BOQ stands for Bill of Quantities — a document in a tender that itemises every material, item of work or service, its measured quantity, and a column where the bidder fills in unit rates and amounts. It is the backbone of your financial (price) bid.
A BOQ is prepared by the buyer (the government department or PSU) and issued as part of the tender document, usually as a protected Excel sheet or a structured form inside the e-procurement portal. Each line has a description, a unit (nos, kg, sqm, running metre), and a pre-filled quantity. As a bidder you only enter the rate; the portal multiplies rate by quantity to compute the line amount and the grand total automatically.
In works contracts the BOQ follows standard schedules of rates (SOR) published by the CPWD, state PWDs or agencies like NHAI. In supply and service tenders it lists goods, spares, AMC visits or manpower categories. Because the total of the BOQ is your quoted price, this figure is what gets compared under L1 evaluation, so a single fat-finger error in a rate can either lose you the bid or win you a loss-making contract.
BOQs come in two common forms. An "item rate" BOQ asks you to quote each line separately and the sum decides the price. A "percentage rate" BOQ shows the buyer’s estimated rates and asks you to quote a single percentage above or below the estimate. Read the instructions carefully — quoting a per-line rate in a percentage BOQ (or vice versa) is a frequent cause of technical rejection.
On CPPP (eprocure.gov.in) and GeM the BOQ is uploaded as an encrypted file and can only be opened at the financial bid opening stage, which keeps prices sealed until technically qualified bidders are shortlisted. Never rename, unprotect or restructure the BOQ sheet the buyer gave you; the portal validates the file hash and a modified BOQ is treated as non-responsive.
Before submitting, reconcile your BOQ total against your internal costing — labour, material, GST, freight, overheads and margin — because the quoted rate is deemed to include all taxes and incidentals unless the tender says otherwise. In lump-sum or EPC contracts the BOQ may be indicative only, but in measured-value contracts you will be paid on actual executed quantities against these very rates.
BidShakti reads the BOQ out of every tender document you shortlist and shows the number of line items, the units and the estimated value alongside a go/no-go score, so you know before you invest a day whether the scope fits your cost base. When you decide to bid, the generated bid-pack flags high-value lines to price carefully and reminds you to submit the original, unmodified BOQ file — the single most common reason financial bids get rejected.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of BOQ?
BOQ stands for Bill of Quantities, the itemised list of work items, quantities and rates that forms the financial bid in a tender.
Who prepares the BOQ in a government tender?
The buyer (the tendering department, PSU or its consultant) prepares the BOQ; the bidder only fills in unit rates against the pre-set quantities.
Can I edit the BOQ Excel file before uploading?
No. You must fill only the rate cells in the original protected file. Unprotecting or restructuring it usually leads to rejection because the portal validates the file.
What is the difference between item rate and percentage rate BOQ?
Item rate BOQ asks a separate rate per line; percentage rate BOQ asks a single percentage above or below the buyer’s estimated rates.
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