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31  Checklist for Procurement of Goods as per General Financial Rules (GFR) norms/ Revision of financial powers by BoG.

Keywords

IITB procurement, IIT Bombay purchase, GFR procurement, tender, lab equipment purchase

This section discusses some general rules that govern purchases from IIT Bombay projects and grants.

31.1 Scientific equipment and consumables for research (from July 2025)

The limits in this section apply only to scientific equipment and consumables bought for research purposes. They follow the Department of Expenditure OM No. F.20/42/2021-PPD dated 05.06.2025 and an amendment to the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 (both links open on the campus network only), which raised the purchase value exempted from Make in India provisions from ₹5 lakhs to ₹50 lakhs for such purchases. Routine (non-research) purchases continue to follow the existing rules in the sections below.

  • Up to ₹2 lakhs: purchase directly, without obtaining quotations.
  • Above ₹2 lakhs and up to ₹25 lakhs: send enquiries to at least 3 vendors by email, obtain quotations and review compliance requirements, then issue the purchase order.
  • Above ₹25 lakhs and up to ₹50 lakhs: a Limited Tender Enquiry is floated on the SRM portal for at least 15 days. GTE approval is not required even if the local content is below 20%.
  • Above ₹50 lakhs and up to ₹1 crore: a Limited Tender Enquiry (where known sources of supply are available domestically, as declared by the indentor) or an Open Tender Enquiry (where they are not), floated on the SRM portal for at least 15 days.
  • Above ₹1 crore: an open tender on the SRM portal for at least 21 days, irrespective of the source of supply.
  • Single Tender Enquiry: up to ₹25 lakhs, floated for 7 days through RFQ (offline) or SRM; above ₹25 lakhs, floated on SRM for at least 15 days. Local content declaration is mandatory above ₹50 lakhs, and GTE approval must be obtained if the local content is below 20%. Use this mode only in the circumstances listed in Rule 166 of GFR 2017, with the justification documented and a specific, reasoned case in the Proprietary Article Certificate. Routine need, convenience or avoidable delay is not sufficient.

Other conditions:

  • The indentor/PI furnishes a declaration that the items are for research purposes, including a statement of compliance with public procurement guidelines (declaration template).
  • The Director is the competent authority to approve GTE proposals for scientific equipment and consumables for research.
  • Purchases up to ₹10 lakhs are done at department level. Above ₹10 lakhs and up to ₹25 lakhs, the purchase is processed at department level but the purchase order is issued by MMD after scrutiny by Internal Audit.
  • Non-GeM procurement is permitted and the GeM Availability Report (GeMARPTS) is not required. The indentor may still choose to buy through GeM.
  • All purchase orders for imports continue to be issued by MMD, irrespective of value.

Sources: Summary of research vs routine purchase provisions · Special Provisions for Procurement of Scientific Equipment & Consumables

Paying vendors on IRCC projects. For direct market purchases up to ₹2.5 lakhs on IRCC projects, project staff and PIs submit vendor invoices through the Automated Vendor Payment Software on MyIITB (instruction manual). Scan and upload the invoices; IRCC accepts no hard copies. Submit bills to the Department Store, and keep the bills and supporting documents for 10 years.

The sections below apply to routine (non-research) purchases.

31.2 Up to Rs. 1 lakh

Direct market purchase is allowed for items up to Rs. 1 lakh. The receipt and proof of payment needs to be given along with Dead Stock Register Entry. Note that Purchase committee is not required for the Item is priced below Rs. 1 lakh and a direct market purchase is used.

31.3 Above Rs. 1 lakh and up to Rs. 10 lakhs

  • A three-member purchase committee to be approved by Head of the Department.
  • The committee shall survey the market to ascertain the reasonableness of the rate, quality, and specification. Identify the appropriate supplier and issue a certificate to that effect (GFR 155). If the procurement value is above Rs. 5 lakhs Local Content Declaration is to be obtained from the vendors. Global Tender Enquiry (GTE) approval is mandatory if the Local Content is less than 20%.
  • Create a PR for the item to be procured with approximate value.
  • If the item is available on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) (https://gem.gov.in/), then a minimum of three quotations from GeM to be obtained and the item should be bought on GeM. One can directly compare three different Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products for that item - a comparative statement is generated automatically and the least priced item can be bought on GeM.
  • In case an item is not available on GeM:
    • Generate a non-availability certificate on GeM. This report should be dated before any quotation dates.
    • Obtain a minimum of 3 original quotations. This is mandatory and the quotations should be dated after the Non-Availability Report
    • Quotations to be signed by all the committee members.
    • Technical/Financial Comparison between the 3 (or more) quotations to be attached.
    • Goods Receipt Note to be attached
    • Dead Stock Register Entry to be made.
    • Competent Authority approval if less than 3 quotations received.
    • Any Other Document required.

Updates from 2025–26 circulars (purchases up to ₹10 lakhs)

  • Purchase committee: for routine purchases above ₹1 lakh and up to ₹10 lakhs (and for research equipment and consumables above ₹2 lakhs and up to ₹25 lakhs), the purchase committee is the indentor/PI and two members from the same department, approved by the HOD. If the indentor is also the approving authority, the formation of the committee must be approved by the competent authority one level above. The committee’s recommendation is mandatory for any amendment to the terms and conditions of a purchase order. Where the special provisions for research purchases are used, the PI/indentor submits a declaration on the nature of the purchase. (Source: Circular No. REG/S-7/2025 dated 10.07.2025, Guidelines for the formation of the Purchase Committee.)
  • GeM is mandatory for all items available on GeM (GFR 149). MMD’s Standard Operating Procedure for exceptions (campus network only) applies only to exceptional cases, strictly under exigencies.
  • Order of steps for a GeM purchase: (1) create and approve the PR in ERP; (2) source the item on GeM (Direct Market/Bid/Custom Bid/BOQ);
    1. evaluate bids and prepare the Technical Committee Report (offline); (4) accept or disqualify technical bids on GeM; (5) open the commercial bid on GeM and identify the L1 bidder; (6) prepare the Purchase Committee Report (offline) and create the Demand on GeM; (7) create the DPO in ERP against the pre-approved GeM PR, attaching the GeM documents; (8) obtain all approvals in ERP; (9) create the final PO in ERP; (10) execute the contract on GeM. Do not process a GeM contract first and create the PO only at payment time. (Source: GeM procure-to-pay process document.)
  • Payment details on GeM: secondary buyers must update payment details against GeM orders immediately (using the Bulk Payment Utility). Non-compliance can lead to suspension of the buyer ID or deactivation of IIT Bombay’s nodal account.
  • No brand names in specifications: procurement documents must not name specific brands, makes or trade names (GFR 144(i)(b); Clause 10(e) of the PPP-MII Order 2017 as amended on 19.07.2024). Specifications should be neutral, reasonable and performance-based.
  • ERP: for research purchases, select the ZSCI document type when creating the PR; an “Additional Text” field (up to 500 characters) holds the justification and appears on the GFR printout.
  • Devices for professional use from donation projects (Dean (ACR)): attach a scanned, signed “Undertaking” to the PR in ERP.