The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) recently organized a webinar on the topic of “Public Procurement through Government-e-Marketplace (GeM).” The aim of the webinar was to foster peer learning and achieve the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which is to establish an inclusive, efficient, and transparent technology-driven ecosystem for public procurement activities. The Ministry aims to facilitate fair and competitive procurement by Ministries, Attached Offices, Autonomous Bodies (ABs), and CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises).
During the webinar, Shri Kamran Rizvi, Secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industries, presided over the event and highlighted the importance of the “Committee of Secretaries” in ensuring that 100% of available goods and services are procured through GeM. The Ministry of Heavy Industries and its CPSEs are key users of GeM, and in the fiscal year 2022-23, they conducted procurement worth Rs. 6744 crore, with a GeM Utilization Ratio (GUR) of 130%. The Ministry also ranked among the top buyers, with BHEL, a Maharatna under MHI, contributing approximately 92% of the procurement through GeM. Shri Rizvi emphasized that GeM has brought about better efficiencies, transparency, inclusivity, and trust among bidders, resulting in improved competition and higher savings. He encouraged CPSEs and ABs that are lagging behind to take full advantage of the GeM ecosystem for its obvious benefits.
The webinar was attended by other key officials, including Ms. Arti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, MHI; Shri Sanjay Aggarwal, Advisor (PPD), Department of Expenditure; Dr. Nailin Shinghal, CMD, BHEL; Shri Prakash Minrani, Additional CEO, GeM; and Shri J. P. Srivastava, Director (E,R&D), BHEL. These speakers provided insights on various aspects related to public procurement through GeM. The webinar witnessed the participation of officials from MHI, CPSEs, and Autonomous Bodies, with over 200 screens attending the event.
In the fiscal year 2022-23, the Ministry of Heavy Industries ranked among the top procuring Ministries, with a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of Rs. 6744 crore and a GeM Utilization Ratio (GUR) of 130%. BHEL, a Maharatna under MHI, also ranked among the top procuring PSUs in the CPSE category, with a GMV of Rs. 6189 crore and an overall GUR of 133%.
GeM has experienced exponential growth, recording a GMV of approximately Rs. 2 lakh crore in the fiscal year 2022-23, compared to Rs. 6 thousand crore in FY 2017-18. Cumulatively, it has surpassed a GMV of Rs. 3.9 lakh crore, with strong support from stakeholders. Studies have shown that the platform enables minimum savings of about 10%, equivalent to Rs. 40,000 crore of public money.
GeM continues to introduce new features to enhance its services, including Running Contracts, Single Packet Bidding in Services, and Push Button Procurement. These developments aim to further improve transparency, inclusivity, and process optimization.
During the webinar, subject-specific presentations were made by BHEL and GeM to update field users on the latest developments, enabling them to better utilize the GeM platform.