Tender eligibility checker
Eligibility for an Indian government tender is decided by the tender's own stated criteria — average annual turnover, prior experience and required certifications — as modified by the statutory relaxations for Udyam-registered MSEs and DPIIT-recognised startups.
How the check works
Enter your average annual turnover, years in operation, and whether you hold Udyam (MSE) or DPIIT startup recognition. Against a tender's stated requirements, the checker answers three questions, in this order:
- Does a relaxation apply? Relaxations are checked before raw thresholds — reporting a turnover blocker an MSE is statutorily exempt from would push you off a bid you are entitled to make (MSE Order 2012; DIPP Notification F.No.21(3)/2016-PP).
- Do you clear the stated criteria? Your turnover and experience against the tender's own figures — no invented national thresholds.
- What must travel with the bid? Every relaxation is claimed with a certificate: Udyam registration, DPIIT recognition, or the certification the tender names. An entitlement without the document attached is a rejection.
Worked example
A Udyam-registered MSE with ₹80,00,000 average annual turnover looks at a tender requiring ₹1,50,00,000 bidder turnover and offering the MSE relaxation. The raw comparison fails — but the relaxation is checked first: the turnover criterion should not be applied, the EMD is waived, and the bid proceeds with the Udyam certificate attached. The same company without Udyam registration is simply ineligible on turnover.
Frequently asked questions
What decides whether I'm eligible for a government tender?
The tender document's own criteria: average annual turnover over recent financial years, prior experience of similar work, and any required certifications or registrations. There is no single national threshold — each tender states its own figures, which is why the checker asks for the tender's stated requirement rather than inventing one.
What relaxations do MSEs get in government tenders?
Udyam-registered micro and small enterprises get EMD exemption, relaxation of prior-turnover and prior-experience criteria where the tender offers it, and purchase preference: an MSE quoting within 15% of the lowest bid can be offered the contract at the L1 price for a portion of the quantity (Public Procurement Policy for MSEs Order 2012).
Do DPIIT-recognised startups get tender relaxations?
Yes — in most central government procurement, recognised startups get the prior-turnover and prior-experience criteria relaxed (DIPP Notification F.No.21(3)/2016-PP), and EMD exemption on GeM. The relaxation applies only where the tender doesn't record a considered reason to insist on the criterion, and you must carry the DPIIT recognition certificate.
Can I bid if my turnover is below the tender's requirement?
If the tender offers the MSE or startup relaxation and you hold the corresponding registration, the turnover criterion should not be applied to you — bid with the certificate attached. Without a relaxation, a stated turnover floor is binding and a bid below it is liable to rejection at technical evaluation.
Is this checker a guarantee that my bid will qualify?
No. It applies the published rules to what you enter and cites the instrument behind each answer, but the buyer's evaluation committee reads your actual documents. When something can't be determined from the rules, the honest answer is "check the tender document" — and that is the answer this tool gives.