FAQ: e-Procurement

What is "e-Tendering" on PGCIL e-Procurement portal?

What does it mean to be "Online"? 

Do I have to compulsorily submit my tender through the Internet? 

What are the pre-requisites to submit tenders on-line? 

How do I get a valid User Id to access PGCIL e-Procurement portal? 

What if I can not download a softcopy of the tender or I have some problem/queries regarding your website? 

How do I upload my tender documents? 

What if I need help while submitting my electronic tender? 

What are the benefits in receiving / submitting tenders online? 

How Secure is it? 

What is a Digital Signature? 

What are the steps for obtaining Digital Certificate ? 

Who is a Certifying Authority?

What is Encryption? 

What Internet settings do I have to maintain for online Bidding?

 

 

 

What is "e-Tendering at PGCIL e-Procurement portal"?

 

Tenders for PGCIL are hosted selectively on PGCIL e-Procurement portal https://pgcileps.buyjunction.in/ . All vendors registered with the portal can participate in such tenders online through this portal. Vendors can download tender documents, submit priced bids and techno-commercial technical bids along with details of Tender Fee and EMD online from their desktops

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What does it mean to be "Online"?

 

It describes and encompasses the business activities and transactions conducted through internet using wed-based eProcurement application of PGCIL eliminating all manual and physical processes.

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Do I have to compulsorily submit my tender through the Internet?

 

Yes. Techno-commercial and Priced Bids for all the tenders published through  e-procurement portal of PGCIL have to be submitted online only. 

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What are the pre-requisites to submit tenders on-line?

 

§  Vendor should have a valid User Id to access  e-Procurement portal of PGCIL

§  Vendor should have a legally valid digital signature certificate (Class 3 - SHA2 - 2048 BIT-WITH BOTH SIGNING & ENCRYPTION COMPONENT SEPARATELY) as per Interoperability guidelines of Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) of India. 

§  Vendor should have an internet connection. 

§  The internet browser used should be Internet Explorer version 9.0 and above 

§  The operating system should be Microsoft Windows 7 or above.

§  Vendors should fulfill any other pre-requisites mentioned in the tender documents of a specific tender.

 

Note : For users with Windows 10, whose default browser is Microsoft edge, following steps may be performed to access EPS

1.    Open Microsoft Edge

2.    Type the BHEL website

3.    On the Right hand side,  click on more action (3 dots sign)

4.    Click Open with Internet Explorer

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How do I get a valid User Id to access PGCIL e-Procurement portal?  

 

You have to register your company in eProcurement Portal of PGCIL. While registering you have to choose your user id & password. Once your registration is completed 
If you are having trouble in getting the user id, please contact our Help Desk Officers during Business Hours at: 
Email :
eps.customercare@mjunction.in  
Please visit https://pgcileps.buyjunction.in/ login page to get the Helpdesk contact nos.

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What if I can not download a softcopy of the tender or I have some problem/queries regarding your website? 

 

If you are having trouble downloading a softcopy of the tender document from the portal, please contact our Help Desk Officers during Business Hours at:

 

Email :eps.customercare@mjunction.in  
Please visit https://pgcileps.buyjunction.in/ login page to get the Helpdesk contact nos.

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How do I upload my tender documents?

 

You can upload your tender documents directly from your PC in the designated folder created for you in On-line Bid form. Please refer the section on uploading various Tender documents in the help guide provided to you along with your tender documents or you can go through the Bidding Manual available in the home page at PGCIL eProcurement site. 

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What if I need help while submitting my electronic tender? 

 

If you need help while submitting your electronic tender, please contact our Help Desk Officers during Business Hours at:

 

Email: eps.customercare@mjunction.in  
Please visit https://pgcileps.buyjunction.in/ login page to get the Helpdesk contact nos.

Or you can also contact as per the contact details in the Tender Documents.

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What are the benefits in receiving / submitting tenders online?  

 

Electronic or Online Tendering is just carrying out the same traditional tendering process in an electronic form, using the Internet.

Using Online Tendering, the Bidders can:

§  Reduced costs - No postage, printing and traveling costs for bid documents to be sent to respective offices of PGCIL.

§  Speed - Using the service means we will be able to shorten tendering periods for tenders, eliminate postage delays and rapidly disperse tender returns for evaluation, so providing faster decision-making.

§  Peace of Mind - Eliminates worries regarding timely delivery of documents against a deadline by giving instant delivery.

§  Efficiency - Enables tenders to be created, exchanged and stored electronically:

§  Receive notification of the relevant tenders for Limited Tender Receive tender documents online.

§  Submit Bids Online anytime through portal with 24x7 availability.   

§  View online the bids of competitors along with that of your own after opening of Techno-commercial / Priced Bids.

§  View Corrigendum/Addendum online

§  Receive notification for selection /rejection at Techno-commercial Bid Evaluation Stage

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How Secure is it?

 

PGCIL- eProcurement portal (https://pgcileps.buyjunction.in) is a secure portal. The security features incorporated in the application ensures that all activities are logged and no unauthorized person has access to data. 
Digital Signature: The solution includes capturing Digital Signature Authorized and certified by approved agency nominated by Controller of Certifying Authorities under Ministry of IT, Govt. of India. 

Process Validation: The Solution has been so securely designed that a user (PGCIL Officers / Bidders) cannot view the commercial bid of any Bidder till the date & time specified for the opening of the commercial bid is due. All the documents are encrypted. 

Unauthorised Access : The entire solution is behind a firewall and Unauthorized access is not allowed. The login passwords of all users are encrypted at the database level. 128 bit SSL Certificate is used for communication between the browser and the web server. This ensures that all communication between browser and web server is encrypted and cannot be hacked. 

Compliance to IT ACT: The complete e-Tendering process is compliant with THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT, 2000 of the Govt.of India. 

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What is a Digital Signature?

 

A digital code that can be attached to an electronically transmitted message that uniquely identifies the sender. Like a written signature, the purpose of a digital signature is to guarantee that the individual sending the message really is who he or she claims to be. The Digital certificates used to create digital signatures are issued by a trusted certifying authority authorized by the Controller of Certifying Authorities of India.

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What are the steps for obtaining Digital Certificate ?  

 

The list of licensed CAs along with their contact information is available on www.cca.gov.in .You can also obtain your DSC from LRA (Licensed Registration Authority).

You need to fill up application form provided by the LRA/CA. The certifying authority, on receipt of the application, after due consideration of the certification statement and other particulars and enquiry, can grant the DSC.

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Who is a Certifying Authority?

 

A trusted third-party organization or company that issues digital certificates used to create digital signatures and public-private key pairs. The role of the CA in this process is to guarantee that the individual granted the unique certificate is, in fact, who he or she claims to be. Usually, this means that the CA has an arrangement with a financial institution, such as a credit card company, which provides it with information to confirm an individual's claimed identity. CAs are a critical component in data security and electronic commerce because they guarantee that the two parties exchanging information are really who they claim to be.

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What is Encryption? 

 

Prevents any non-authorized party from reading or changing data. The level of protection provided by encryption is determined by an encryption algorithm. In a brute-force attack, the strength is measured by the number of possible keys and the key size. For example, a Triple-Data Encryption Standard system (3 DES) uses 112-bit or 168-bit keys and, based on currently available processing power, is virtually immune to brute-force attacks. Business to Business VPNs (Extranets) share sensitive data with multiple organizations, so demand the highest level of security. This requires public key encryption and/or secure key exchange, both of which are designed to eliminate the risk of the key becoming known to an unauthorized party. 

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What Internet settings do I have to maintain for Bidding ?

 

i) Web Browser : Internet explorer v9.0 or higher required .
ii) Please Disable POPUP Blocker of your Internet Explorer

Open you I.E page => Click Tools=>Click Internet Option =>Click Security =>Click Custom Level => Select Miscellaneous => Select Include local directory path when uploading directory path when uploading path to a server => Click Enable => Click OK => You will get Security Message " Are you sure you want to change the settings for this zone ?" Click Yes => Click Apply = Click OK. Please close your internet explorer and open it again.

Technical Settings

Install JAVA Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.8

(JAVA 1.8.0_101 is recommended. However in some systems there may be compatibility issues for which the JAVA version may be required to be upgraded or downgraded)

Please install net meeting software like TeamViewer 7 for online support

Acrobat Reader must be installed.

Install Digital Certificate CD (Hand over to you with e-Token)

Recommended Screen Resolution: 1024 by 768 pixels

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Important points to remember:

 

1.

Always check that your e-mail address in your registration is accurate. You will not receive addendum notifications if this address is wrong

2.

Bidders are requested to make note of dynamic time being displayed on PGCIL e-Procurement portal  to ensure that the bids are submitted on time.

3.

Make sure your registration details reflect your current status, as these will be recorded when lodging and this makes clear who the tendering entity is for the evaluation team and makes the evaluation faster.

4.

Try to avoid responding at the last minute. Try to submit you Bids through e-Procurement well in time.