--- title: Bid validity extension request: accept, refuse or ignore? · TrackTender description: What bid validity is, whether you must accept a buyer's extension request, what happens to your EMD if you refuse, and how to reply, with a sample format. canonical: https://tracktender.com/blog/bid-validity-extension-request/ source: https://tracktender.com/blog/bid-validity-extension-request/ --- # Bid validity extension request: accept, refuse or ignore? > What bid validity is, whether you must accept a buyer's extension request, what happens to your EMD if you refuse, and how to reply, with a sample format. - [Blog](/blog/) / - Bid validity extension request: accept, refuse or ignore? Apply & bid - EMD - Bidding - Compliance # Bid validity extension request: accept, refuse or ignore? What bid validity is, whether you must accept a buyer's extension request, what happens to your EMD if you refuse, and how to reply, with a sample format. KSKetul Shah20 October 2026 · 11 min read Copied The short version Bid validity is how long your offer stays open for the buyer to accept. Central tenders default to 90 days if the document doesn't say. On GeM, an e-bid offer is valid for 15 days from bid opening unless the buyer sets a longer period. In this guide - [What is bid validity, and how long does it last?](#what-is-bid-validity-and-how-long-does-it-last) - [Why do buyers ask you to extend bid validity?](#why-do-buyers-ask-you-to-extend-bid-validity) - [Do you have to accept a bid validity extension?](#do-you-have-to-accept-a-bid-validity-extension) - [Accept or refuse: what each answer costs you](#accept-or-refuse-what-each-answer-costs-you) - [Can you change your price when you extend?](#can-you-change-your-price-when-you-extend) - [How bid validity extensions work on GeM](#how-bid-validity-extensions-work-on-gem) - [How to reply to an extension request](#how-to-reply-to-an-extension-request) - [What if you don’t reply at all?](#what-if-you-dont-reply-at-all) - [Frequently asked questions](#faq) Key takeaways - Bid validity is how long your offer stays open for the buyer to accept. Central tenders default to 90 days if the document doesn't say. On GeM, an e-bid offer is valid for 15 days from bid opening unless the buyer sets a longer period. - You don't have to accept an extension request. The DoE Manual for Procurement of Goods 2024 (para 7.6.2) says a bidder may refuse, and refusing doesn't forfeit its bid security. - If you agree, you agree to your bid exactly as submitted. Bidders who extend must not change any terms or conditions, price included. - Agreeing usually means extending your EMD too. Bid security should stay valid for 45 days beyond the final bid validity, under both GFR 2017 Rule 170 and GeM's terms. - Reply in writing before the original validity runs out, and keep a copy. Silence isn't a reply, and a lapsed bid can't be awarded. When a buyer can’t finish evaluating bids in time, it writes to the bidders and asks them to keep their offers open longer. That’s a bid validity extension request. You’re free to say no, and saying no doesn’t cost you your EMD. If you say yes, you’re held to your bid exactly as you submitted it, price included, and you’ll usually need to extend your EMD or bank guarantee too. All of that comes from the Department of Expenditure’s procurement manuals. Below I cover how long bid validity lasts, when an extension request is legitimate, what each answer costs you, and how to reply. ## What is bid validity, and how long does it last? Bid validity is the period your offer stays open for the buyer to accept. During it, you can’t withdraw or alter the bid. GFR 2017 Rule 170(i) says bid security exists “to safeguard against a bidder’s withdrawing or altering its bid during the bid validity period.” ### The default periods Tender typeDefault bid validitySource Central goods tenderPeriod in the tender document; 90 days if not specified[Goods Manual 2024](https://doe.gov.in/files/manuals_documents/Goods.pdf), para 5.2.8 Central works tenderPeriod in the tender document; 90 days if not specified[Works Manual 2025](https://doe.gov.in/files/manuals_documents/Works_Manual_SE_2025.pdf), para 4.12 GeM e-bid15 days from bid opening, or longer if the buyer stipulates[GeM GTC v1.29](https://www.iiserbpr.ac.in/uploads/file_upload/GeM%20Latest%20Guidelines%20Mar%202026.pdf), e-bidding clause (f) GeM bid to reverse auction30 days from RA initiationGeM GTC v1.29, clause (f) GeM Push Button Procurement10 daysGeM GTC v1.29, PBP clause The DoE’s [Model Tender Document for Goods](https://eprocure.gov.in/cppp/sites/default/files/standard_biddingdocs/MTD%20Goods%20NIC.pdf) counts its 90 days from the deadline for bid submission. Most GeM buyers set a longer period than 15 days, so read the bid document for the figure that applies to you. ### Two rules people miss A bid offering a shorter validity than the tender asks for “shall be rejected as nonresponsive” (Goods Manual para 5.2.8). And if the last day of validity falls on a holiday for the buyer, validity is automatically extended to the next working day. No request is needed for that. ## Why do buyers ask you to extend bid validity? Because they ran out of time. Evaluation, clarifications, committee meetings and approvals took longer than the validity period allowed. The rules don’t treat this as routine. GFR 2017 Rule 174(iii) says ministries and departments “should ensure placement of contract within the original validity of the bids” and that extension “must be discouraged and resorted to only in exceptional circumstances.” The [GFR 2017](https://doe.gov.in/files/circulars_document/GFRupdatedupto31012026.pdf) text is the official copy updated to 31 January 2026. ### What the vigilance commission says The Central Vigilance Commission went further in [Circular No. 31/11/08](https://newmangaloreport.gov.in/index.php/sites/default/files/docs/tenders%20and%20procurement/procurement%20time%20bound%2006.11.2008.pdf) of 6 November 2008. It asked organisations to finalise tenders “within original validity of the tender, without seeking further extension of validity.” It also said “cases requiring extension of validity should be rare,” and that where one is sought, valid and logical grounds must be recorded in real time. The Goods Manual (para 7.6.2) puts the same duty on the buyer: procuring officers “should record reasons for seeking an extension of bid validity.” ### When the request is properly made Under para 7.6.2, the buyer may ask “all the responsive bidders” to extend, “preferably before the expiry of the original validity period.” The Works Manual (para 6.2.6) adds that the request should specify the additional period for the EMD. The Model Tender Document says the request and the replies “shall be made in writing or electronically.” So a phone call asking you to keep your bid open isn’t a request under these rules. ## Do you have to accept a bid validity extension? No. Para 7.6.2(2) of the Goods Manual says so directly: “A bidder may not agree to such a request, and this will not entail forfeiture of its Bid Security.” The Works Manual uses almost the same words for EMD. GeM’s GTC says “Bid Validity can be further extended with mutual consent between Buyer and Seller.” Mutual consent means you have a choice. ### Why refusing doesn’t forfeit EMD Forfeiture has its own grounds. Under the Goods Manual (para 6.1.1) and the GeM GTC (clause (n)), bid security is forfeited if you withdraw, amend, impair or derogate from your bid within its validity period, file false documents, or fail to furnish performance security after winning. Declining an extension does none of those things. Your bid ran for the full period you promised. The manuals define bid security to include a bid security declaration, so if you signed a [bid security declaration instead of EMD](/blog/bid-security-declaration-vs-emd/), that reading points the same way. Check the declaration’s own wording anyway. ### What you can’t do Withdrawing or changing your bid while it’s still valid is a different matter. That’s the forfeiture ground. If the request arrives ten days before your validity ends, those ten days still bind you, whatever you decide about the extension. ## Accept or refuse: what each answer costs you Each answer has its own consequences under para 7.6.2 of the Goods Manual, para 6.2.6 of the Works Manual and GFR Rule 170. If you acceptIf you refuse Your bidStays in the race for the extended periodLapses when the original validity ends Your price and termsLocked exactly as submittedFree once validity ends Your EMDMust usually stay valid 45 days past the new validityNot forfeited; due back under the refund rules Your bank guaranteeNeeds an amendment, with bank charges for the extra periodCan be released once the buyer returns it Your chance of the awardIntactGone on this tender If you’d have been L1You may win at your quoted priceThe tender must be re-tendered, per para 7.6.2(3)(b) ### What happens to a refused bid in evaluation Refused bids stay in the evaluation. If you refuse before techno-commercial evaluation is complete, that evaluation is still completed, including your bid. If you qualify, your financial bid is opened too. If the bidder who refused turns out to be L1, the Goods Manual says “the tender must be re-tendered.” That L1 price can’t be used as a precedent for price estimates or reasonableness. So refusing as the lowest bidder doesn’t hand the contract to L2. It sends the whole tender back to the start. ### Picture the trade-off Picture a supplier who quoted steel fabrication 80 days ago, and raw material prices have since moved against them. Extending means delivering at the old price. Refusing means losing the order but keeping the EMD. Either answer can be the right one, as long as you work out the number before you reply. For how bids get ranked after this, see [how tenders are evaluated and awarded](/blog/how-tenders-are-evaluated-and-awarded/). ## Can you change your price when you extend? No. Para 7.6.2 says bidders who agree “are to do so without changing any terms, conditions, and so on of their original bids.” The Works Manual tells buyers to ask tenderers “to extend their offers as it is, without any changes therein.” The Model Tender Document is blunter: a bidder who has agreed “in no case” shall be permitted to modify its bid. ### Conditional acceptances None of these texts provides for an extension with conditions attached, such as “we agree, subject to a 4% price revision.” That isn’t what the buyer asked you to agree to. My reading is that the buyer can treat it as a refusal, so don’t send one hoping it will be accepted. If the price no longer works, refuse plainly. The same logic covers delivery periods, payment terms and specifications. Everything in your original bid carries over unchanged. ## How bid validity extensions work on GeM GeM follows the same principle, with a few platform-specific rules in the GTC. ### The GeM rules - An e-bid offer stays valid for 15 days from bid opening, till 24:00 hours IST, unless the buyer stipulates a different period in the bid document. - A bid to reverse auction stays valid for 30 days from RA initiation. - Extension is by “mutual consent between Buyer and Seller.” - Products offered in an e-bid or RA “cannot be withdrawn by the Sellers from GeM during the bid validity period.” - Bid security “should be valid for 45 days beyond the bid validity.” ### The deemed-extension clause One more GTC clause covers technical glitches. If a technical issue stops the buyer extending validity online, and the buyer has communicated its intention to award, or awarded the contract, in writing outside the portal before validity expired, then “the bid validity shall be deemed to be extended” until GeM resolves the issue. In that one case, your consent isn’t sought. The buyer has to have acted in writing before expiry. If you get an award letter after your validity ended and nothing came before it, ask the buyer which clause it’s relying on. ### Courts take the extension process seriously too In July 2026, [LiveLaw reported](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/patna-high-court/patna-high-court-tender-expiry-bid-validity-invoking-extension-clause-542355) a Patna High Court ruling in J and S Joint Venture v. State of Bihar. The L1 bidder had twice consented to extend validity. The department then cancelled the tender citing the original expiry. The court quashed the cancellation and sent the matter back for a fresh, reasoned decision. It’s one High Court’s view on one bidding document, but it shows your written consent counts. Bid on the tenders worth extending An extension request is easier to answer when you chose the bid carefully in the first place. TrackTender sends one 9 AM digest of the top 10 GeM tenders matching your states and categories or keywords, on Telegram or WhatsApp. Each card shows the bid number, title, buyer, location, deadline with days left, and the EMD. [Get matched tenders →](/subscribe/) First month ₹30 (about ₹1/day), then ₹300/month. Cancel anytime. ## How to reply to an extension request The reply is short, but it has to be complete and on time. Work through this before you send it. ### Checklist before you reply - **Find your current expiry.** Check the bid validity date in the tender, and whether a holiday pushes it to the next working day. - **Read the request.** Note the new validity date asked for, the EMD extension asked for, and the reply deadline and channel. - **Recheck your costs.** Material prices, exchange rates, labour, and whether you still have capacity on the new dates. - **Work out the new EMD expiry.** New bid validity plus 45 days, unless the request names a different date. - **Get the BG amendment.** If your EMD is a bank guarantee, ask your bank for an amendment to the new date before the current one expires. Budget for the charges. - **Check your declaration.** If you gave a bid security declaration, check whether the request asks for a fresh one. - **Reply in writing, before expiry.** Use the channel the buyer named. Keep the sent copy and any portal acknowledgement. - **Diary the new date.** You’re bound until then, so don’t commit that capacity elsewhere. ### Sample reply: accepting Adjust this to match the buyer’s request, and use their format if they attached one. To, [Name and designation of the officer who sent the request] [Buyer organisation and address] Subject: Extension of bid validity, [tender or bid number] Ref: Your letter/email no. [reference] dated [date] Sir/Madam, With reference to the above, we agree to extend the validity of our bid for [tender or bid number], submitted on [date], up to [new validity date]. Our bid stands unchanged in all respects, including prices, terms and conditions. We have also extended the validity of our bid security, [BG/FDR number] issued by [bank and branch], up to [new EMD expiry date]. The amendment is attached. Yours faithfully, [Name, designation, company, signature, date] ### Sample reply: declining Keep it just as formal. State that you’re unable to extend the validity of your bid beyond [current validity date]. Then ask for your bid security to be returned under para 7.6.2 of the Goods Manual, and quote the instrument number and your bank details. Then chase it like any other refund, as in [the EMD refund process](/blog/emd-refund-process/). ## What if you don’t reply at all? Your bid lapses when its validity runs out. You weren’t obliged to agree, so ignoring the request isn’t a breach in itself. But you’ve given up the chance to decide, and you’ve left the buyer guessing about a deposit it’s holding. Silence also costs you the paper trail. A written refusal records the date and puts your refund request on file. A written acceptance gives you the evidence the Patna case turned on. Either way, a two-line reply is worth sending. The cleanest habit is to note every bid’s validity date the day you submit. That way the request never catches you by surprise, and you can answer it the same day. ## Frequently asked questions What is bid validity in a tender? It's the period during which your bid stays open for acceptance and you can't withdraw or change it. The DoE Goods Manual 2024 sets 90 days when the tender document doesn't name a period. GeM's terms set 15 days from bid opening for an e-bid unless the buyer stipulates longer, and 30 days from initiation for a bid to reverse auction. Is it compulsory to accept a bid validity extension request? No. Para 7.6.2 of the DoE Manual for Procurement of Goods 2024 and para 6.2.6 of the Works Manual 2025 both say a bidder may decline the request, and declining doesn't lead to forfeiture of its EMD. GeM's terms say bid validity can be extended with mutual consent between buyer and seller. Will my EMD be forfeited if I refuse to extend bid validity? Not on a tender that follows the DoE manuals. Forfeiture applies when you withdraw, modify or impair your bid within its validity period. Refusing an extension is a different thing, and the manuals say outright that it doesn't entail forfeiture of bid security. Can I change my price when extending bid validity? No. The Goods and Works manuals say bidders who agree to extend must do so without changing any terms or conditions of their original bids. The DoE Model Tender Document for Goods adds that a bidder who has agreed to extend shall in no case be permitted to modify its bid. Do I need to extend my bank guarantee when I extend bid validity? Usually, yes. Bid security is meant to stay valid for 45 days beyond the final bid validity under GFR 2017 Rule 170(i) and GeM's terms, and the manuals say buyers may ask you to extend it for the corresponding additional period. If your EMD is a bank guarantee, get the amendment from your bank before the old expiry. How do I reply to a bid validity extension request on GeM or CPPP? Use the channel the buyer names in the request, in writing, before the current validity ends. The DoE Model Tender Document says both the request and the bidder's response are to be made in writing or electronically. Quote the bid number, the new validity date, and confirm your bid is unchanged. KS Written by Ketul Shah Ketul Shah is the founder of TrackTender and Anekant AI. He works with Indian SMEs that bid on government contracts and writes about GeM, e-procurement and how smaller suppliers can compete and win. [More about TrackTender →](/about/) Keep reading ## More from the blog - [20 October 2026Bid security declaration vs EMD: what it is and when it appliesWhat a bid security declaration is, when it replaces EMD, whether MSEs must sign it, what the format says, and the suspension you face if you break it.](/blog/bid-security-declaration-vs-emd/) - [20 October 2026ePBG on GeM: amount, validity, how to submit and releaseWhat ePBG is on GeM, how much the buyer can ask for, the 15-day deadline, how long it must stay valid, and when it's released or forfeited.](/blog/epbg-performance-security-gem/) - [13 June 20265 Tender Tiger alternatives for government tenders in 2026Five honest, fact-checked Tender Tiger alternatives for Indian businesses, what each tender alert service does well, and how to pick the right one.](/blog/tender-tiger-alternatives/) ## Stop reading about tenders. Start winning them. 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