GeM adds 146 categories of medical products, 8 services to help govt fight COVID-19

Public procurement portal GeM has added about 146 medical products - like thermal scanners and disinfectants, and certain services on its platform to help the government fight COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Friday.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has set up a dedicated page on its platform, where it has created several categories for medical supplies such as COVID-19 sample collection kit, reusable vinyl/rubber gloves, disposable thermometers, cardiac monitors, ICU beds, and services like temporary hospital and isolation facilities for COVID-19 asymptomatic and mild symptoms patients.

"Initially, we created 95 categories on the platform and now it has increased to 200 (medical - 146 and auxiliary - 54)," GeM CEO Talleen Kumar said.

Under the 146 medical category, over 10,400 sellers have been displayed over 30,000 different products on the website.

The top categories which are in demand are - alcohol-based hand sanitiser, air pollution mask, ICU ventillator and surgical disposables. The order value for these products was Rs 190.5 crore since March 1.

The portal has fixed shorter duration bids with shorter delivery period for specific categories.

The dedicated page has also provided features to shorten the procurement cycle for related items.

The Commerce Ministry launched Government e-Marketplace (GeM), an online platform for public procurement, in August 2016 with the objective of creating an open and transparent procurement platform for government.

Currently, government departments, ministries, public sector units, state governments, and Central Armed Police Forces are allowed to carry out transactions through this portal.

The portal provides a wide range of products from office stationery to vehicles. Automobiles, computers and office furniture are currently the top product categories. Services, including transportation, logistics, waste management, web casting and analytical, are listed on the portal.