Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme

What is the Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme?

The Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme is a marketing-support scheme run by the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. It exists to solve a very specific problem faced by Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs): government departments and public sector undertakings often float tenders for quantities far larger than any one small unit can supply, and demand credentials and financial capacity a small unit cannot show on its own.

According to NSIC, the corporation addresses this by forming a consortium of several MSEs that make the same or similar products, and then bidding for such bulk tenders in NSIC's own name, backed by the pooled capacity of the member units. When the tender is awarded, the order is distributed among the consortium members. On NSIC's current website the scheme is presented under its Marketing Facilitation Scheme, which carries forward the consortia and tender-marketing functions.

The scheme is not a cash benefit. Its value is that a small unit gains access to large institutional orders, and to NSIC's tender intelligence, bidding capacity and credibility, which it could not command alone.

Who is eligible for the Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme?

You can enrol if:

• Your enterprise is a Micro or Small Enterprise with valid Udyam Registration.
• You are engaged in manufacturing or provide services with value addition.
• You are, or are willing to become, registered under NSIC's Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS), and your unit passes NSIC's inspection.

You cannot enrol / are not eligible if:

• You are purely a trader with no manufacturing, value addition, packing or branding.
• You are an individual seeking a personal cash benefit — this is a scheme for enterprises selling to the government, not a citizen welfare payment.
• Your unit is blacklisted or otherwise barred from government procurement.

How does the scheme work?

According to NSIC, the tender-marketing process runs roughly as follows:

• NSIC continuously scans tenders issued by central and state government bodies, PSUs, local bodies and reputed private buyers.
• For a suitable tender, NSIC assembles a consortium of enrolled MSEs whose combined capacity meets the tendered quantity and specification.
• NSIC submits the bid on behalf of the consortium, using its own turnover and standing to satisfy eligibility conditions the small members cannot meet.
• On winning, NSIC allocates the supply among the consortium members and coordinates delivery, invoicing and payment.

This lets a group of small units collectively service a large order while each supplies only the share it can handle.

What are the benefits and costs?

Benefits

• Access to bulk government and PSU tenders otherwise out of reach.
• Bidding done in NSIC's name and credit, overcoming turnover and experience barriers.
• Collective bidding through a consortium, sharing both the order and the risk.
• A neutral facilitator (NSIC) coordinating the tender, with no private middleman.

Costs (as listed on the NSIC portal)

SC/ST entrepreneurs are exempt from the enrolment fee, and there is no separate fee for forming the consortium. In addition, NSIC recovers a service charge as a percentage of the value of orders marketed through it, collected in instalments as the supply is executed.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme

1. Register under SPRS / Udyam if you have not already, so your Micro or Small Enterprise status and item list are on record with NSIC.
2. Approach your nearest NSIC branch office (locatable through the branch finder on nsic.co.in) and ask to enrol under the consortia and tender-marketing / Marketing Facilitation Scheme.
3. Submit the enrolment form with your product profile and documents, and allow NSIC to complete the unit inspection.
4. Pay the annual enrolment fee for your monetary-limit slab (SC/ST entrepreneurs are exempt).
5. Once enrolled, NSIC includes your unit in consortia for matching tenders and informs you when your capacity is needed for a bid.

Who to contact

The scheme is delivered through NSIC's branch and zonal offices, which handle enrolment, consortium formation and tender coordination. Prospective members should contact the servicing NSIC branch listed on nsic.co.in. As this is a facilitation scheme for enterprises rather than an individual benefit, there is no citizen helpline; the branch that enrols the unit is the point of contact for all queries.