The standard warranty period for products purchased through GeM is 12 months from date of receipt.

PAC stands for Proprietary Article Certificate, used when an item is available from only one source.

Tender should be finalized within its validity period to avoid legal complications and re-tendering.

Tenders above ₹500 Crores are accepted by the General Manager (GM).

Security Deposit is collected from the successful bidder after award of contract.

Cartel (bid-rigging) cases are reported to the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Negotiation is generally done only with the L1 (lowest) bidder.

Limited tender must be kept open for a minimum of 7 days.

The bulletin tender system has been abolished in Indian Railways.

Bulletin tender was an open tender published in a bulletin, but this system has been abolished.

If price difference between L1 and L2 is up to 5%, the split ratio is 65:35.

If price difference between L1 and L2 is up to 3%, the split ratio (quantity allocation) is 60:40.

For safety items, PO vetting is required above ₹15 Lakhs.

Purchase Order vetting by finance is required for ordinary items above ₹8 Lakhs.

The maximum Liquidated Damages that can be levied is 10% of contract value.

Liquidated Damages for delay are charged at 0.5% per week of contract value.

Class-I local suppliers may get price preference up to 20% quantity (or 20% margin) in tenders.

Non-local supplier has local content below 20%.

Class-II local supplier has local content between 20% and 50%.

Under Make in India policy, Class-I local supplier must have at least 50% local content.

Payment on GeM is processed within 10 days after generation of CRAC.

Consignee Receipt and Acceptance Certificate (CRAC) must be generated within 10 days of receipt on GeM.

In GeM L1 purchase, at least 3 brands must be compared to ensure competitiveness.

On GeM, bidding (e.g., L1 with reverse auction) is required for purchases above ₹10 Lakhs.

GeM L1 (Lowest Quote) purchase is applicable for value between ₹50,000 and ₹10 Lakhs.

On GeM, direct purchase (without bidding) is allowed up to ₹50,000.

PCMM can approve single tender for safety/proprietary items up to ₹1 Crore.

For proprietary items (available only from one source), a PAC (Proprietary Article Certificate) is required.

JAG officer can approve single tender (direct purchase) up to ₹50,000 under normal circumstances.

Direct purchase is also known as Single Tender, where procurement is done from a single source without competition.

Finance concurrence is mandatory in Tender Committee for high-value cases to ensure financial propriety.

The convener of the Tender Committee is usually a Stores Officer.

For tenders above ₹1 Crore, the Tender Committee consists of 3 members.

For tenders between ₹50 Lakhs and ₹1 Crore, the Tender Committee consists of 2 members.

A Tender Committee is required for procurement above ₹50 Lakhs to evaluate bids and recommend award.

Special Limited Tender is used in emergency and critical cases where immediate procurement is necessary.

Limited tender requires at least 3 offers to be considered valid.

Limited tender is generally used for procurements below ₹50 Lakhs where a limited number of suppliers are available.

Security Deposit is collected from successful bidders for tenders above ₹25 Lakhs to safeguard contract performance.

Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) is required for tenders above ₹25 Lakhs to ensure bidder seriousness.

Open tenders must be kept open for a minimum of 21 days to allow sufficient time for bidders to respond.

Open tender is mandatory for procurement above ₹50 Lakhs to ensure wider competition.

Spot purchases up to ₹15 Lakhs can be nominated by an officer of SAG rank or DRM (Divisional Railway Manager).

A Spot Purchase Committee typically comprises 3 members to ensure transparency.

Spot purchase is used for non-standard or perishable items where immediate procurement is needed.

Cash imprest (advance) can be recouped (replenished) up to three times in a month.

For cash purchases above ₹50,000, obtaining minimum 3 quotations is mandatory to ensure competitive pricing.

Junior Administrative Grade officers can make cash purchases up to ₹50,000.

Junior Scale / Senior Scale officers can make cash purchases up to ₹25,000.

Deputy Chief Material Manager / Senior Divisional Material Manager can approve local purchases up to ₹1 Crore.

Senior Material Manager / Divisional Material Manager can approve local purchases up to ₹10 Lakhs.

Assistant Material Manager / Assistant Divisional Material Manager can approve local purchases up to ₹5 Lakhs.

Local purchase is meant for urgent and small value requirements where regular tendering would be time-consuming.

The annual ceiling limit for field unit purchases is ₹10 Lakhs.

In emergency, field units can make purchases up to ₹50,000 without following regular tendering process.

If an item is not available on GeM, procurement is done through IREPS (Indian Railway Electronic Procurement System).

Rule 149 of General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017 mandates procurement through GeM for certain goods and services.

GeM was launched on 9th August 2016 by the Government of India to facilitate transparent procurement.

GeM is the Government e-Marketplace, a online platform for public procurement in India.

IREPS is the Indian Railway Electronic Procurement System, an online platform for tendering and procurement.