Vishal Shankla
Karnataka schemes

Department of Electronics, IT and BT

Preferential Market Access in Public Procurement

MARKET ACCESSKARNATAKASTATE SCHEME

Note

Backed by statutory amendment (Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Rules, 2021).

What it is for

Gives registered Karnataka startups preferential access to government procurement through EMD exemption, limited tendering, empanelment and mandatory startup-inclusion clauses in tenders.

Who can apply

Startups registered with KITS; must separately register and get empanelled on the Karnataka Public Procurement Portal; empanelment valid for 3 years.

What you get

Exemption from Earnest Money Deposit; limited tender eligibility up to INR 50 lakh for technology products/solutions; public tenders must include a startup-inclusion plan with at least 6% evaluation weightage and 10% of contract value allotted to an involved startup.

How to apply

Register and respond to Expressions of Interest via the Karnataka Public Procurement Portal.

Best suited for

Startups with a government-ready product/solution seeking their first public-sector contracts without the barrier of EMD or full open tendering.

Official links

Karnataka state scheme, summarised from the Karnataka Startup Policy 2025-2030 and its operational manual, last reviewed 2026-09-08. Amounts and eligibility are indicative — always confirm against the live scheme guideline before acting.