OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer — the company that actually manufactures a product. In tenders, an OEM authorization (also called a Manufacturer Authorization Form or MAF) is a letter from that manufacturer permitting a dealer or reseller to quote its product for a specific tender.
Government supply tenders frequently ask the bidder to be either the OEM itself or an authorised channel partner of the OEM. This protects the buyer from fly-by-night traders: it ensures the quoted product is genuine, warranty-backed, and supported by the manufacturer for spares and service through the contract period.
The OEM authorization, or MAF, is a tender-specific letter on the manufacturer’s letterhead that names the tender number, the reseller, and confirms the OEM will back the supply, warranty and after-sales support. Generic dealership certificates are often not accepted — many tenders explicitly require a MAF issued against that exact tender ID, so start collecting it early because OEMs can take days to issue one.
On GeM, the OEM–reseller relationship is formalised. An OEM lists its products on the GeM Product Catalogue and adds authorised sellers, who can then offer those catalogue products. GeM’s OEM panel controls which sellers may quote, at what regions, and enforces that only genuine, catalogued products are supplied — reducing the risk of counterfeit or grey-market goods.
To curb cartelisation, GeM and many buyers restrict how many resellers of the same OEM can quote, and in some categories the OEM must declare a maximum price (or a Reserved/Benchmark price) so resellers cannot inflate rates. Read the tender for any clause requiring the OEM to also be Class-I or Class-II under Make-in-India, because local-content status is judged at the OEM/product level, not the trader level.
If you are the OEM, keep your GeM catalogue, model numbers, and authorisations current, and respond quickly to reseller MAF requests during live tenders. If you are a reseller, verify before bidding that your MAF covers the exact model, quantity and region in the NIT — a mismatch between the quoted model and the authorised model is a common technical disqualification.
BidShakti flags in the go/no-go stage whether a tender needs OEM status or an OEM authorization, and whether it demands a tender-specific MAF versus a general dealership letter. The bid-pack checklist then lists exactly which OEM documents to procure — MAF, warranty undertaking, Make-in-India local-content certificate — so you request them from the manufacturer early instead of scrambling on the last day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of OEM?
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, the company that actually produces the goods being supplied under a tender.
What is OEM authorization or MAF in a tender?
It is a manufacturer’s letter (Manufacturer Authorization Form) permitting a specific dealer to quote the OEM’s product for a specific tender, with warranty and support backing.
Can a reseller bid without OEM authorization?
Only if the tender allows it. Many supply tenders require the bidder to be the OEM or hold a valid, tender-specific OEM authorization.
How does GeM handle OEM authorization?
On GeM, OEMs list catalogue products and add authorised sellers; only those authorised sellers can offer the OEM’s catalogued products.
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