GeM hits ₹15 lakh cr GMV in 9 years of govt's e-procurement

Government’s online procurement platform GeM (Government-e-Marketplace) has crossed a historic milestone of ₹15 lakh crore in cumulative gross merchandise value (GMV) since its inception in 2016. Over the past nine years, GeM has evolved into a strong digital platform, bringing together government buyers and a diverse community of sellers, including Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), startups, women-led businesses, SC/ST Enterprises and self-help groups (SHGs).

“Crossing the ₹15 lakh crore GMV milestone is a testimony to the trust our stakeholders have placed in GeM. This success belongs to the lakhs of sellers and buyers who have transformed the way public procurement is carried out in India. Our focus will continue to be on deepening inclusivity, simplifying processes and fostering innovation so that opportunities reach every corner of the country. Together, we are building a transparent, accountable and digitally empowered procurement ecosystem aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat,” says Mihir Kumar, CEO, GeM.

GeM simplifies processes, reduces entry barriers and embeds transparency through policy and technology, and enables opportunities to reach the last mile, while fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and equitable growth.

In FY25, the share of central and state/UT government procurement on GeM stood at 88% and 10.50%, respectively. In the fiscal year, around 1,93,183 new sellers were added, and 31,636 buyer registrations were recorded on the platform.

Highlighting the data on the contribution of GeM in cost savings of government procurements, an Independent study conducted by the World Bank and IIM Lucknow (2020) estimated an average savings of 9.75% from the median price.

Key highlights of GeM’s journey:

1. Expanding access to government procurement for lakhs of sellers from varied sectors.

2. Strengthening the participation of MSEs, women entrepreneurs and startups.

3. Ensuring transparency and accountability in every stage of procurement.

4. Driving digital adoption in governance in line with the vision of Digital India.

To promote MSMEs on GeM, the platform allows marketplace filters to help buyers identify and buy products of MSEs; integration with the Udyam database to verify and update the status of sellers as MSEs; giving purchase preference and relaxation in earnest money deposit or prior experience or turnover.

The GeM portal has also undergone continuous technological enhancements to improve efficiency and user experience. These upgrades include continuous upgrade of virtual machines, storage and software.

i. AI-enabled chatbot for user query resolution.

ii. Centralised monitoring has been implemented for proactive health checks of the GeM portal.

iii. Adoption of Automation tools to streamline the deployment process of new features or functionalities or upgrades, reducing manual intervention.

iv. Migration of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) middleware services from NIC to GCC to enhance authentication reliability and availability.

v. Introduction of Development Security and Operations (DevSecOps) practices.

vi. Implemented module-based specific policies on Web Application Firewall to improve the security of GeM.