You know you are taking the right step to grow your business when you decide to apply to Maharashtra government tenders and register on the Maharashtra eProcurement portal. As per the Central Public Procurement Portal (i.e., the CPPP), Maharashtra ranked 1st for value of tenders among all states/UTs, with tenders worth ₹26,695 crores (December 2022) – (Source: CPP portal, Jan’23).
The online tendering portal makes it convenient for government departments, PSUs, organisations, and ministries to announce their procurement requirements, keeping the process transparent, fair, and easily accessible to all. As a business owner, if you aim to begin tendering and stand a chance to win Maharashtra government contracts, then getting your business registered on the Tender Maharashtra portal (mahatenders.gov.in) is the first place to start. In this article will help you to learn:
- How to register on Mahatenders eProcurement platform
- The bidder enrolment process for Mahatenders (i.e., mahatenders.gov.in)
- How to enrol Digital Signature Certificate on Maharashtra eProcurement portal
How to register for Mahatenders?
The goal of moving government tendering from offline to online systems has been to make the process easier, transparent, faster, and encourage more participation from businesses across India and even globally.
In the state of Maharashtra, thousands of eTenders are floated every month inviting application from all eligible bidders. Naturally, care has been taken to ensure that registering for Mahatenders online is easy and straightforward, though it requires specific documents to be kept handy.
To register on mahatenders.gov.in follow the following steps listed below:
- Click on ‘Online Bidder Enrollment’ on the right-hand menu
- Enter a valid email address for ‘Login ID’ and a valid mobile phone number (remember to select the country code for India +91 from the drop down)
- Ensure your email address and mobile numbers are working as OTPs, verification codes, and all future communications and notifications will be sent to them
- Fill in all details under ‘Company Details’ such as company name, registration number, registered address with city, state, postal code, type of bidder, PAN/TAN number, etc.
- Update details under ‘Contact Details’ for contact person’s name, designation, date of birth, phone number
- Check all details once (for typos or fields missed), enter the captcha, and click on ‘Submit’
- Enter the OTP received on the provided email address and mobile number
- Create a new password for your account, enter captcha, and click on ‘Submit’ to complete the Mahatender online bidder registration process
- View the message on screen confirming your registration
- Visit the homepage and click on ‘Click here to Login’ to login to your newly created account
Points to keep in mind for bidding enrolment on Mahatenders:
- Login ID once generated cannot be changed
- All mandatory fields marked as (*) must be filled
- If you had created an account previously, but do not remember the credentials, select the ‘Forgot Password’ option to continue using the same credentials
- You may use the same email address as Login ID and for correspondence
- If you check as ‘Preferential Bidder’, you get the option to select a ‘Preference Category’ from the dropdown (i.e., MSME)
- Ensure to complete the MSME registration process to avail benefits as a MSME
- For ‘Registration Number’ you may use your MSME Udyam registration number or GST number
- For company ‘Legal Status’ select the suitable option from the dropdown (e.g., partnership, limited company, joint venture, etc.)
- For ‘Company Category’ select the suitable option from the dropdown (remember, if you select options for micros, small, and medium business, relevant documents/registration numbers have to be provided)
- In all cases, select ‘Others’ if you cannot find the right option for your business
- For PAN/TAN number you may enter a temporary number
- It may take a few seconds to receive the OTP (if not received on time, you will have to start again)
How to upload DSC for Maharashtra tenders online
Vendor registration on the Tenders Maharashtra platform (mahatenders.gov.in) is a crucial step in your journey. After registering your business, you can easily browse through the latest tender section to find relevant tenders, or even explore the options to filter and search for tenders by organisation, location, and classification for more tender options.
Since all government tenders are available on the public domain, you can even view tender documents and download files to read. However, if you want to participate in the tender bidding process, you will have to login and upload a valid DSC class III.
Digital Signature Certificates are secure electronic keys/signatures that validates an individual’s identity for all online transactions. These are issued by Certifying Authorities (CA) and are mandatory for several statutory processes, including tender submission process, GST, etc. Some of the noted Certifying Authorities for DSCs are: NIC, SafeScrypt, (n) mode Solutions, e-Mudhra, Vsign (Verasys) etc.
Why you need a Digital Signature Certificate for eTenders in Maharashtra?
Since the eProcurement process has moved online, every activity is carried out digitally. As such, as a bidder, you will have to download tender requirements documents, fill them up and upload them in the requested format, fill in the BOQ, save the files as specified and upload the file, etc. within the specified dates.
You will also need to sign documents electronically – and that is where the DSC is useful. When signatures are required, simply select the sign option to add your signature to the document and have it validated.
DSC registration for Mahatenders eProcurement
To upload the DSC into the Mahatenders eProcurement platform you will first have to login to the platform using your login credentials (Login ID and Password) that you created when registering for Mahatenders.
To upload the Digital Signature Certificate, simply:
- Click on the ‘Signing Certificate’ option on the page (applicable if your DSC is not enrolled)
- Follow the instructions and select the suitable commands
- Select the DSC you want to upload (the DSC should be saved on your system) and click ‘OK’
- Wait for the confirmation message
Your DSC is now enrolled on the Maharashtra Government Tenders Information System portal and you can start searching for tenders and applying to the ones suitable to you.
Next steps: Find Maharashtra eTenders for your business
This guide to registering for Mahatenders eProcurement should help you to get your business registered on the portal. As mentioned earlier, every month, there are thousands of new business opportunities available in Maharashtra state and bidding for the right tender can be a great way to boost your business growth.
To find a tender that matches your business need, you can use the search functionality and find tenders. You can find details on tender ID, opening and closing dates, tender fees, tender type, work description, and all information related to the tender notice that you need to start bidding for tenders.
You can also click on ‘Contact Us’ for Mahatenders contact number (i.e., 24×7 help desk numbers) for any assistance via phone or write an email. You can also read the FAQs and Bidders Manual Kit and other resources available on the eProcurement portal to help you get started with the eTendering process for Mahatenders.
