Yes, a digital signature certificate can be used in e-tendering systems. It is obligatory under the Information Technology Act, 2000 to have a legal digital signature certificate for all types of e-procurement. In e-tendering, the receipts are promptly generated because the documents are uploaded to a centralized online system. Whereas, physical documents need to be scanned and verified before final processing.
Digital signature certificate in e-tendering systems eliminates geographical boundaries, eventually lowering the cost involved in the bidding. Also, bidders can keep up with the exponentially changing technology with e-tendering.
A class 3 digital signature certificate is necessary to carry out e-tendering. Organizations need to register with a verified certifying authority such as eMudhra before taking part in e-tendering process. eMudhra offers and an excellent platform to get digital signature certificates and SSL certificates. An applicant can easily avail paperless digital signature certificates by using an Aadhaar card or PAN card for verification on the eMudhra Digital website.
However, only the digital signature certificate holder will be authorized for the online submission of e-tenders. Organizations need to contact the e-procurement website to use the digital signature certificates for e-tendering. It will take up to 24 hours for a newly downloaded digital signature certificate to appear in the e-procurement portal.