NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs

The Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme is run by the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Its entire focus is market access: it gives Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) a working route into contracts floated by government departments and Public Sector Undertakings, which a small unit usually cannot chase alone.

An MSE can take part on its own, or as a member of a consortium of manufacturers making similar products. NSIC actively builds these groups, pools the members' production capacity so that bulk orders become winnable, and then splits the orders it secures across the consortium in proportion to what each member can actually produce.

The tenders in play include open, limited and nomination-based opportunities. The scheme also runs in step with the Public Procurement Policy for MSEs, which covers direct procurement as well as subcontracting work.

Applying is an offline process. The prescribed form — Annexures A and A-1 — is downloaded from the NSIC website, filled in, signed by the proprietor, a partner or a director, and sent with supporting documents to the relevant NSIC branch office. The unit must also clear an inspection before a tender can be filed under the scheme.

• Run by NSIC under the Ministry of MSME
• Open to MSEs holding NSIC SPRS registration, or applying for it alongside
• NSIC arranges the Earnest Money Deposit and security deposit back-to-back
• Consortia pool capacity so small units can bid for bulk orders
• Participation limit is the higher of 300% of the SPRS monetary limit or last year's turnover, reviewed annually
• Rolling applications — no fixed deadline

The qualifying registration is NSIC's Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS). A unit must either already hold SPRS registration, or apply for it at the same time as it applies under this scheme.

• Enterprise size: the scheme is restricted to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs).
• Nature of business: units that only trade, without adding value, are kept out. Manufacturing and service-providing MSEs are the intended participants.
• Inspection: the factory or unit has to be inspected before a tender is filed under the scheme.
• Where it applies: MSEs anywhere in India can use the scheme, and the tenders they target may be open, limited or nomination-based.

NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

The value of assistance varies — there is no uniform grant figure, because the support is built around the specific tender a unit is bidding for. What recipients do get:

• Entry into government and PSU tenders: MSEs can bid for public contracts that are otherwise hard for a small unit to reach.
• Deposit relief: the tender's Earnest Money Deposit and security deposit are arranged back-to-back by NSIC, so the unit is not forced to lock up its own working capital.
• Consortium bidding: NSIC groups manufacturers of similar products so their capacities can be pooled, and later distributes the orders won among members in proportion to what each one can produce.
• Credit and input support: help in arranging credit and raw materials for executing the orders that have been secured.
• Procurement policy advantages: participation carries the benefits available under the Public Procurement Policy for MSEs, including subcontracting opportunities.

NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs is offered by Ministry of MSME, a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

Assessment here is a verification exercise, not a competition. There is no pitch, no jury and no shortlisting round — NSIC confirms that the unit qualifies and is ready to execute, and then facilitates its tender participation.

The sequence runs like this:

• Eligibility check: the application is vetted against SPRS registration (already held, or applied for concurrently) and the exclusion of pure trading units.
• Inspection: the factory or unit is inspected to confirm operational readiness before any tender is filed.
• Facilitation: once these checks are cleared, NSIC helps the unit take part in tenders and, where it helps, join or form a consortium of similar manufacturers.

Before you apply to NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.