Six states come on board government’s online procurement platform

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Gujarat and Pudducherry are among the states who will come on board the government’s ambitious project to procure their office supplies through an online portal. These states will sign memoranda of understanding with the centre on Tuesday to buy goods and services of their daily use from the Government e-marketplace ( GeM).

From laptops, air conditioners, furniture and items of daily use like stationery to services such as taxis and florists, states will be able to procure all these from GeM which was launched in August last year with the main aim of making the process of government procurement much more efficient.

“Completely online pre-contract and post-contract management along with digital and time-bound payment on GeM, has resulted in significant reduction in prices of goods and services,” said an official in the know of the details.

The total value of procurement of both central and state government organizations is pegged between Rs 5-7 lakh crore.

“GeM has a potential to save more than Rs 50,000 crore per annum to the government,” the official added.

Through the agreement, the centre will integrate states’ payment systems to facilitate online and time-bound payment to suppliers besides imparting training to officials on the use of GeM.

States will facilitate suppliers with getting registered on the portal and ensure payment to them within ten days of accepting the commodities.