e-PW1(a) Works RFQ Unit Rate Preparation Guideline

01When to Use e-PW1(a)

Use e-PW1(a) when the Procuring Entity will select a Quotationer (a contractor) for works under the Request for Quotation Method (RFQM), pursuant to Rule 90(3) of the Public Procurement Rules 2025 and Section 32 of the Public Procurement Act 2006.

Nature

Works

Method

Request for Quotation (RFQM)

Value limit

Up to Tk. 15 lakh

Pricing basis

Unit rate, re-measured

Competition

National

Channel

e-GP system

The unit-rate format fits when:

• the works are low value and simple (Rule 90(5));
• every component of the works can be estimated, but the quantities cannot be determined accurately in advance; and
• you intend to measure the work actually executed and pay for that, item by item.

If the scope is fully defined and you would rather pay a fixed sum against milestones, look at e-PW1(b), the lump-sum version of this RFQ. For works above Tk. 15 lakh use an open tendering STD instead.

Do not split a work into smaller packages to bring it under the RFQ limit. Splitting the object of procurement is not permitted (Rule 90(4)(ka)).

02Rules That Apply

RFQM follows Rules 90 to 94 of PPR 2025. These are the provisions the e-PW1(a) guidance notes point to.

03Invite Quotations

The e-RFQ is invited through the e-GP system (Rule 92(1), 92(2)). A daily newspaper advertisement is not required, but give it a minimum circulation:

1. Publish the e-RFQ in e-GP with the e-PW1(a) document and the BoQ attached.
2. Publish the advertisement on the Procuring Entity's website, if it has one.
3. Post it on the office Notice Board.
4. Send it, with a request for publication, to the administrative wing of some other nearby Procuring Entities.

• Issue the e-RFQ document free of cost (Rule 92(3)).
• Keep the detailed specifications and the design and drawings available for inspection at the PE's office during office hours on all working days.
• State that quotations are requested on a unit-rate basis and that no quotation security or performance security is required.

04Set the Timeline

Submission period

Minimum 3 days

Upper limit

Never more than 7 days

Validity

Tender validity days in the IFT

Opening

Automatic in e-GP after closing

• The time limit for the Request for e-Quotation must not exceed seven days (Rule 92(4)), and the PE must allow at least three days for submission.
• The deadline may be extended only on justifiably acceptable grounds that are recorded, and still within the 3-to-7-day threshold.
• Quotations must stay valid for at least the tender validity days stated in the IFT, counted from the closing date.
• Decide two contract periods now and use them consistently: the days to commence after signing, and the days to complete (Conditions of Contract 3; RFQ para 17).

05Fill In the Document

The SRFQ leaves several values for the PE to insert. Check each one before publishing; a blank or wrong value is the most common reason quotations come back non-responsive or disputed.

Example: setting the solvency amount For an estimated cost of Tk. 12 lakh, the liquid asset you ask for must fall between Tk. 3.6 lakh (30%) and Tk. 6 lakh (50%). A higher figure screens out weaker firms; a lower one widens competition. Write the exact amount in para 13, not the percentage.

06Bill of Quantities

The unit-rate BoQ has 10 columns. The PE fills columns 1 to 6, the Quotationer quotes only column 7, and e-GP generates the rest. Prepare the BoQ for this particular procurement from your estimate.

• Write descriptions that match the specification clauses, with one clear measurement unit per item (m, m², m³, kg, nos., and so on). A vague description invites rates that cannot be compared.
• Use realistic estimated quantities. Because payment is on re-measured quantities, a badly under-estimated item can push the work into a variation order.
• Quoted rates must include profit, overhead and all taxes, duties, fees, levies and other charges under the Applicable Law.
• Rates are quoted and paid in Taka, and an accepted rate stays fixed for the duration of the contract.

07Specifications, Design and Drawings

The last section of the document is a placeholder: insert the specification of works and the list of design and drawings. In the contract they rank above the priced BoQ, so what they say governs how each item is executed.

• Cover materials, workmanship, testing and the method of measurement for each BoQ item.
• List every drawing by number and title, and keep the full set available for inspection at the office.
• Make sure quantities in the BoQ can be traced to the drawings; Quotationers price from both.

08Qualification Documents

The Quotationer must have legal capacity to enter into the contract. e-PW1(a) asks for certified photocopies of the latest:

• Valid Trade License.
• Tax Clearance Certificate, or the acknowledgement slip from the competent authority proving the income-tax return was submitted for the assessment year you state.
• VAT Registration Number / Business Identification Number (BIN).
• Financial Solvency Certificate from any scheduled bank showing liquid assets of at least the amount you set (30% to 50% of the estimated cost).

The document states that a quotation without these may be considered non-responsive, so name every document and value precisely.

09Opening and Evaluation

1. e-GP opens the quotations automatically after the closing date (Rule 93(2)).
2. Quotations received through e-GP go to the Evaluation Committee (Rule 94(1)), which evaluates them only on the information and documents submitted.
3. Apply only the criteria pre-disclosed in the e-RFQ (Rule 91(4)): responsiveness, the qualification documents and the priced BoQ.
4. Correct arithmetic: where unit rates and the total disagree, the unit rate prevails; where words and figures disagree, the words govern.
5. Check responsive prices for a Significantly Low-priced Tender (SLT) under Rules 25 and 26.
6. At least three responsive quotations are required to determine the lowest evaluated responsive quotation for award.

The Procuring Entity may reject all quotations or annul the proceedings. Record the reasons in the evaluation report.

10Invitation and Contract Signing

Unlike the goods RFQ, works under e-PW1(a) are awarded by a signed Contract Agreement, not a purchase order.

1. The Evaluation Committee recommends; the Approving Authority approves (Rule 94(5)).
2. Issue the Invitation for signing Contract through e-GP, with the draft contract attached. It states the RFQ number, the quotation date, the work and the contract price "as corrected", the days allowed to sign and the latest signing date.
3. The invitation itself constitutes formation of the contract and binds the Quotationer.
4. Sign the Contract Agreement through e-GP. The contractor may proceed with the works only after signing.

The Contract Agreement sets this order of priority among the contract documents:

1. the signed Contract Agreement;
2. the Letter of Invitation;
3. the Conditions of Contract;
4. the Specifications;
5. the Design and Drawings;
6. the priced Bill of Quantities;
7. any other document listed in the contract.

11Start, Progress and Quality

• The contractor must commence within the days set in CC 3 and immediately submit a Programme of Works showing the timing of every activity (CC 4).
• Progress must be kept pro rata and is measured by the value of works executed (CC 5).
• Grant an extension of the intended completion date if the PE delays handing over the site, in Force Majeure, or for other justifiable reasons that you record (CC 6).
• Check and verify the works and notify the contractor of defects (CC 7). By visual inspection or field and lab tests you may order the contractor to remove and replace, or remove and re-execute, non-conforming work, and to execute work urgently needed for safety (CC 8).
• Variation orders may not exceed 10% of the contract price, within the thresholds in Rule 90(1) and 90(6)(ka) and (ga) (CC 14). Amend the contract to incorporate approved changes (CC 15).

Example: the 10% variation ceiling On a Tk. 10 lakh contract, variation orders can add at most Tk. 1 lakh in total, and the result must still respect the RFQ thresholds in Rule 90. If re-measurement shows a larger increase, the work needs a different procurement route.

12Measurement and Payment

Basis

Net quantity actually executed

First payment

Only after 20% progress

Retention

5% of each invoice

Currency

Taka

• Measure the net quantity of each BoQ item actually executed and pay at the quoted unit rate (CC 11).
• The contractor submits progressive invoices for the estimated value of work executed, less the cumulative amount already certified (CC 9).
• The first progressive payment is made only after twenty percent progress is achieved; final payment only when all contractual obligations are fulfilled.
• Deduct 5% of each invoice as retention money until the whole of the works is complete, and keep it to meet claims during the Defects Liability Period (CC 16).
• The contractor is responsible for all taxes, duties, fees and levies under the Applicable Law (CC 10).

Example: re-measurement and retention The BoQ shows 100 m² of plastering at Tk. 450/m², but 92 m² is actually executed. Pay for 92 m²: Tk. 41,400, not Tk. 45,000. On a Tk. 4 lakh invoice, retain 5% (Tk. 20,000) and pay Tk. 3,80,000, subject to statutory deductions.

13Completion and Defects Liability

• The Defects Liability Period extends for as long as notified defects remain uncorrected (CC 23).
• If the contractor does not correct a defect in time, assess the cost of having it corrected; the contractor remains liable for it (CC 24).
• Loss or damage to the works or materials from the start date to the end of the period, caused by the contractor's acts or omissions, is remedied at the contractor's cost (CC 26).
• The contractor indemnifies the PE against claims for loss of property or life while executing the work (CC 25).

14Termination and Disputes

The PE may terminate the contract in whole or in part by written notice if the contractor (CC 28):

• fails to sign the contract or commence the work within the specified time;
• fails to achieve satisfactory progress against the Programme of Works;
• fails to complete the work as per design, drawing and specifications;
• does not remedy a failure within the period in a written notice;
• has engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive or obstructive practice in competing for or executing the work;
• fails to perform any other obligation, or engages in any practice under Rule 149 of PPR 2025.

On termination the contractor pays a penalty, representing the PE's additional cost of finishing, at the percentage you set in CC 29 (15% to 25%) of the revised official estimated cost of the uncompleted works. Settle disputes amicably first (CC 30).

Example: the termination penalty If the revised official estimate for the unfinished work is Tk. 3 lakh and CC 29 says 20%, the contractor owes Tk. 60,000. The retention already held is available against such claims.

15Records

Keep the record of the procurement proceedings under Rule 60: the published e-RFQ and circulation evidence, any deadline extension and its grounds, the opening record, the evaluation report, the approval, the invitation and signed contract, measurement books and invoices, variation orders, the Completion and Defects Corrections Certificates, and the retention release.

16Publishing Checklist

• Estimated cost is within Tk. 15 lakh and the work has not been split.
• Quantities can be estimated but not fixed, so unit rate is the right basis (otherwise consider e-PW1(b)).
• The e-PW1(a) (SRFQ) version in e-GP is attached and the e-RFQ is free of cost.
• Submission period is between 3 and 7 days; tender validity days are set in the IFT.
• Assessment year and the solvency amount (30% to 50% of the estimate, in Taka) are inserted in para 13.
• BoQ columns 1 to 6 are complete, with clear units and realistic quantities.
• Specifications and the drawing list are inserted, and drawings are available for inspection.
• Commencement days, completion days, Defects Liability Period and the termination penalty are filled in the Conditions of Contract.
• Evaluation criteria are stated in the e-RFQ.
• Circulation done: website (if any), Notice Board and nearby PEs.

17Common Questions