In Brief
A public irrigation corporation called for tenders for canal work. Three bids were received; the second-lowest bid was found to offer significant savings. However, the bidder initially furnished a bank guarantee valid for only 6 months instead of the mandated 40 months—a material deviation from tender conditions. The authority accepted the bid after the bidder later extended the guarantee. The court held that essential tender conditions must be strictly complied with and cannot be condoned post-submission. A substantially responsive bid must conform to all terms without material deviation. The non-responsive bid should have been rejected outright. The appeal was dismissed on this ground.
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