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Digital Signature for Tenders and GeM

Which Digital Signature Certificate e-tendering needs: why bids require the signing plus encryption combo, and what GeM, IREPS and CPWD expect.

E-tendering is the one use of a Digital Signature Certificate where buying the wrong type costs you the bid, not just an afternoon. Statutory filing needs a signing certificate. Bidding usually needs signing and encryption, because your bid is encrypted before it is submitted and opened only after the deadline.

If you are bidding this week and are not certain what you hold, tell us the portal and we will tell you in a couple of minutes.

Any of these lines. Mon-Sat, 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM. Prefer email? info@e-signindia.com.

Why tenders need the combo certificate

A tender submission does two separate cryptographic things.

  • Signing proves the bid came from you and has not been altered.
  • Encryption seals the commercial part of the bid so nobody — including the buying department — can read it before the public opening time.

A signing-only certificate handles the first and fails the second. The portal will usually let you register and attach documents, then refuse at the encryption step, which is the worst possible moment to find out.

Buy the Class 3 combo — signing plus encryption — for any tendering work. It costs a little more than signing-only and removes the entire category of problem. If you already hold signing-only and a bid is close, an encryption certificate can usually be issued alongside it.

What the main portals expect

Requirements are set by each procuring department and do change, so treat this as the usual position and confirm against your tender document.

  • GeM (Government e-Marketplace) — sellers and buyers both sign on GeM. Class 3 signing covers ordinary seller activity; bidding on GeM tenders and reverse auctions is where encryption starts to matter.
  • IREPS (Indian Railways) — Class 3 combo. IREPS is strict about the certificate being registered against the correct user profile before you can bid.
  • CPWD and state PWD portals — Class 3 combo, in the name of the authorised signatory of the bidding firm.
  • MSTC, NIC eProcurement and most state portals — Class 3 combo, issued to an individual who is an authorised signatory, not to the company as an abstract entity.

A common misunderstanding: the certificate belongs to a person, always. An organisation certificate names the authorised signatory and the organisation together. There is no certificate issued to a company with no human on it.

Documents required

For an organisation bidding on tenders, the usual set is:

  • Completed application form for the Certifying Authority
  • PAN of the signatory — the name must match the application exactly
  • Address proof for the signatory
  • Organisation PAN
  • Certificate of incorporation, partnership deed or registration certificate
  • Board resolution or authorisation letter naming the signatory
  • GST registration certificate, where applicable
  • Organisation bank statement or cancelled cheque
  • Recent passport-size photograph, and a mobile number and email you control

The full documents and process guide covers individuals and foreign nationals as well.

The certificate has to live on a FIPS token

Class 3 certificates are issued onto a FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 certified USB token. A soft certificate in a browser store is not acceptable and no tendering portal will take one. If you already hold a working token with a spare slot, you may not need to buy another — the USB token guide explains what each token looks like and which are plug and play.

Registering the certificate on the portal

Issuing the certificate is only half the job. Every procurement portal needs the certificate registered against your login before it will accept a bid, and this is where most first-time bidders lose a day.

  1. Install the token driver and plug the token in.
  2. Log in to the portal with the account that will submit the bid.
  3. Find the DSC registration or “map your DSC” option in the profile section.
  4. Select your certificate when the browser prompts, and confirm.
  5. Sign a test document if the portal offers one.

Register well before the deadline, not on the day. A mismatch between the name on the certificate and the name on the portal profile has to be fixed by the department, and that is not a same-afternoon process.

When the portal cannot see your certificate

Almost every “my DSC is not working on the tender site” call comes down to one of these:

  1. Token driver missing. The portal cannot see a token Windows cannot see. Install the driver for your physical token from the downloads page.
  2. Java or the signing applet. Several procurement portals still rely on a Java-based signing component. It has to be installed, enabled and allowed for that site.
  3. Browser configuration. Trusted-site settings and ActiveX or protected mode can block the signing prompt entirely. The browser configuration guide works through this.
  4. Signing-only certificate on an encryption step. If everything else works and it fails precisely at encryption, this is the answer.
  5. Certificate expired. A certificate stops working the moment it lapses, with no grace period.

How long it takes

For a straightforward organisation application with documents in order, issuance is typically same-day to a couple of working days. Board resolutions and authorisation letters are the usual cause of delay, because the Certifying Authority checks that the signatory actually holds the position claimed.

If your bid closes this week, tell us that first. It changes which Certifying Authority we route the application to.

Bidding against a deadline? Tell us the portal and the closing date and we will tell you exactly what you need — and whether what you already hold will do. Call +91 89200 56551, +91 120 4321443 or +91 93547 14615, Mon–Sat, 9:30 AM–6:30 PM.

Tell us three things and we will quote

  1. Which portal you are bidding on — GeM, IREPS, CPWD, MSTC, a state eProcurement site, or something else.
  2. How many signatories need to submit bids.
  3. Whether you already have a USB token with a free slot.

That is enough to price it exactly, including whether you need a new token at all.

Any of these lines. Mon-Sat, 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM. Prefer email? info@e-signindia.com.

Digital signatures for e-tendering

Which class of Digital Signature Certificate is needed for e-tendering?
Class 3, and for bidding you normally need the combo certificate — signing plus encryption. Signing proves the bid is yours and unaltered; encryption seals the commercial part so it cannot be read before the public opening time. A signing-only certificate registers fine and then fails at the encryption step.
What is the difference between a signing certificate and a combo certificate?
A signing certificate can only sign. A combo certificate can sign and also decrypt documents that were encrypted for you. Statutory filing such as income tax, GST and MCA needs only signing. Tendering and e-procurement portals usually require the combo.
Do I need a Digital Signature Certificate for GeM?
Yes. Sellers and buyers both sign on the Government e-Marketplace. Class 3 signing covers ordinary seller activity, and encryption matters once you bid on GeM tenders and reverse auctions.
Can a Digital Signature Certificate be issued to a company rather than a person?
No. A certificate always belongs to a person. An organisation certificate names the authorised signatory and the organisation together, and the signatory is established by a board resolution or authorisation letter.
Why does the tender portal not detect my certificate?
Usually the token driver is missing, so Windows cannot see the token and neither can the portal. Other common causes are the portal’s Java signing component not being installed or allowed, browser trusted-site settings blocking the prompt, or holding a signing-only certificate when the portal has reached the encryption step.
How long before the bid deadline should I get the certificate?
Allow several working days. Issuance for an organisation with documents in order is typically same-day to a couple of working days, but the certificate then has to be registered against your login on the procurement portal, and a name mismatch there has to be corrected by the department.
Does the certificate have to be on a USB token?
Yes. Class 3 certificates are issued onto a FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 certified USB token. A certificate held in a browser store is not acceptable and no tendering portal will take one.

Need a Digital Signature Certificate today?

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