Government e-Marketplace (GeM), India’s digital public procurement platform, marked its 10th Foundation Day on August 10 with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal outlining an ambitious roadmap centered on artificial intelligence, greater participation and a more integrated national procurement ecosystem.
Addressing the celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Goyal called for a new, user-friendly and AI-enabled GeM platform that can make government procurement more efficient, cost-effective, transparent and competitive.
He said the next decade of GeM would focus on strengthening last-mile access, deploying AI for price intelligence and marketplace integrity, integrating more government institutions, expanding access to credit and promoting sustainable procurement.
“Let us bring state governments, municipalities, panchayats all on the GeM platform,” Goyal said, stressing the need to create a seamless national public procurement ecosystem.
GeM, launched on August 9, 2016, has grown significantly over the past decade.
According to the government, the platform now has more than 25 lakh sellers and over 1.37 lakh buyer organisations.
It has facilitated cumulative procurement exceeding Rs 20 lakh crore through more than 3.78 crore orders.
Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) have emerged as major beneficiaries of the platform. GeM currently has 12.28 lakh MSEs, which have fulfilled orders worth more than Rs 9 lakh crore, accounting for 45.6 per ent of cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV).
Women-led enterprises and startups have also gained a significant presence on the platform. More than 2.24 lakh women-led MSEs have fulfilled over 50 lakh orders valued at more than Rs 1 lakh crore. Meanwhile, 42,242 startups have secured orders worth more than Rs 65,633 crore.
Goyal highlighted the deeper use of artificial intelligence as a major priority for GeM's second decade. AI-based systems are expected to strengthen price intelligence, assess price reasonableness and improve marketplace integrity, helping ensure fairer competition among suppliers.
The government also plans to expand GeM's network of Suvidha Kendras across districts to improve registration, catalogue creation, training and grievance redressal, particularly for enterprises that may face barriers in accessing digital procurement systems.
Credit access will form another important part of the platform's next phase. The government plans to scale up GeM Sahay and strengthen linkages with the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS), alongside efforts to mainstream sustainable procurement.
GeM will also increase its engagement with universities to bring young innovators, startups and new buyers onto the platform.
The platform marked the anniversary by launching a customised ‘My Stamp’, commemorating its contribution to digital governance, ease of doing business and the growth of Indian enterprises.
GeM also introduced a nationwide five-digit helpdesk short code, 14550, which has been virtually mapped to its existing helpdesk infrastructure. The government said the new number would provide buyers, sellers and other stakeholders with an easier way to access support and identify official GeM communications.
As GeM enters its second decade, the government's focus is shifting from simply expanding the platform to increasing its impact. The emphasis will be on deeper technology adoption, wider participation, faster processes, stronger procurement intelligence and greater value for public money.
The government said the broader objective is to make government procurement a more accessible and predictable market for Indian enterprises while giving public buyers a smarter, increasingly data-driven procurement experience.
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