If you manufacture (or hold OEM-grade rights over) products and want to sell them on GeM, Vendor Assessment is probably the tallest gate between you and your first order. This guide is the full picture — the same briefing we give clients before we take them through it.
What Vendor Assessment is, and why it exists
Government buyers can't visit every factory. VA is GeM's substitute: an independent verification that a seller claiming to be a manufacturer actually has the premises, machinery, quality systems, and business substance to deliver. Pass it, and your profile carries an assessment status buyers see and evaluations weight. It protects buyers from fake OEMs — and protects genuine OEMs from competing against them.
Who needs VA — and who doesn't
The decision comes down to what you are × what you sell:
| You are… | VA Requirement | Route / Details |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer selling own products in a Q1/Q2 (VA-mandatory) category | Yes | OEM route |
| Importer / brand-owner with exclusive rights (no factory) | Yes | Deemed OEM route |
| Manufacturer in a non-mandatory category | No | Optional (voluntary VA can still strengthen bid positioning — case-by-case) |
| Reseller authorized by an on-GeM OEM | No | You ride on the OEM's status + authorization |
| Service provider (manpower, IT, housekeeping…) | Never | Services are out of VA scope |
| Seller with qualifying exemption credentials | No | VAE route criteria |
Two free checks before you spend anything: Category → VA Lookup (is your category Q1/Q2?) and the VA Eligibility Checker (which route are you in?).
QCI → TPA: why half the internet is wrong
Vendor Assessment was previously conducted by QCI (Quality Council of India); it is now conducted by TPA. Most guides online still describe the QCI-era process — screenshots, portals and fee references included. The structure survived the transition (application → documents → desktop → video → report) but scheduling, communication flows and portal screens changed. The full current process, stage by stage: TPA VA Process explained. Anything you read that says "QCI" — including well-ranked articles — describes a process that no longer exists as written.
The five stages, in depth
- Stage 1 — Application and fee. Initiated from your GeM seller dashboard: select the assessment type (OEM / Deemed OEM — choosing correctly matters; the evidence differs), pay the turnover-tiered fee, and confirm schedule — OEMs ~₹872 / ₹1,743 / ₹3,486 + GST by turnover band; resellers lower; exemption cases free. (The ₹11,200 figure all over the internet is the old QCI-era fee — obsolete.) The fee goes to the assessment agency — any consultant bundling "the government fee" invisibly is doing you a disservice; the two payments should always be visible separately.
- Stage 2 — Document submission. The file that decides your desktop assessment:
- Company documents: incorporation, PAN, GST — matching your GeM profile exactly
- Shareholding pattern — must match MCA records; this is a notorious failure point
- Factory documents: address proof, layout, ownership/lease
- Quality systems: certifications (ISO/BIS as applicable), test facilities documentation
- Financials: consistent with ITR filings
The single principle: consistency across everything. Assessors cross-check documents against each other and against your portal profile; each inconsistency is a query, and queries add days or fail files.
- Stage 3 — Desktop assessment. TPA reviews the file remotely. Clean files pass quietly. If queries come, respond fast and precisely — the clock is yours to lose.
- Stage 4 — The video assessment. A scheduled live video call walking through your premises. What assessors actually check:
- Manufacturing area — real production activity, matching your declared products
- Machinery — present, operational, consistent with what you claimed on paper (they will ask to see machines running)
- Raw material and finished-goods stores — a working inventory, not a staged room
- Quality/testing setup — instruments, records, someone who can answer questions about them
- The people — the person on the call should know production; an owner who can't locate the testing bench reads exactly how you'd expect
This stage is where assessments are won or lost, and it's preparation-sensitive in ways documents aren't: camera routes, machine demonstrations, who answers what. It's also the stage where our rehearsal service earns its fee — we've sat through hundreds of these calls, and the failure patterns are boringly predictable.
- Stage 5 — Report and result. The assessment publishes to your GeM profile. Buyers see it; OEM-gated functions unlock; the 3-year validity clock starts. Calendar the renewal — an expired assessment mid-bid-season is a self-inflicted wound.
Fees, timeline, validity — the numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Assessment fee (to TPA) | Turnover-tiered: OEM ~₹872 / ₹1,743 / ₹3,486 + GST (<₹20L / ₹20L–1Cr / >₹1Cr); reseller lower; exemption ₹0 |
| Typical end-to-end timeline | 2–6 weeks — mostly your document/scheduling speed |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Re-assessment after failure | Fee applies again; preparation is cheaper than repetition |
Exemptions and alternate routes
Before paying, always check the two exits:
- VAE (Vendor Assessment Exemption) — qualifying credentials substitute for assessment. If you hold the right registration/certification, you may skip the process entirely.
- Deemed OEM — not an exemption but a different assessment route for importers and brand owners: evidence shifts from factory capability to rights over the product.
A meaningful share of sellers who come to us "for VA" leave with one of these instead. Screen first, pay second.
If you fail
Failures state the parameters that fell short. The recovery sequence: fix the actual gap (document, premises, systems) → re-apply → re-assess (fee again). What we see in rescue engagements: the majority of failures were preventable preparation issues — inconsistent shareholding documents, unprepared video walkthroughs, wrong assessment route — not genuine capability gaps. Which is both frustrating and good news: capability you can't fake, preparation you can fix.