Tender full forms: EMD, MAF, BOQ, L1 and 70 more terms

Indian government tenders are written in abbreviations. MAF is Manufacturer’s Authorisation Form, EMD is Earnest Money Deposit, BOQ is Bill of Quantities and CPPP is the Central Public Procurement Portal. This page lists more than 80 terms and status phrases you’ll meet in Indian tenders, each with its full form and a one-line meaning.

The expansions come from the official sources: the General Financial Rules 2017, the Department of Expenditure’s procurement manuals, the GeM General Terms and Conditions (version 1.29, 25 March 2026) and the portals’ own help pages. Where I’ve written a full guide to a term, the term links to it.

Money and guarantees: EMD, BSD, PBG, ePBG

These are the terms that tie up your money. Read them first in any tender, because each one takes time to arrange.

Term	Full form	What it means
EMD	Earnest Money Deposit	A refundable deposit given with your bid, also called bid security. It’s lost if you withdraw during the validity period or win and fail to furnish performance security.
Bid security	Plain term	The GFR term for EMD. GFR Rule 170 puts it at 2 to 5% of estimated value. GeM bids under ₹5 lakh carry none.
EMD exemption	Plain term	Waiver of EMD for eligible MSEs and DPIIT-recognised startups. It’s never automatic: you claim it in the bid.
BSD	Bid Security Declaration	A signed undertaking accepted in place of EMD. Break it and you’re suspended from that buyer’s tenders for the period the tender sets.
PBG	Performance Bank Guarantee	The guarantee a winning bidder gives that it will perform the contract. The buyer can invoke it if you don’t.
ePBG	electronic Performance Bank Guarantee	The PBG in electronic form, used on GeM. Up to 5% of contract value, due within 15 days of award.
SD	Security Deposit	Another name for performance security, common in works contracts.
BG	Bank Guarantee	A bank’s promise to pay the buyer on demand. The usual form for both EMD and performance security.
LD	Liquidated Damages	A pre-set deduction for late delivery. On GeM: 0.5% of the delayed value per week, capped at 5% of the contract value (10% for inordinate delay).
EMD refund	Plain term	Return of the deposit. Under GFR, unsuccessful bidders get it back after the final bid validity expires, and no later than 30 days after award.

Documents: NIT, RFP, BOQ, MAF and the terms and conditions

These names tell you what kind of paper you’re holding and which rules govern it.

The tender itself

Term	Full form	What it means
NIT	Notice Inviting Tender	The formal announcement that a buyer wants bids. It lists scope, eligibility, EMD and key dates. How to read one.
RFP	Request for Proposal	A bid document asking for a full technical and commercial proposal, common in services, consultancy and IT.
RFQ	Request for Quotation	A request for prices, usually for smaller or simpler purchases. See the note below on its second meaning.
EOI	Expression of Interest	A first-stage call to find and shortlist interested suppliers before a full tender.
ITB	Instructions to Bidders	The section that explains how to prepare and submit the bid.
BOQ	Bill of Quantities	The item-by-item list of quantities you price. On CPPP it’s usually the financial bid.
MAF	Manufacturer’s Authorisation Form	The OEM’s letter authorising you to quote its product in this specific tender. Also called a MAF letter or OEM authorisation.
OEM	Original Equipment Manufacturer	The maker or brand owner of the product. On GeM, the owner of the brand or trademark.
COTS	Commercially Off The Shelf	Standard products sold in the open market, not made to the buyer’s design.
PAC	Proprietary Article Certificate	The buyer’s certificate justifying a purchase of one specific make or model.
Corrigendum	Plain term	An official amendment to a published tender: new dates, changed specs, revised terms. It binds every bidder.

Terms and conditions

Term	Full form	What it means
GTC	General Terms and Conditions	GeM’s base rulebook for every order and bid.
STC	Special Terms and Conditions	Category-specific terms on GeM that can override the GTC.
ATC	Additional Terms and Conditions	Terms the buyer adds to one bid. Read these before anything else.
GCC	General Conditions of Contract	The standard contract clauses in a non-GeM tender.
SCC	Special Conditions of Contract	Clauses specific to that tender, which prevail over the GCC.
SLA	Service Level Agreement	The service performance levels, response times and penalties in a services contract.

Portals and systems: GeM, CPPP, GePNIC, IREPS

Term	Full form	What it means
GeM	Government e-Marketplace	The national online marketplace for government purchase of common-use goods and services, at gem.gov.in.
GeM SPV	GeM Special Purpose Vehicle	The Section 8 non-profit company that owns and runs GeM.
GMV	Gross Merchandise Value	Total value of orders placed through a platform. GeM reports its yearly GMV.
CPPP	Central Public Procurement Portal	The central tender portal at eprocure.gov.in, carrying central tenders, corrigenda and award details.
GePNIC	Government eProcurement System of NIC	NIC’s e-procurement software behind CPPP and many state portals.
NIC	National Informatics Centre	The government IT body that built and runs CPPP and GePNIC.
IREPS	Indian Railways E-Procurement System	The railways’ own tender portal at ireps.gov.in.
UVAM	Unified Vendor Approval Module	The IREPS module where you apply for railway vendor approval.
RDSO	Research Designs and Standards Organisation	The railways’ standards body, which approves vendors for many safety-critical items.
DSC	Digital Signature Certificate	The certificate you sign bids with. Class 3 is the class tender portals require; Class 2 is discontinued.
eSign	Plain term	Aadhaar-based online signing. GeM accepts it as an alternative to a DSC.
CPGRAMS	Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System	The government grievance portal at pgportal.gov.in, useful for chasing a stuck refund or payment from a central body.
Tender Tiger	Plain term	Not an abbreviation or a government portal. It’s a private tender information service. How it compares.

Evaluation and award: L1, QCBS, RA, LOA, CRAC

This group covers what happens between the bid deadline and the payment. The full sequence is in my post on how tenders are evaluated and awarded.

Opening and evaluating bids

Term	Full form	What it means
Two-bid system	Plain term	Technical and financial bids go in together but open separately. Only technically qualified bidders’ prices are opened (GFR Rule 163).
Technical bid	Plain term	Your eligibility documents, specs and compliance. Also called the techno-commercial bid.
Financial bid	Plain term	Your price, or the filled BOQ. Opened only if you clear the technical round.
Bid validity	Plain term	How long your offer stays open after the deadline. The goods manual says 75 days is normal for open tenders. GeM shows it as days from the bid end date.
Pre-bid meeting	Plain term	A session before the deadline where bidders raise queries. Changes come out as a corrigendum.
BOC	Bid Opening Committee	The officials who open the bids at the scheduled time.
TEC	Tender Evaluation Committee	The committee that checks bids and recommends the winner. The DoE manuals also call it the Tender Committee (TC) or Tender Purchase Committee (TPC).
L1, L2, L3	Lowest, second lowest, third lowest bidder	The price ranking of technically qualified bids.
H1	Highest bidder	The highest-priced qualified bid. GeM’s H1-elimination rule keeps H1 out of the reverse auction.
QCBS	Quality and Cost Based Selection	Technical score and price weighted together, so a stronger proposal can beat a cheaper one.
RA	Reverse Auction	A live online round where qualified bidders bid prices down. On GeM, entry follows the 50% elimination or H1-elimination rule.

Tender types

Term	Full form	What it means
OTE	Open Tender Enquiry	An advertised tender open to all eligible bidders.
LTE	Limited Tender Enquiry	Bids invited only from a list of known suppliers.
GTE	Global Tender Enquiry	An open tender that invites foreign bidders too.
STE	Single Tender Enquiry	Purchase from one source, with recorded reasons.

Award, delivery and GeM buying modes

Term	Full form	What it means
LOA	Letter of Award (or Letter of Acceptance)	The formal notice that you’ve won. You then have a set period (generally 14 days in the goods manual) to furnish performance security.
LOI	Letter of Intent	A notice that the buyer intends to award, used by some buyers before the formal contract. See the note below.
AOC	Award of Contract	On CPPP, the published details of who won a tender and at what value.
DP	Direct Purchase	GeM buying without a bid, allowed up to ₹50,000 from any seller who meets the requirement.
L1 purchase	Plain term	GeM buying from ₹50,000 to ₹10 lakh: the buyer compares at least three OEMs’ products and must order from the lowest-priced seller.
PRC	Provisional Receipt Certificate	Issued online on GeM by the consignee as soon as goods arrive. The 10-day inspection window counts from it.
CRAC	Consignee Receipt cum Acceptance Certificate	The consignee’s online acceptance on GeM. It’s the basis of payment, which is due within 10 days unless the bid says otherwise.

Policy and preferences: GFR, MII, MSE, Udyam, DPIIT

These terms decide who gets an advantage before price is compared.

Term	Full form	What it means
GFR	General Financial Rules, 2017	The Ministry of Finance rules that govern central government procurement.
MII	Make in India	Purchase preference for suppliers with enough Indian local content, under the PPP-MII Order.
PPP-MII	Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order	The order that sets the MII rules.
LC	Local Content	The share of value added in India. Class-I suppliers need at least 50%, Class-II more than 20%, unless a ministry sets higher.
Class-I / Class-II	Class-I / Class-II local supplier	The two MII tiers. Class-I gets the purchase preference.
MSE	Micro and Small Enterprise	Micro and small units (not medium) that get the procurement benefits: EMD exemption, and the right to match L1 within 15% for up to 25% of the order.
MSME	Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises	The wider group. Current limits.
PPP-MSE	Public Procurement Policy for MSEs Order, 2012	The policy behind the MSE benefits.
Udyam	Udyam Registration	The MSME registration you need to claim MSE benefits. URC is the Udyam Registration Certificate.
NIC code	National Industrial Classification code	The activity code on your Udyam record. It must cover the item you’re bidding for.
NSIC	National Small Industries Corporation	The central MSME body whose single-point registration some non-GeM tenders accept.
DPIIT	Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade	The department that recognises startups. Recognised startups are exempt from EMD and can get relaxed turnover and experience.
JV	Joint Venture	Two or more firms bidding together under a JV agreement. Check that the tender allows it before you form one.
Consortium	Plain term	A group of firms bidding as one. The works manual treats it as the same thing as a JV.
SPV	Special Purpose Vehicle	A company set up for one specific project or purpose. GeM itself is run by one.

Abbreviations that mean different things in different tenders

A few abbreviations have two common meanings. The surrounding clause usually tells you which one applies.

When an abbreviation could mean two things, the tender’s own definitions clause decides. Read it before you build your bid on a guess.

Term	Meaning 1	Meaning 2
LC	Local Content, in a Make in India clause	Letter of Credit, in a payment clause (the goods manual uses this meaning)
PPP	Public Procurement Policy, as in PPP-MSE or PPP-MII	Public Private Partnership, in infrastructure projects
RFQ	Request for Quotation, in most purchase tenders	Request for Qualification, the meaning in the DoE Manual for Procurement of Works
LOI	Letter of Intent, before an award	Letter of Invitation, the meaning in the DoE Works manual
NIC	National Informatics Centre, which runs CPPP	National Industrial Classification, the codes on your Udyam record

GeM bid status phrases and what they mean

GeM shows a status against each bid you’ve joined, and the full bid status guide covers how to read the result page. The short version:

Phrase	What it means
Active	The bid is open for submissions.
Bid extended (Auto Extension)	GeM moved the end date automatically, and the opening date moved with it. The new dates show in the bid’s corrigendum details.
Bid Validity (From End Date)	The number of days your offer must stay open after the bid closes.
Decrypted by the opening committee	Bids are encrypted on submission and can only be opened at or after the opening time. This means the officials have opened your bid and evaluation can start. GeM’s own help pages don’t define this wording, so read it as “opened”.
Not Evaluated	The buyer hasn’t started or finished the technical round. Nothing is wrong with your bid.
Under Technical Evaluation	The committee is checking your documents and specs. Keep your phone on for clarification requests.
Technically qualified / disqualified	The technical result. Only qualified bidders move on to price.
Financial Evaluation	Qualified bidders’ prices are being opened and ranked.
Reverse Auction	Qualified bidders are invited to bid prices down live.
Bid Awarded	The winner has been chosen and the contract generated.
Cancelled	The buyer has cancelled the bid, so no award will come out of it.

If a term you met isn’t here, check the tender’s definitions section first, then the GeM GTC or the DoE manual for that kind of procurement. And if you’re new to all this, my step-by-step guide to applying for a government tender puts these terms in the order you’ll meet them.