Who May Sign a Bid: Authorised Signatories and Power of Attorney
Who is entitled to sign a bid for a proprietorship, partnership, LLP or company, what the power of attorney must say, and why the DSC must match the signatory.
A bid is signed by a person. Whether that person was entitled to sign it is a question evaluators check, and a mismatch between the signature, the authorisation and the digital signature certificate is a technical rejection with no remedy.
Who may sign, by constitution
Proprietorship. The proprietor. An employee may sign only under a power of attorney executed by the proprietor.
Partnership. A partner authorised by the partnership deed, or by a resolution or authority letter signed by all partners. Where the deed names a managing partner with authority to bind the firm, that is usually sufficient, and the deed is submitted as evidence.
LLP. A designated partner, with authority from the LLP agreement or a resolution.
Company. A person authorised by a board resolution, or by a power of attorney executed under a board resolution. A director signing without either is signing without demonstrated authority.
Trust or society. A person authorised under the governing instrument and a resolution of the governing body.
What the authorisation must say
Whatever form it takes, it should:
- Name the individual clearly, with a designation
- State the scope: to submit bids, sign documents, sign declarations, and where relevant to attend openings and sign the contract
- Identify the entity correctly, matching the bid
- Be dated before the bid, and be current
- Be signed and, where required, stamped in accordance with the constitution
Where a notice prescribes a format for the power of attorney, use it.
The three-way match
This is the check that catches bids:
- The person named in the board resolution or power of attorney
- The person named on the DSC used to sign
- The person whose signature appears on the documents
All three must be the same individual. The most common failure is a DSC issued in one person's name being used to submit a bid authorised in another's, usually because the authorised person was travelling.
That is not a technicality to be explained away. The bid was signed by someone who was not authorised to sign it.
Stamping and notarisation
A power of attorney generally requires execution on stamp paper of the value prescribed in the relevant state's stamp law, and many notices require it notarised.
Two practical points. Stamp duty is state-specific, so a power of attorney executed for one state's tender may not satisfy another's requirement. And notarisation takes a day, which is a day you do not have in the final week.
Execute a general power of attorney covering tender activity once, properly stamped and notarised, and reuse it, rather than executing one per bid.
When the signatory changes
Where the authorised person leaves or changes role:
- Execute a fresh authorisation for the new signatory
- Obtain a new DSC in their name. A DSC cannot be transferred. See DSC for tenders
- Re-register the new DSC on every portal you bid through
- Update your document vault, so the superseded authorisation is not attached by habit
The DSC step is the one that takes time, and firms discover it on a closing day.
Never share the certificate
Because the signature identifies an individual, the certificate must stay with that individual. Handing a token to a colleague or a consultant means every declaration they submit is legally that person's declaration, including the ones with debarment consequences.
Avsar never asks for a DSC and never submits on your behalf. Submission happens on the government portal, under your own signatory. See the FAQ.
Stop reading, start checking
Avsar reads the actual tender document and tells you whether you qualify, citing the clause and page. Free for your first five checks.
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