WELCOME TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

The latest FAQ'S published by various Government Departments, Directorates, Organisations,

Institutions and local bodies of are listed here.

GENERAL
1. What is E-Procurement System?
E-Procurement System is a process of procuring the items electronically using internet. This
facility drastically reduces the tendering cycle time and reduces most of the indirect costs and
enhances transparency in procurement.
2. What are the requirements of the client machine to access the e-Procurement site?
To access the eProcurement system, you need a computer system with Pentium IV configuration
and above and an internet connection. It is recommended that the connection can be a dedicated
connection for smooth operation of the system. The Browser should be Java enabled. (Mozilla
Firefox / Google Chrome / Internet Explorer)The driver for the Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)
is to be installed in the system once. The drivers are provided by the DSC providers along with
DSC ( in CD or can be downloaded).Java Runtime Environment (JRE) should be installed in the
client system. This can be downloaded from the download links of the e-procurement System.
You may kindly note that, the client system should have administrator privilege to install the DSC
drivers and JRE.
3. Can I access my e-Procurement Account from a different client system?
You can use your account anywhere in the world with the above mentioned configuration (as in
S. no.2 ). You need to carry your DSC with you.
4. What is the default Date and Time format used in the System?
The Default date time format is Indian Standard Time (IST), which is (GMT +5:30). The format
used is DD-Mon-YYYY HH: Mi AM/PM. This standard convention is followed in all the pages.
5. What are the basic features available in this Procurement Portal as a general user?
The users can use the link 'Latest Active Tenders' available in the Home Page of this portal, to
see all the tenders hosted on this Portal and download the Tender Schedule free of cost. The
link 'Tenders by Closing Date' gives the facility to view the Tenders which are closing Today or
closing within next 7 days or closing within next 14 days. The link Corrigendum lists all the
corrigenda published for the related Tenders. The site also provides facility to search for tenders
on various parameters such as Tenders based on value, department, product category, etc.
6. Should I have any Anti-Virus software in my client system?
All are advised to install and keep an update of the signatures of the Antivirus. Bids with virus
infected files are likely to be rejected by the e-Procurement Portal.
7. Many documents have to be uploaded as PDF document. Sometimes, it is seen that
AutoCAD drawings are required to be uploaded. Can I have some software for creating /
viewing these documents?
In the Home Page, under the download link, links for the software that are required for working
with the application are given. These links point to the Open Source software and hence no
licensing is required for using any of these software. Few of the links include Open Office, Adobe
Reader, PDF Creator, DWF Viewer etc., DWF viewer can be used to view the AutoCAD
documents which are uploaded in DWF format.

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8. I have uploaded the documents after digitally signing all the documents. Should I submit
paper documents ink signed and submit to the TIA office?
No. As per the IT ACT 2000, the Digitally signed document is as good as paper document for all
legal purposes. Hence, there is no need to submit all the documents physically. However, when
the physical documents are requested for cross checking purposes, the same need to be
produced for verification. However, In the case of offline payment instruments, the physical
documents need to be submitted before the bid opening event.
9. Whether Can I Upload BoQ with Currencies other than Indian Rupees?
Yes. There is a separate BoQ for facilitating BoQ with International Currencies. The same is to
be used while creating the BoQ. As on date, six currencies are allowed and each bidder can
submit his bid with any one of the 6 foreign currencies of his choice. The rates as applicable on
the date of opening will be used for comparative purposes. The system will give the indicative
rates on the dates of opening and TIA has the option to override the system defined rates.

ONLINE ENROLMENT
1. How do I get enrolled in the e-Procurement Portal?
Online enrollment for e-Procurement is very simple as a bidder. Go to Tenders Home Page Click
on Online Bidder Enrollment link and just fill up the registration form online. On successful
submission, the registered login id can be used to login. Then login again and map your Digital
Signature certificate with your account, which completes the online enrollment process.
2. How much does it cost to enroll online?
NIC does not charge the Bidders for enrollment. The same is dependent on the Organisation
policy. Please check with the organisation.
3. If I am enrolled online, how long my enrollment is valid?
Your enrollment is valid as long as your business exists. However upon expiry of your Digital
Signature Certificate (DSC), you have to renew your DSC from the Certifying Authority and re-
enroll the DSC. This might be different in some of the States e-procurement system, where in
you may have to check with the respective authorities will approve your enrollment only then, you
will be able to participate.
4. How do I log on to e-Procurement system after I have enrolled online?
After registering on e-Procurement system, You can just login, using the user ID, password and
the Digital Signature Certificate, in to the portal.
5. Is it possible to edit my profile details entered during online enrollment?
Yes, after logging in to the system, on the Dash Board, you may edit your details by clicking edit
profile. Almost, all information except your login ID can be changed.

PASSWORD
1. I have lost my password. How can I retrieve it?
You can click on "Generate / Forgot Password" and the new password will be sent to you by mail,
to the alternate email id mentioned in your profile.
2. How do I change my password?
After logging into your account, you will find a link to "Change Password" in your dash board.
3. Is the password secured?
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Password is encrypted at the database level. It is known only to you. Even the System
Administrator does not know your password. As a part of the security policy, we advise you to
change the password in regular intervals.

DSC RELATED
1. How much time is required for the new DSC to be recognised by the e-Procurement
portal?
At the time of enrollment in this e-Procurement portal, the Bidders should ensure that the status
of DSC is active on this site. The activation of newly issued DSC may take up to 24 hrs. Hence
users who are obtaining new DSCs should register at least 24 hrs in advance to avoid last minute
problems in enrollment.
2. If the enrolled DSC gets expired and if I get a new DSC, how to map with the existing
registered login ID?
a) Scenario I - When old DSC has expired and user has got new DSC:
If the enrolled DSC has expired, the system automatically inactivates the same and prompts for
another DSC to be enrolled (afresh) at the next login.
b) Scenario II -When old DSC is due for expiry and user has got new DSC:
If the user wants to register with a new DSC, when the existing DSC is due for expiry, first login
to the system with the Old DSC. Click on DSC information from the Dash board and click on
remove. Then logout of the system.
Now login again, the system prompts to enroll DSC and the new DSC can be enrolled.
Caution:
Never remove the Old encryption from the device. The old encryption certificates lying in the
eToken must not be deleted. They should always be retained. Any of the tenders which have
been configured with these old certificates as bid openers cannot be opened, if certificates have
been deleted from the token.
3. Can I use the same DSC in enrolling for more than one login ID in the same site?
No, at any point of time only one DSC can be mapped with one user account.
4. I already have purchased one DSC for use in other e-tendering system. Can I use the
same DSC for this portal?
Yes. As long as the DSC is valid and as per the requirements of the e-Procurement portal, the
same can be enrolled in this site.
5. What if my DSC gets blocked?
DSC gets blocked after certain no of unsuccessful attempts of entering the wrong PIN. A blocked
DSC cannot be used in the e-tendering system unless it is unblocked. To unblock your DSC
please contact the service provider who has issued the DSC.
6. When I Connect to the site with https://<URL> I get an error message. How do I overcome
this problem?
As per the IT Act, the site uses SSL certificate issued by CA, India. Few of the browsers trust the
certificates and few of them are in the process of trusting the same. You may kindly download
the Trust Chain from the download link and trust these once, (A write up on trusting is also made
available in the downloads), after that these error messages will not appear.
7. Can International firm upload their proposals on e-procurement portal with DSC which
is not issued by Indian firm/ not registered with this e-procurement portal?
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As per the IT ACT, this e-procurement portal does not allow to register any DSC issued by CAs
other than Indian CAs. However, some of our Certifying agencies issue DSC for foreigners
without visiting India. The details of which are already made available under the Downloads link
of this portal.
8. Can a foreign bidder or a foreign consultant get DSC from their respective country i.e.
any country outside India?
No. The same is not allowed to be registered in this portal.
9. Can international consultant (outside India) get DSC through on line?
YES. Pl refer to the link https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app (S. No. 13, DSC for Foreign Bidders
under downloads). Hence the Foreign Bidder / Consultant can get the Indian DSC issued and
participate in our tender without visiting India.

TENDER RELATED
1. How to view / download Tender documents without logging into the system?
Click on the Latest Active Tenders, and search the tender you are interested in using certain
search criteria. To download the tender documents click on view button and click on the tender
documents. The system will ask you for the user name and password. You can use the guest
account guest with the password Guest#08 and click on any of the active tenders and download
the required documents. However, it is advised to login to the system and download the tender
documents so that corrigendum/addendum if published will be automatically mailed to you.
2. How do I get clarifications for any doubt regarding Tenders Portal?
Needs to be explained
3. What is the maximum size of a file that can be uploaded as a bid document in a packet
in the e-Procurement portal?
The application does not impose any restriction on the size of bid document that can be uploaded
into the portal. However, the upload limit is decided by the Network speed that the client system
has and also the memory configurations that have been defined in the system for JRE. This
technical documentation is given in Technical Resources in the Home Page.
4. How to verify the genuineness of EMD, other technical documents, Samples etc.
received through e-Procurement system?
In the e-Procurement portal, the technical and financial bid documents submitted by the bidders
are digitally signed using their authorized officials valid Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs),
which as per the IT Act, can be considered equivalent to the physical signature of an individual.
For the Earnest Money Deposit, we advise the procuring entities to ask the bidder to submit invite
a scanned copy of the draft / cheque / bank guarantee along with the electronic bid and also to
submit a physical copy of the EMD (only) either in person or by post / courier. This can be verified
with the uploaded scanned copy. Samples of any sort cannot be invited online and the procuring
entities must ask the bidders to submit a physical copy of any samples. It is upto the procuring
entities to verify their genuineness as per the norms they have been following so far.
5. Whether my Technical Document and Financial Document is encrypted and stored?
signed and uploaded. The Documents uploaded in the Other Important Documents (OID) are
digitally signed. All documents including the technical document and financial documents are
encrypted and safely stored using the PKI technology. It remains in encrypted format, till the bid
opening date and time and cannot be seen by anyone till such time.

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6. As a department user, by mistake I have rejected a bidder or the due to legal issues, the
Tender Inviting Authority is forced to go back to previous stage and open a rejected bidder
at the Technical / Financial Stage? Whether it is allowed and if so how?
Yes. The system has the facility and is carried out using a Corrigendum. This corrigendum is
Tender Revocation Corrigendum. When the tender is in advanced stage, the TIA can invoke this
corrigendum based on the need and those who have participated in this tender are informed
about this procedure by mail. The TIA can continue the process in the same way as before after
accepting the rejected bidder. This is to be used in emergencies such as Court rulings or
inadvertent errors. However, all activities are mailed to the respective stake holders.
7. I generated the BoQ Comparative Chart. I found that one of the Bidders data is not
getting reflected in the Comparative chart. How to handle?
The System generates the comparative chart from the BoQ uploaded by the bidders. If the Bidder
makes any mistake in the Sheet Name or any of the values, then the system will not be able to
read the data from the BoQ uploaded and hence may get missed out from the Comparative Chart.
The Department user may take a decision to accept or reject that depending on the nature of
mistake and regenerate the Comparative chart manually and upload this comparative chart along
with the Financial Summary which can be seen by the General Public. T-8) A Tender is published
and cancelled after few days of publishing. How will I know the same? A tender when cancelled,
it has to be cancelled using the Tender Cancellation corrigendum. The system will display this
Cancellation corrigendum in this portal for a period of say 1 week from the date of publishing of
the Cancellation Corrigendum.

SECURITY RELATED
1. How secure are my bid documents in the e-Procurement portal? Can anybody see my
price bid before bid opening?
All sensitive documents in the e-tendering site are encrypted and stored in the server using the
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology. Both the Technical and Financial Documents are
encrypted and stored. Even the system administrator cannot view the bid documents before bid
opening. Only after decryption by the authorized bid openers the documents are converted into
readable format.
2. Can bids be modified / withdrawn and conditions thereto. Is it not contrary to GFR-2005?
The e-Procurement system allows the bidders to modify and resubmit their bid documents before
the 'closing date and time for bid submission' for the tender. After the closing date of bid
submission, the bidders are not allowed to make any changes to their bid documents. Further,
the option for the bidders to withdraw or resubmit their bids is optional, and it is upto the procuring
entity to enable these options in the system on a case to case basis for each tender. The System
will overwrite the old bids and only the latest uploaded document is retained. If you are
resubmitting even a single document, the entire packet is to be resubmitted. Hence, it is within
the purview of GFR-2005.
3. What precaution needs to be taken to submit online bids in the e-procurement system?
Please prepare your documents well in advance and submit your documents well before the
closing date and time. While scanning your documents (Scan in 75-100 DPI resolution) try to
keep file size small so that bid submission is smooth. Also in the BOQ enter values only in the
appropriate space provided. Do not make any change in file name or sheet name. If you are not
able to submit at the last minute due to local power problem or internet problem, you may lose a
chance to participate.
4. Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank
(WB) issues guidelines on security from time to time. Whether this portal adhere to these?

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Yes. To a greater extent the guidelines are followed and the system adheres to more than 95%
of the guidelines issued by these agencies from time to time.

FOREIGN BIDDERS RELATED

1. Can International firm upload their proposals on Indian e-procurement portal with DSC
which is not issued by Indian CA?
As per the IT ACT, this e-procurement portal does not allow to register any DSC issued by CAs
other than Indian CAs. However, some of our Certifying agencies issue DSC for foreigners
without visiting India. The details of which are already made available under the Downloads link
of this portal.
2. Can a foreign bidder or a foreign consultant get DSC from their respective country i.e.
any country outside India?
No. The same is not allowed to be registered in this portal.
3. Can International consultant (outside India) get DSC on line without physically visiting
India?
Yes. Kindly refer to the link DSC for foreign Bidders under the Downloads Option which is
available in the Home Page. Following the procedure given, the Foreign Bidder / Consultant can
get the Indian DSC issued and participate in this e-Procurement portal without visiting India.
4. I am a bidder residing out of India and I do not have representatives / office located
within India. How do I indicate the PAN/TAN no in this Portal?
The PAN / TAN is a mandatory field. As foreign bidders need not possess a PAN /TAN they may
enter the dummy value TEMPZ9999Z as a PAN number and continue the process. This will be
applicable exclusively for foreign bidders or specially exempted sector. For clarity sake, the detail
given in the enrollment form is reproduced below:
For Bidders who do not have PAN/TAN number may enter TEMPZ9999Z as the PAN/TAN
number.
5. I am using Windows OS. I am unable to upload more than one file in the Bid Document.
What changes in settings are to be done in my local client for this to work?
1. Go to Control Panel
2. Choose the Icon - Region and Language and set the Format as English (United States)
3. Choose the Tab - Location and set the Current Location as India
4. Choose the Tab - Keyboards and Languages and Click
5. Set the Default input language as English (United States-US)
6. Ensure that in Installed services section English (United States-US) keyboard is listed
in first place. Use Move Up/Move Down button to manure the order.
Note: After completing the bid submission process the bidder can either revoke the above setting
or use the language selection in Task bar to switch between languages.
6. As a foreign bidder, I am quoting the rates as per my currency which is approved by the
Tender Inviting Authority. At what point of time, this Currency value is converted into
Indian Rupees (INR)?
It is usual practice that the value of conversion is normally done on the day of Financial Bid
Opening based on the selling rate as on that date. However, the same information may be given
in the Tender Notice document. The details given in the tender notice as specified by the Tender
Inviting Authority will be the final.
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USER ACCOUNT RELATED
1. Who is a Nodal Officer?
Nodal officer is the key official who drives the implementation of the project in their respective
state Department / Organization. He also creates users for his organization and is responsible
for overall user management.
2. Who will create users?
Nodal officers of each department within states will create users for respective department who
would have the roles of tender creator, Tender Publisher, Tender Opener and Tender Evaluator
as per the need.
3. What is meant by role?
Role is the activity assigned to a person to be performed in his official capacity. The assigned
role can be for Tender Creator, Tender Publisher, Tender Opener, Tender Evaluator, etc.
4. Who is a Tender Creator?
Tender Creator is an official who has been assigned the role for Tender Creation activity. The
user with this role can create tenders.
5. Who is a Tender Publisher?
Tender Publisher is an official who will verify the correctness of the tender being published and
has been assigned the role for Tender Publishing.
6. Who is a Tender Opener?
Tender opener is an official who will open/decrypt the Bids received against the tender both for
technical as well as financial packets.
7. Who is a Tender Evaluator?
Tender evaluator is an official who will upload the summary of various stages of the tendering
processes.
8. How do I contact my Nodal Officer to request for user creation?
The names and contact details of all Nodal Officers are provided in the home page of portal and
can be contacted for user creation.
9. I do not find tenders to be published by me in my menu which were created by my
colleagues. How to see / publish these tenders?
To publish tenders, you must be in the same level (organization/ department/ division/
subdivision) as your colleague is in. If the tenders are not seen, then the levels of the users might
be different. Check with your nodal officer and get this sorted out by transferring to the respective
level.
10. My name is not appearing in my bid openers list even though my DSC/ encryption
certificate is enrolled in the site. Why is it so?
If the user is having Bid Opener role, that will get displayed for selecting the bid openers.
However, the Expiry date of encryption certificate should be at least 15 days valid from the 1st
Bid Opening Date. Only then the user will be displayed as one of the Bid Opener in the list.
11. In the case of a 2 of 2 Bid openers, one of the Bid openers DSC key is lost / due to
some reason the DSC cannot be used for decryption. How do I handle this situation?
Without both encryption certificates, the bids cannot be decrypted. It is always suggested to have
2 of 4 Bid openers option selected for handling such scenarios.
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