GeM Verifying Authority

The GeM Verifying Authority (VA) is the designated officer within a government buyer organisation who physically inspects delivered goods or verifies completed services and confirms acceptance on the GeM portal, the critical step that triggers the seller's invoice generation and the government's payment process.

What is the GeM Verifying Authority?

Every GeM buyer organisation must designate at least one Verifying Authority as part of buyer registration. The VA's role in the GeM transaction lifecycle is:

1. Receives delivery: Goods are delivered to the specified location or services are rendered
2. Physical inspection: VA inspects the delivered items against the GeM Contract specifications, quantity, quality, model, condition
3. Portal acceptance: VA logs into the GeM buyer portal and marks delivery as "Accepted" or "Rejected"
4. Acceptance triggers invoice: Once acceptance is marked, the seller's GeM Self-Invoicing option is activated
5. Partial acceptance: VA can accept part of a delivery (e.g., 180 of 200 chairs delivered) and reject the balance, triggering partial payment

The VA bears responsibility for certifying that delivery matches contract terms. Incorrect acceptance of defective goods creates liability for the VA as a government servant. Conversely, unreasonably withholding acceptance after genuine delivery delays payment and can be raised as a dispute by the seller.

GeM requires delivery acceptance within 10 working days of delivery. If the VA does not act within this period, the system may auto-accept in some categories, protecting sellers from payment delays caused by unresponsive officials.

Why the GeM Verifying Authority matters for Indian government suppliers

The VA is the single most important contact in the buyer organisation for post-award order management. Sellers should identify the VA for each order as soon as the contract is generated, confirm the delivery schedule with the VA directly, and follow up on acceptance promptly after delivery. A proactive seller who communicates with the VA before delivery, confirming quantities, delivery location, inspection requirements, avoids the most common cause of delayed acceptance. If the VA is unresponsive after delivery, the seller should escalate to the Nodal Officer through the GeM dispute mechanism.

Example

A company delivers 50 office chairs to a government office. The VA, the administrative officer designated in the buyer's GeM account, inspects the chairs, confirms all 50 are delivered per specification, and marks acceptance on the GeM portal within 3 working days. The seller immediately generates a GeM Self-Invoice for INR 1.5 lakh. The finance officer processes payment through PFMS and the seller receives payment within 7 working days of the VA's acceptance, a total cycle of 10 days from delivery to payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the same person be both the procurement officer and the Verifying Authority?

GeM guidelines require separation of duties, the person placing the order (Secondary User) should not be the same person accepting the delivery (Verifying Authority). However, in small organisations with limited staff, exceptions occur in practice. The intent is to prevent collusion between procurement and acceptance.

What happens if the VA marks acceptance but the goods were actually defective?

The VA is personally accountable for incorrectly certifying delivery. If audit reveals that defective goods were accepted, the officer can face disciplinary action. Post-acceptance warranty claims are still possible, but return of goods after VA acceptance requires a formal return process on GeM.

Can a seller challenge the VA's rejection of delivery?

Yes. If a seller believes the VA's rejection is unjustified, they can raise a dispute through the GeM seller portal. The dispute is reviewed by GeM's dispute resolution team. Buyers are required to provide a documented reason for rejection. Unjustified rejections that cause financial harm to sellers can be escalated.

How many Verifying Authorities can a buyer organisation designate on GeM?

A buyer organisation can designate multiple VAs, typically aligned to different departments or delivery locations. For large organisations with procurement across multiple buildings or cities, having location-specific VAs speeds up acceptance rather than routing all acceptances through a single officer.