Winning the order is half the job. Payment depends on completing each step on the portal correctly.
The order cycle
- Order received. Check the contract: item, quantity, delivery address, consignee and delivery period.
- Delivery. Supply exactly what was ordered, within the delivery period, with a delivery challan and GST invoice.
- PRC. The consignee issues a Provisional Receipt Certificate on receiving the goods.
- Inspection and CRAC. After checking, the consignee issues the Consignee Receipt and Acceptance Certificate (CRAC). For some small direct orders, GeM can generate it automatically if the buyer takes no action within the set time.
- Invoice and bill. Your invoice is linked to the order, and the buyer processes the bill.
- Payment. Under GeM's terms, payment becomes due once the CRAC is generated, and the buyer should pay within 10 days of the CRAC.
Where delays usually happen
- Item or quantity does not exactly match the order.
- Invoice details differ from the contract (GSTIN, address, price).
- Delivery after the delivery period without an extension.
- Consignee not acting on PRC or CRAC. Follow up politely and use the portal's incident and grievance options if needed.
Keep a folder per order: contract, challan, invoice, delivery photos and receipts. It saves days when a query comes.
Sources
SoftTender is a private consultancy. We are not affiliated with GeM, CPPP, NSIC or any Government department. Registration on official portals such as GeM is free; we charge only for our assistance service. We do not guarantee that any tender will be awarded.