Summary:

India will add global tendering features to its Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, allowing foreign firms, including those from the UK, to bid on government contracts. This follows the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. The GeM platform, currently limited to domestic suppliers, will also introduce a ‘rate contract’ system for fixed-price purchases. Targeting Rs. 7 lakh crore in FY26, GeM handles 40–50% of annual government procurement.

The UK government says India has granted “legally guaranteed access” to its government procurement market under the FTA, letting British firms bid for about 40,000 Indian tenders worth Rs. 3,800 crore annually. However, the Global Trade Research Initiative warns this could crowd out Indian MSMEs, which rely on preferential access. British firms with 20% UK content will be treated as local suppliers under India’s Make in India policy.

Source: IBEF

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