STORES DEPARTMENT

SOUTH COAST RAILWAY

VISAKHAPATNAM

Stores Department Overview

The Stores Department of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) serves as the backbone of SCoR's supply chain. Its primary goal is to ensure the procurement of the right quality goods, in the right quantity, at the right time, from the right vendor, and at the right price. Beyond procurement, the department manages critical functions including warehousing, distribution, inventory management, and the disposal of scrap.

To maintain the seamless operation of Electric and Diesel locomotives, coaches, and wagons across the zone, our specialized depots manage the stocking and distribution of thousands of stock and non-stock items annually. Embracing the digital frontier, SCoR utilizes the Indian Railways E-Procurement System (IREPS) via www.ireps.gov.in, allowing vendors to submit secure, digitally signed offers in compliance with the IT Act 2000.

Information Access: Tender notices and details of accepted contracts are publicly accessible through the IREPS and official SCoR websites.

Revenue Generation: Scrap disposal is modernized through public and e-auctions conducted at designated depots. All schedules and catalogues are transparently published online to maximize reach and efficiency.

User Depot Module (UDM) Implementation

The implementation of the User Depot Module across SCoR Depots and Divisions has led to the optimization and traceability of materials usage. This has resulted in improved asset maintenance and a transformational shift from a manual to a digital working environment. Furthermore, this module achieves strict expenditure control, encouraging all users to conduct their transactions exclusively on the UDM platform.

100% Digital Supply Chain

The Materials Management Department has successfully transitioned to a fully digital supply chain, leveraging integrated platforms such as IREPS, MMIS, GeM, and UDM.

•This comprehensive ecosystem ensures paperless operations from demand generation to final payment for both stock and non-stock items.

•Procurement strictly adheres to "Make in India" and MSME policies, providing mandated preferences to enterprises owned by SC/ST and Women entrepreneurs.

•The entire lifecycle — including online tendering, contract finalization, and bill processing — is conducted securely through IREPS, which now includes a dedicated GST module to eliminate manual intervention.

Mission Zero Scrap

The Stores Department has demonstrated exceptional performance by significantly exceeding the annual scrap sale target fixed by the Railway Board. This milestone was achieved through the rigorous implementation of Mission Zero Scrap, featuring "Foot by Foot Mapping" across all Divisions. This ensures the systematic identification and prompt offering of all unserviceable materials for sale, maximizing revenue while maintaining a clean, scrap-free environment.

Procurement through the GeM Portal

In alignment with Railway Board directives, SCoR has significantly expanded its utilization of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for the procurement of goods and services. By prioritizing the GeM portal, the department has achieved a substantial surge in procurement value, particularly within the services sector. This shift ensures a highly transparent, competitive, and efficient standardized digital platform.

100% e-Office Integration

SCoR has achieved a fully paperless administrative environment by adopting the Electronic File Management System (eFile). By digitizing all internal workflows, correspondence, and approvals, the zone has eliminated the delays of physical file movement. This ensures real-time tracking, enhanced transparency, uninterrupted governance, and a secure, searchable audit trail.

Fully Digitized Procurement Ecosystem

SCoR ensures transparency and efficiency by conducting all stores procurement exclusively through IREPS (www.ireps.gov.in) and the Government e-Marketplace (gem.gov.in) for common-use goods and services. Manual tender floating has been entirely discontinued.

Participation and Compliance

•Prospective vendors must possess a Class-III Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) to participate.

•Tenders with an estimated value exceeding ₹50 Lakhs are advertised in leading national newspapers to ensure wide participation.

•Tender documents can be downloaded directly from the IREPS portal.

•Earnest Money Deposits (EMD) and Security Deposits (SD) are accepted online via RTGS.

Vendor Registration

Firms seeking formal registration with South Coast Railway, Visakhapatnam, can download the official application from the portal. Applications require a registration fee of ₹100/- (via Demand Draft drawn in favor of the Chief Cashier, South Coast Railway, Visakhapatnam).

Note: Firms registered with the NSIC are exempted from both the application form fee and the registration fee.

Decentralized Procurement

Various Stores Depots and Divisional Offices are authorized to procure materials required for their specific units up to a designated financial limit. Requirements for these Depots and Divisions are integrated and uploaded to the e-procurement websites to maintain consistency across the zone.