How to Bid for Agriculture Tenders in India

India is one of the key players in the agriculture sector worldwide. It is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses and spices in the world as well as the second-largest producer of vegetables, fruits, tea, sugarcane, cotton, rice, wheat, sugar and farmed fish. Agriculture and allied sectors like animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries currently contribute around 16-18% to India’s GDP. Additionally, there is a sharp growth in demand for processed foods due to urbanisation and change in spending patterns. At the same time, the demand for organic food is peaking and is anticipated to rise with a CAGR of 25.25% between 2022-2027. Bidding for agriculture tenders is a great opportunity to contribute to the economy while fostering your business growth.

Why Should One Bid for Agriculture Tenders in India?

Access to a huge market

The agricultural sector is huge. Winning an agri tender lets you into this vast and growing market which is always expanding.

Government backing

The Indian government gives strong emphasis on agricultural development and improvement in the sector through a plethora of schemes and investments. For example, e-NAM, AIF (Agriculture Infrastructure Fund), PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi), PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) etc. create numerous agri tender opportunities.

Range of opportunities

The immense variety in agriculture tenders offers opportunities to various businesses to partner in projects. These range from infrastructure development like warehouses, post-harvest storage, cold storage and irrigation systems to the supply of seeds, fertilisers and machinery to implementation of technology solutions.

Stability for the business

Winning an agri tender can bring in a steady source of revenue and stability for a business. Government agriculture tenders are by and large binding and provide assurance on payment terms.

Boosts Credibility

Like all government tenders, winning agricultural tenders can boost a business’s reputation and credibility. This will help you build trust and potentially open your doors to future government tender opportunities.

MSME benefits

The government has been trying to encourage participation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in agriculture tenders by introducing various schemes for financial assistance, subsidies and support for technological upgrades. MSMEs are also exempted from paying the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) for most agri tenders.

Transparent System

The eprocurement system for agriculture tenders is transparent and fair. It offers an equal playing field for eligible bidders. Let’s see how it works.

Reliable Platforms for Eprocurement of Agriculture Tenders

An agriculture department tender can be found on government websites like Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and other state portals. BidAssist is a tender aggregate platform where you will find every up-to-date agriculture department tender, sourced from all these websites – all under one roof.

Process of Bidding for Agriculture Tenders

The process of bidding for agri tenders, in general, can be divided into the following steps –

Registration with the E-procurement portal

The first step in the tendering process is to register your business on the e-procurement portal. On CPPP, you will have to enrol yourself as a bidder by clicking on ‘Online Bidder Enrolment’. At this stage, you will have to provide the following documents –

• Company or organisation’s name, address and contact details (phone, email)
• Type of organisation
• Contact person’s details like his name, designation, contact information, etc.
• Company’s Permanent Account Number (PAN)
• Goods and services tax (GST) registration details
• Other statutory registration numbers as asked
• Companies bank details for online transactions or refunds

Create a strong password during registration and make sure it’s secure. Once you submit all details, you will receive a code via email/phone number. Enter the code to verify yourself. Type the displayed captcha. Sign the registration form using your valid class III DSC and complete your registration.

Tender Search

Once registration is done, you will receive your credentials like Login ID and password. You can search for active agriculture tenders now on the eprocurement portal. You can use filters like location and organisation on the portal to narrow your searches down for agri tenders. BidAssist is a great way to search for relevant tenders as you can use more specific keywords like Authority, State, Tender Amount, Category, Closing Date, EMD, Procurement Type and so on.

Download Tender Documents

Once you hone down on an agri tender, review the tender details like description, eligibility criteria, important dates, closing date etc. Download from the eprocurement portal or from BidAssist by clicking ‘Download’ right below the agri tender details. 

Go through the tender documents and pay attention to the detailed terms and conditions of the agri tender, its technical specifications, required format etc. for submitting the bid.

Prepare a Solid Bid

Prepare a strong bid and ensure it is compliant with the technical and financial requirements as mentioned in the agriculture tenders. Provide supporting documentation and make sure your pricing is competitive and your previous experience is added to demonstrate your ability to deliver a project successfully. The documents needed at this step usually include – 

• A proof of EMD
• Acknowledgement of tender processing fee
• Details of your bank account
• GST returns for the specified period
• Net worth certificate from a registered CA,
• Tender acceptance letter
• Work experience certificates
• BOQs as per the agri tender document
• Detailed plan of the project
• Technical specifications etc. as asked. 

Log in to the portal and upload the required documents (technical and financial) in the mentioned formats. Encrypt them using a valid DSC before submitting. The bidder must save the acknowledgement received after submitting a bid.

Bid Opening and Evaluation

The portal will evaluate the technical bids, and only those bidders who qualify at this stage are evaluated on their financial bids. An agriculture department tender is thus evaluated based on these two criteria, and it is generally awarded to the lowest evaluated price or as per the criteria mentioned in the agri tender documents.

Signing of a Contract

The successful bidder will be notified of their win and will receive a Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Following this, a formal contract is signed between TIA (tender issuing authority) and the bid winner. This contract outlines the terms and conditions of the project and its execution. Finally, the project work commences based on the agreed-upon schedule and specifications.

Follow-Up on Agriculture Tenders with BidAssist

If you are interested to receive all the latest updates on any agriculture department tender, all you need to do is to “follow” i.e ❤️ the tender. Once you do so, you will start getting notifications on all the updates about the agriculture department tender like any change in dates, corrigenda, technical qualifications and the final result declaration.