GeM Portal: Managing Issues, Tickets, and Compliance

The GeM portal maintains a structured and automated dispute resolution process that relies on individuals to report violations. Any action that violates the terms and conditions stipulated by GeM and relevant regulations is termed a ‘deviation’. An incident is a report of deviant behaviour on the platform filed by a user or the system.

The Incident management system is the Government e-Marketplace’s grievance redressal system that defines how users can identify, report and respond to ‘deviations’ on the platform. Its aim is to resolve issues while maintaining quality standards. Incidents can be created by:

• Buyers and GeM admins against bids

• Buyers, sellers and admins against catalogues

• Buyers, sellers, admins and the incident management system against contracts

The reported buyer or seller will get seven days to respond to the incident report and offer a resolution. If no resolution is achieved, the incident is escalated to the GeM Admin team, who takes suitable action depending on the severity of the deviation.

The following are the types of deviations based on the severity of the reported incident:

Mild Deviations: These incidents have negative effects on other stakeholders but are not severe enough to warrant a corrective action. They are usually related to incomplete information or mistakes in submissions.

Serious Deviations: These incidents have the potential to affect the GeM market ecosystem. The outcome for these incidents is the same as that of mild incidents. For buyers, notifications are sent to the competent authority, while sellers face suspensions for 45 to 60 calendar days.

Severe Deviations: These incidents have the potential to adversely impact the GeM platform’s credibility and reputation. The outcome is similar to the previous incident categories, but sellers face longer suspensions from 60 to 90 calendar days. For buyers, GeM sends notifications for more stringent actions.

Grave Deviations: These incidents adversely affect the market ecosystem and the reputation/credibility of GeM. Buyers get notifications for corrective actions, while sellers face suspensions of 1 to 2 years.

Both buyers and sellers can raise pre-contract reports against products in the marketplace. For post-contract reports, buyers need to use the Buyer Dashboard, whereas sellers need to go to the ‘Need Help’ section on the homepage.

Process for Buyers

Step 1: Click on ‘Login’ on the official GeM portal and enter your credentials and captcha code to sign in.

Step 2: To report a seller after bid/RA, go to ‘Dashboard’ and then the ‘Incidents’ tab. Then, click on ‘+New’ in the top left to raise a new incident.

Step 3: Select the incident category from the dropdown menu and enter the necessary details, including contract/order number, invoice number and the reported entity.

Step 4: Next, write a brief description of the incident and enter the bid/RA details. After confirming, the system will generate a success notification.

Once you’ve created an incident, the seller gets seven days to resolve the issue by responding to your report. Otherwise, the system escalates the incident.

Process for Sellers

Step 1: Log in to the GeM portal using your user ID and password.

Step 2: Then, navigate to ‘Need Help’ at the top of the dashboard and select ‘Report an Incident’.

Step 3: Click on ‘+New’ to raise a new incident against a buyer or seller. In the pop-up, enter the contract/order number, invoice number and the reported entity’s name and upload evidence (if any).

Step 4: Write a brief description of the issue and click on ‘Submit’ to confirm.

Process for Pre-Contract Incident

Step 1: To raise a pre-contract incident, first click on the product name in the GeM marketplace.

Step 2: Click on ‘Report This Product’ at the bottom of the product page.

Step 3: Enter the reason for your incident report, write a description and upload documentary evidence. Finally, click on submit.

Check the following sections to learn how to respond to incidents:

Response by Sellers

Step 1: Sign in using your credentials and select ‘Need Help’ > ‘Report an Incident’ to go to the Incident Dashboard.

Step 2: Use the filter at the top and select ‘Raised Against’ to see all incidents raised against your seller account. Click on a widget on the screen to view the details.

Step 3: Read the incident report and click on the ‘Respond’ button next to the message to create a reply. The buyer can choose to resolve the issue or escalate it within seven days. In this situation, you will get a showcase notice within five days.

Step 4: If you can rectify the incident, click on ‘Seek Buyer Consent’ to send a request. If the buyer accepts this, you can click on ‘Agree to rectify the deviation’ and correct your mistake within ten days. Otherwise, the admin team will take the necessary steps as per GeM’s terms and conditions, including the suspension of your account.

Step 5: If the admin takes action against your account, you can click on ‘Mutual Resolution’ to send a resolution offer. The buyer can choose to accept or reject your request.

Response by Buyers

Follow these steps to resolve incidents filed by you against sellers:

Step 1: Sign in to the GeM portal and go to the ‘Incident’ tab of your dashboard. Then, click on the relevant incident ticket.

Step 2: Click on ‘Respond’ to reply to the seller’s clarifications. If you are unsatisfied with the response, click on ‘Escalate’, and the GeM admin team will resolve it.

Step 3: If the seller has resolved the issue, click on ‘Accept to rectify the deviation’. Finally, click on ‘Close’ to close the incident.

To resolve incidents that a seller has filed against you, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in via your HoD account and go to the HoD Buyer Dashboard. Then, go to ‘Incidents’ to check all incidents against your buyer account.

Step 2: Click on ‘Respond’ to craft a reply to the seller. Once it’s resolved, click on the ‘Close’ button to send an incident closure request.

The GeM admin team will evaluate the request and close it once they’ve taken the appropriate action.

Here are some of the most important rules and guidelines that buyers and sellers must follow on the GeM portal:

Rules and Responsibilities for Buyers

• Buyers are responsible for using the search and filtering facilities on the GeM portal to make the best choices regarding price and quality. They cannot avoid following the procurement guidelines and official processes.

• Government buyers are prohibited from using prices on the GeM platform to enter into offline contracts or contact sellers to take part in offline transactions.

• The sole responsibility of checking the reasonability of prices on the GeM platform falls on the buyer. They also need to report anomalies in pricing to GeM.

• Before placing an order or awarding contracts, the buyer must get clearance from all relevant authorities, including the competent authorities, the head of the department, etc.

• Buyers are also responsible for verifying that their transactions comply with General Financial Rules, Rules Governing Public Procurement, and other regulations.

• The buyer must take all necessary precautions against corruption in the procurement process and ensure complete fairness and transparency.

Rules and Responsibilities for Sellers

• Sellers have the complete responsibility of staying updated on all notifications on their GeM dashboard. They must also respond to events, clarification requests, incidents, price matches, etc., within stipulated timelines.

• Sellers need to check and update their product and service listings on the GeM portal. They also need to make sure that all information and claims are factual and compliant with the GeM terms and conditions.

• The prices quoted for products and services on the GeM portal are fixed and are all-inclusive. Sellers cannot ask for any additional charges for delivery charges, local charges, GST or installation fees.

• Sellers carry the full responsibility of ensuring that they can deliver the products and services they have advertised on the GeM portal. They must have all the necessary legal authorisation to sell the products/services and ensure they follow the intellectual property rights.

• The GeM portal requires sellers to maintain fair and reasonable pricing on their offerings. Sellers must offer at least a 10% discount on the maximum retail price (MRP) of their products and avoid selling their goods/services at lower prices outside GeM.

• The complete responsibility of the products and services sold on GeM rests with the vendor. They are responsible for ensuring product quality, warranty, guarantee, shelf-life and specifications of their offerings. For goods that require spare parts, the seller must offer such parts for at least three years from the date of warranty expiry.

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The Government e-Marketplace lays strict rules and guidelines for all stakeholders to ensure good behaviour and a seamless platform. When businesses on the platform get into disputes, they need to learn how to raise an incident in the GeM portal to get a resolution. Make sure to respond to any incidents filed against you within the deadline to avoid penalties or suspensions.

To stay extra safe, you can get a commercial insurance policy and cover potential liabilities on the GeM portal from delayed deliveries, documentation errors, disputes, etc. There are different types of commercial insurance plans you can opt for, depending on your unique business risks.

For example, if you are a goods manufacturer, you may want marine cargo insurance to cover your shipments. On the other hand, owners of MSMEs may want special insurance for small businesses. If you own a shop, you can get the TATA AIG Shop Insurance to protect the building and inventory at an affordable premium.