Ludhiana/Chandigarh, August 14, 2024 (News Team): On its path towards growth and expansion in the Indian market, Škoda Auto India has registered itself on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)portal as a seller for its selected cars. GeM is set to become the world’s largest government e-procurement portal, surpassing South Korea’s KONEPS, by the end of this fiscal year. The first Škoda has already been delivered to a government buyer through the GeM portal.
The Platform
The GeM portal is the national public procurement portal for government buyers. It is an end- to-end online marketplace that facilitates procurement of goods and services by Central & State Ministries, Departments, Central & State Public Enterprises, Autonomous Institutions & Local Government bodies. The portal is under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
GeM provides a paperless, cashless and contactless ecosystem for government buyers to directly purchase products and services from pan-India sellers and service providers through an online platform. The platform utilises the agility and speed that come along with digitalisation and automation to reinvigorate public procurement systems in India.
Convenience and Transparency
GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and inclusivity in public procurement. The platform provides e-bidding, e-auction, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation facilities. The portal enables government departments to have direct access to procure Škoda Auto India cars in its fleet amongst other cars listed on GeM portal and furthers its promotion of made-in-India products. The first delivery of a Škoda has already been implemented to a government buyer through GeM.
The GeM Škodas
Škoda Auto India is equipped with a fully tested 5-star-safe fleet of cars. The made-in-India Kushaq and Slavia are currently the cars available on the GeM portal. Both the cars are based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, developed by teams in India and Czech, specifically for the Indian market and are also exported to other countries from India. The duo has earned a full 5-stars for adults and children under Global NCAP’s latest test protocols. The Kushaq SUV and Slavia sedan are powered by a choice of 1.0 TSI and 1.5 TSI engines that are mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic or a seven-speed DSG transmission.