. The GTC says there is no bid security for bids or reverse auctions with an estimated value below ₹5 lakh. Above that, the bid states the amount, and exempt sellers such as eligible MSEs and recognised start-ups upload their proof instead.

What happens if I miss a document asked for in the ATC?

Many bid documents say the offer is liable to be rejected if any certificate sought in the bid, the ATC or a corrigendum is not uploaded. Buyers may allow a short clarification window during technical evaluation, but do not rely on it.

GeM bid document checklist for sellers