NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs — Frequently Asked Questions

It opens up government and PSU tenders to Micro and Small Enterprises. Rather than leaving a small unit to bid alone against much bigger suppliers, the scheme lets it bid on its own or join a consortium of similar manufacturers, and it puts NSIC's support behind that bid — including financial help with the deposits a tender demands.

The unit has to be a Micro or Small Enterprise registered with NSIC under its Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS). If registration is not in place yet, the unit can apply for SPRS at the same time as it applies for this scheme. Two things rule a unit out: being a purely trading business that adds no value, and not clearing the inspection of the factory or unit before a tender is filed.

There is no fixed sum. The assistance varies because the scheme responds to individual tenders rather than paying out a standard grant. In practice the support is financial facilitation — NSIC arranges the Earnest Money Deposit and the security deposit on a back-to-back basis, and helps the unit line up credit and raw materials for executing the order it has won.

No. This is a government facilitation and subsidy-type scheme rather than an investment, so no equity or ownership stake in the unit is involved.

The registration the scheme asks for is NSIC's SPRS — that is the qualifying gate. DPIIT recognition is not listed as a requirement for this scheme.

Applications are rolling. The scheme stays open through the year, so there is no single deadline to chase. The real timeline is set by the tenders being targeted, and by the requirement that the unit be inspected before a tender is filed.

Open, limited and nomination-based tenders all fall within the scheme. The ceiling on participation is the higher of two figures — 300% of the SPRS monetary limit or the previous year's turnover — and it is reviewed every year so growing units can bid bigger.

There is an annual enlistment fee and a renewal fee, both linked to the monetary limit under SPRS, ranging from ₹1000 to ₹5000 plus service tax. Where a tender is secured, service charges of 2% to 2.5% of the bill value apply, with a lower rate for micro units and an additional charge where an EMD or security deposit arrangement is involved. Units owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs are exempt from the enlistment fee.

The application form (Annexures A and A-1) is downloaded from the NSIC website and must be signed by the authorised signatory — the proprietor, a partner, or a director of the firm, company or society. It goes in with the supporting documents named in the form and the scheme guidelines, which typically cover company registration papers, financial statements and SPRS registration details.

Download the prescribed form from the NSIC website, complete it, sign it, and send it with all attachments to the concerned NSIC branch or regional office — it is worth confirming the correct branch on the NSIC site before dispatching it. After submission, eligibility is verified, the unit is inspected, and NSIC then facilitates tender participation and, where useful, a consortium. The official portal is https://www.nsic.co.in/

NSIC Consortia & Tender Marketing Scheme — Tender & EMD Support for MSEs is offered by Ministry of MSME, a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.

Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.