GeM releases detailed Vigilance Week guide to strengthen transparency in procurement

New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Mihir Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has announced a detailed plan for Vigilance Awareness Week, focusing on educating buyers and sellers on the dos and don'ts of public procurement to ensure transparency and compliance with rules.

The Chief Executive Officer of GeM stated that the initiative aims to handhold stakeholders and raise awareness about how procurement under government rules differs from discretionary private purchases. "Government procurement is policy based, rule based. It is very important that you should be aware of the rules," he said.

Explaining the approach, Kumar said the campaign will encourage both buyers and sellers to be "satark" (alert) about procedures to avoid mistakes in procurement. "A bona fide mistake can be pardoned; a mala fide mistake cannot be pardoned. Many times, in the absence of information, people try to colour a bona fide mistake as a mala fide mistake. In order to avoid this, we will be releasing a series of dos and don'ts," he added.

He highlighted that preventive vigilance would be the focus of the exercise. "Preventive vigilance means that you stop it beforehand. Because once there is a mistake, it has to be investigated. Depending on the gravity of the mistake, there can be a departmental inquiry or a criminal investigation also," he said.

The GeM platform, which has been in operation for nine years, is designed to provide a transparent ecosystem for public procurement. Kumar pointed out that the portal ensures that all bids, registrations, and awarded contracts are visible to the public. "This whole process of transparency tries to negate, to a great extent, that there is a lack of information. We have reduced the asymmetry of information," he said.

He also referred to a study conducted by Ernst & Young across six states, which found that procurement through GeM reduced turnaround time to 30-60 days and showed higher competition levels, with more than five bidders participating on average.

Kumar said GeM is working with states to align procurement rules with central processes. "Many states have taken a step, like Uttar Pradesh, that have completely aligned their procurement process according to GeM. We are persuading other states to adopt best practices," he noted.

The portal has also seen significant participation from micro and small enterprises, women entrepreneurs, and startups. According to Kumar, their contribution is higher than the mandated 25 per cent, reaching over 40 per cent.

GeM has also enabled unique procurements, including vaccines, defence requirements, and examination services. Kumar stressed that the platform is also promoting sustainable procurement in line with government policy on climate change.

As part of Vigilance Week, GeM will continue to release awareness material and maintain communication with stakeholders to reinforce compliance and prevent deviations. "Our request to all is to keep an eye on the do's and don'ts of our upcoming campaign. According to that, keep yourself alert, keep yourself prepared," Kumar said. (ANI)

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