Bid Percentage Calculator, Above or Below Estimate
The BOQ total or the estimate named in the notice.
- Quoted amount
- ₹91,50,000
- Estimated cost
- ₹1,00,00,000
- Difference
- ₹-8,50,000
- Entered on the portal as
- 8.50% below / less
Most NIC portals take the financial bid as a percentage against the estimate rather than a lump sum. Enter it to the number of decimals the BOQ sheet allows, and check the figure the portal echoes back before you sign.
Everything here is computed in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, stored, or logged. Figures shown as defaults are starting points, not fixed rates: read the actual percentages from your notice or contract.
How this is worked out
The percentage is the difference between your quote and the estimate put to tender, divided by that estimate. Below the estimate is negative and the portals call it "less" or "below"; above it is positive and called "excess" or "above". The estimate is the one named in the notice, which is not always the same as the BOQ total once provisional sums are stripped out.
Enter it to the decimals the sheet allows. Portals differ, and a percentage rounded to two places where the sheet accepts three is a different bid from the one you intended, sometimes by more than the gap to L1.
Working in percentage terms hides the rupee difference, which is exactly the risk. A quarter of a percent on a ten crore contract is two and a half lakh, so read the amount as well as the percentage before you commit.
Below roughly twenty five per cent under estimate most departments start asking for written justification of rates, and several require additional performance security before award. The threshold is in the notice; the calculator flags the zone rather than guessing at the number.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate bid percentage above or below the estimate?
Subtract the estimated cost from your quoted amount, divide by the estimated cost, and express as a percentage. A quote of 91,50,000 against an estimate of 1,00,00,000 is minus 8.5 per cent, entered as 8.5 below or 8.5 less depending on the portal wording. Doing it the other way, an entered percentage applied to the estimate gives the amount the portal will read your bid as.
What percentage below estimate is too low?
There is no universal number, but the practical threshold in most Indian departments sits around 25 per cent below estimate, at which point you are asked to justify your rates in writing and often to furnish additional performance security. Read the notice for the figure it uses. Being lowest is only useful if you can execute at the price without the contract consuming the capacity that would have delivered a profitable one.
Is the percentage applied to the whole BOQ?
In a percentage rate tender, yes, the quoted percentage applies uniformly to every scheduled item. In an item rate tender you quote each item separately and there is no single percentage, though the total still gets compared against the estimate the same way. Check which form the notice uses before you build the price.