WTC Mumbai and GeM Sign MoU to Expand MSME Participation in Public Procurement

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and MVIRDC World Trade Centre Mumbai (WTC Mumbai) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 19th January 2026 in Mumbai. The agreement focuses on strengthening collaboration in public procurement and increasing participation from MSMEs and other stakeholders.

The agreement establishes a framework for joint initiatives including global procurement dialogues, capacity-building programmes, supplier outreach activities, and research on areas such as artificial intelligence in procurement, sustainability, and green practices. The collaboration is intended to expand participation from MSMEs, startups, women entrepreneurs, and underrepresented suppliers.

Through MVIRDC Mumbai’s international network, the partnership will support the organisation of webinars, trade fairs, and buyer-seller meets. These initiatives are designed to facilitate access for Indian MSMEs to global markets, while also enabling international suppliers to engage with the GeM platform.

Shri Satya Narayan Meena, Additional CEO and Chief Financial Officer of Government e Marketplace (GeM) said, "This MoU marks a pivotal step in evolving GeM into a globally benchmarked platform. With over one crore registered users on the GeM portal, ensuring wider exposure and market access is crucial. By leveraging MVIRDC’s trade and exhibition expertise, we aim to empower MSMEs, women entrepreneurs and smaller enterprises while further strengthening India’s digital procurement ecosystem.”

He further highlighted the Womaniya programme, which is playing a key role in empowering women entrepreneurs by enhancing their visibility, access to markets, and participation in public procurement, which enables women to reach greater heights.

Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, WTC Mumbai and President All India Association of Industries (AIAI) in his remarks, " WTC Mumbai is proud to partner with GeM to bridge domestic public procurement with a diverse range of markets. WTC Mumbai plays a catalyst role in facilitating MSME’s, Women entrepreneurs, startups and With this partnership they will gain access to market and government procurement which will further strengthen their position and supports them to meet their goals through GeM portal”

“WTC Mumbai has advocated for timely credit to MSME’s and women entrepreneurs to ensure their competitiveness to the Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India, falling in place these would also further strengthen the MSME’s towards the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Since its inception in 2016, GeM continues to scale new heights, in the coming years it has the potential to evolve beyond B2G into B2C or B2E models, further expanding its reach and impact”. stated Dr. Kalantri

Key areas of collaboration under the MoU include knowledge exchange and policy dialogue through conferences and research, capacity building through training programmes and workshops, integration into global procurement systems through compliance frameworks, and international outreach through trade fairs, roadshows, and partnerships within WTC networks.

A Joint Working Group will oversee the implementation of the initiatives, ensuring alignment with Government of India policies on public procurement, data security, and inclusivity. The collaboration also supports the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) agenda, particularly for MSMEs, and contributes to digital procurement practices in India. It is aligned with the broader objective of Viksit Bharat 2047.