Online public procurement saves govt Rs 525 crore

Government e-marketplace has seen purchases worth Rs 2,100 crore since August 2016

Nearly a year and a half after going live, the government’s showpiece online portal, aimed at turning the public procurement process digital, has managed to save the exchequer an estimated Rs 525 crore, Business Standard has learnt.
 
Till November, the portal, which is still in pilot mode and will see expansion in January, has seen more than Rs 2,100 crore worth of products and services being purchased through it, and has an average saving rate of 25 per cent across purchase categories, Radha S Chauhan, chief executive officer of Government e-Marketplace (GeM), told Business Standard.
 
Inaugurated in August,