A chartered accountant's certificate of your turnover for each financial year your tender names, with the average where the clause asks for one, written on the tender's own format and signed with a UDIN before the bid closes. For contractors, suppliers, service providers, OEMs and MSEs whose eligibility clause sets a minimum average annual turnover.
UDIN on every certificate, checkable on the ICAI portal by the evaluating officer
Written by Subham JhunjhunwalaReviewed by CA Sundram GuptaReviewed on Updated
The clause, read line by lineWhat a turnover eligibility clause usually says, and what the certificate does with each part of it
“The bidder should have a minimum average annual turnover of Rs XX,XX,XXX1 during the last XX financial years ending 31 March 20XX2, calculated as the average of the years3, certified by a chartered accountant in the format at Annexure XX.”4
1The figureSet by the tender, not by any rule. The certificate states your turnover; it does not say whether you qualify, and the evaluating officer compares the two.
2The yearsEach financial year the clause names is stated on its own line, from the audited accounts, books or returns for that year.
3The averageWhere the clause asks for an average, the certificate shows the years added and divided, so the officer can re-check the arithmetic.
4The formatIf the tender prescribes an annexure, the certificate follows it word for word; if not, it follows the ICAI wording for a special-purpose certificate.
Professional feeStarting from INR 1,499 (Exl GST and Govt. Charges) · one bidder, one tender
In short
What a turnover certificate for a tender is
A turnover certificate for a tender is a practising chartered accountant's certificate, addressed to the tendering authority, stating the bidder's turnover for each of the financial years the tender names and, where the clause asks for it, the average of those years. It is written on the format the tender prescribes, where it prescribes one, and carries a UDIN the evaluating officer can look up on the ICAI portal. The bid file carries it as the evidence behind the "minimum average annual turnover" line of the eligibility criteria.
A turnover figure you type into the bid form yourself is a declaration: your own word, which the officer has no way to check. Where the tender asks for a chartered accountant's certificate, it is asking for a figure someone independent has examined against your accounts and signed for, with a number that traces back to the signing member. That is the whole difference, and it is why the clause says "certified by a chartered accountant" rather than "declared by the bidder".
The bidder
Reads the eligibility clause, pulls the accounts for the years it names, and sends the clause and the tender's format to the chartered accountant.
The certificate
States the bidder's name and the tender reference, one line per financial year, the average where asked, the records examined, the signature block and the UDIN.
The evaluating officer
Compares the certified figure with the clause, checks that the years match the ones the tender named, and may enter the UDIN on the ICAI portal to confirm who signed.
Reading the clause
Reading the tender's turnover clause: years, average and OEM turnover
Every turnover clause answers four questions, and the certificate has to answer the same four in the same words. Read yours against these before anything is drafted.
1
Which years?
“during the last three financial years ending 31 March 20XX”
The clause names the years by count and by the closing date of the last one. The certificate states each of those years on its own line, from the audited accounts where the year is audited and from the books and returns where it is not. A year that has closed but is not yet audited is stated as provisional and labelled so; whether the tender accepts a provisional year is for the tender to say, and some do.
Send us the clause, not a summary of it: "last three years" and "three years ending 31 March 20XX" can be different sets of years when a bid opens early in a financial year.
2
Average, each year, or any one year?
“minimum average annual turnover” · “in each of the last three years” · “in any one of the last three years”
Three wordings, three different tests. An average is the years added and divided by their number. "Each year" means every year on its own must clear the figure. "Any one year" means the highest single year is enough. The certificate states the yearly figures in every case and adds the average only where the clause asks for one, so the officer re-checks the arithmetic from the certificate itself.
Year 1Rs XX+Year 2Rs XX+Year 3Rs XX÷ 3 =Average annual turnoverRs XX
3
Whose turnover: the bidder, the OEM or a consortium?
“average annual turnover of the bidder” · “annual turnover of the OEM” · “of the lead member”
"Bidder turnover" is the turnover of the legal entity that submits the bid, under the PAN on the bid form. Where a reseller or authorised dealer bids and the clause asks for the OEM's annual turnover, the certificate is about the manufacturer, issued from the manufacturer's accounts, and the bid document defines what counts. A consortium or joint-venture clause says whose turnover is tested, the lead member's or each member's, and the certificate follows that wording.
A certificate of the proprietor's or a group company's turnover does not answer a clause that names the bidder.
4
How much, and are there relaxations?
“should be at least Rs XX,XX,XXX” · “MSEs are exempt from the turnover criterion”
The tender sets the figure; there is no general rule that fixes it, and no page can tell you what your tender requires. The same goes for relaxations: where a tender relaxes or waives the turnover criterion for micro and small enterprises or start-ups, it says so in its own eligibility section, and the relief is claimed on the tender's terms. The certificate does not declare eligibility; it states the turnover and leaves the comparison to the officer.
Where a relaxation applies, the tender usually still wants the turnover certified for the years it names, so the officer can see the figure it is relaxing.
Who needs one
Who needs a turnover certificate for a tender
Anyone bidding where the eligibility section carries a turnover criterion. The role you bid in decides what the clause says and what is certified.
Who is biddingWhat the clause usually saysWhat is certified
A contractor bidding for worksCivil, electrical, mechanical, maintenance contracts
Average annual turnover on works over the years named; sometimes turnover from similar works separately.
Turnover per year from the audited accounts, with a separate line for works turnover or similar-works turnover where the clause asks for it.
A supplier bidding for goodsManufacturers and traders selling to a department, PSU or portal buyer
Average annual turnover of the bidder over the years named, often with a net worth line beside it.
Turnover per year, reconciled to GST returns where the business is registered, with the average where asked.
A service providerManpower, security, housekeeping, IT, consulting, transport
Turnover from the services tendered for, or total turnover, over the years named.
Turnover per year and, where the clause narrows it, the turnover from the named services shown separately from the total.
An OEM behind a reseller's bidWhere an authorised dealer or reseller submits the bid
Annual turnover of the OEM for the years named, as the bid document defines it.
The manufacturer's turnover from the manufacturer's accounts, on a certificate about the OEM, not the reseller.
An MSE or a start-upBidding under a relaxed or waived turnover criterion
A relaxation or exemption set out in the tender's own eligibility section, on its own conditions.
Turnover for the years the tender still asks for, stated as it is, so the relief is claimed on the tender's terms with the figure in view.
Process
How we issue it, step by step
Seven hand-offs between you and the chartered accountant, in the order the bid file needs them. Start as soon as the tender is published: the clause and the format are known on day one, and the accounts are already yours.
You
Send the clause, the format and the closing date
The eligibility page of the tender document (a photo or the PDF), the annexure it prescribes for the certificate if there is one, and the bid closing date. If you are bidding as a reseller, say whether the clause tests your turnover or the OEM's.
We
Fix the four answers from the clause
Which financial years, whether the test is an average, each year or any one year, whose turnover is tested, and which format the certificate must follow. You get those four answers back in writing, with a short list of exactly what to send for each year.
You
Send the accounts for each year named, and sign a representation
Audited financial statements where the year is audited, the income-tax return and computation, GST returns where the business is registered, and the books or trial balance for each year. The Guidance Note asks for a written representation that the figures are yours and complete, and the certificate refers to it.
We
Reconcile each year across the records
The turnover in the audited accounts, the GST returns and the income-tax return rarely match to the rupee. Each year is reconciled and the certificate names the basis it rests on, so a query from the evaluating officer has an answer before it is asked.
We
Draft on the tender's format, word for word
Where the tender prescribes an annexure, the certificate follows it exactly: its headings, its year columns, its signature block. Where it does not, the certificate follows the ICAI wording for a special-purpose certificate. The average is worked on the face of the certificate where the clause asks for it.
You
Check the draft against the clause
The bidder's name exactly as on the bid form, the tender reference, the years, the figures and the average. A certificate that names a different entity, a different year set or a different reference is the commonest reason one is set aside.
We
Sign, generate the UDIN, and hand it to you for the bid
The certificate is signed by a chartered accountant in practice and its UDIN generated on the ICAI portal before it is released. You upload the signed copy with the bid where the portal takes a scan, and keep the original for any post-bid verification the tender provides for.
Bid
Bid closing
Everything above has to be finished before this date. One certificate serves one tender: a second tender gets its own certificate, addressed and formatted to its own clause.
Documents
Documents required for a turnover certificate for a tender
The pack grows with the number of years the clause names and shrinks when it does not ask for a works or OEM figure. Three bands cover every tender we see.
AOnce per bidThe documents that make the certificate about this tender
The tender's eligibility clause, as published, with any corrigendum that changed the turnover line
The format or annexure the tender prescribes for the certificate, if it gives one
PAN and constitution document of the bidder, with the bidder's name exactly as entered on the bid form
A signed management representation on the turnover figures for the years named
BFor each financial year the clause namesOne set per year; the clause decides how many sets
FY 20XX-XXFY 20XX-XXFY 20XX-XX… as many as the clause names
Audited balance sheet, profit and loss account and audit report, where the year is audited
Income-tax return, computation of income and acknowledgement for the year
GST returns for the year (GSTR-3B and GSTR-1, and GSTR-9 where filed) for every GSTIN of the bidder, where registered
Books of account or the trial balance for the year, to reconcile the three sources above
COnly if the clause asksExtra lines bring extra records
Turnover from similar works or services
Work orders or contracts, completion certificates and receipt records for the contracts counted, so the narrowed figure is traceable
Annual turnover of the OEM
The manufacturer's accounts and returns for the years named, and the authorisation under which you bid
Consortium or joint venture
The joint-venture agreement, and band B for each member whose turnover the clause tests
Format
Using the tender's own format
If the tender gives a format, the certificate follows it word for word: its headings, its year columns, its signature block. If it does not, the certificate carries these nine parts in this order. Values are shown as XX; yours are filled from the clause and the accounts.
01Addressee
To the tendering authority named in the tender, at the address the bid document gives. Not "to whom it may concern", unless the tender's own format says so.
02Subject and tender reference
"Certificate of annual turnover of XX for Tender No. XX/20XX", so the officer can tie the certificate to the bid without reading further.
03The bidder
Legal name exactly as on the bid form, constitution, PAN XXXXXXXXXX and registered address. For an OEM certificate, the manufacturer's details, with the bidder's bid referenced.
04One line per financial year
"FY 20XX-XX: Rs XX,XX,XXX", for each year the clause names and no others, in the order the format gives them.
05The average, where asked
"Average annual turnover for the three years: Rs XX,XX,XXX", worked from the lines above so the arithmetic is on the face of the certificate.
06Basis
Which records each year's figure was taken from and examined against: the audited financial statements, the books of account, the GST returns or the income-tax return, named year by year.
07Limitation and representation
What the certificate does not cover, and that the figures are the bidder's, supported by a written representation, as the Guidance Note on Reports or Certificates for Special Purposes (Revised 2016) asks.
08Signature block
The firm's name and registration number, the signing member's name and membership number, place and date, on the firm's letterhead or on the tender's annexure where it provides the block.
09UDIN
"UDIN: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX", generated on the ICAI portal for this certificate before it is released. The officer enters it on the portal to see the member who signed and the date.
One certificate per tender
A certificate addressed to one authority, for one tender reference, on that tender's format cannot be reused for another bid. The second tender gets its own certificate, with its own addressee, reference, year set and UDIN, even when the years and figures are the same.
Which figure
Which turnover figure the tender wants
Three records carry a turnover for the same year, and they rarely agree to the rupee. The clause and the format decide which one the certificate rests on; the reconciliation makes sure the officer never finds a second figure.
Audited financial statements
What it is: revenue from operations in the audited profit and loss account for the year.
When the tender wants it: most works and supply clauses, which often say "as per audited accounts" or ask for the audited statements alongside the certificate.
On the certificate: the figure for each audited year, with the audit report named as the basis. where the business is under tax audit under section 63 of the Income-tax Act 2025 (formerly section 44AB), the audited statements are the primary source
GST returns
What it is: the taxable and exempt outward supplies declared in GSTR-3B and GSTR-1 across every GSTIN of the bidder, added up for the year.
When the tender wants it: clauses that say "as per GST returns", and bids on portals that compare the certified figure with the returns filed.
On the certificate: the return-based figure, with the returns for each GSTIN listed as the basis. GST turnover and book turnover differ by design: the returns count supplies by tax period and place of supply, the books count revenue by accounting year.
Books of account
What it is: the sales or revenue ledger for the year, before audit or where no audit applies.
When the tender wants it: a year that has closed but is not yet audited, a first or second year of business, or an unaudited proprietorship or firm.
On the certificate: the book figure, labelled provisional where the year is unaudited, with the books and the bank credits examined named as the basis.
When the three disagree
Differences are normal: a year-end invoice booked in one period and taxed in the next, supplies under more than one GSTIN, exempt or export turnover shown in one record and not another, or an audit adjustment made after the returns were filed. Each year is reconciled before drafting, the certificate names the basis it rests on, and the reconciliation stays on file so a query from the officer has a one-page answer. What the certificate never does is carry a figure that none of the records supports.
Fewer years than the clause names?
A business in its second year cannot certify three. The certificate states the years that exist, says from which date the business traded, and leaves the rest blank. Whether a tender accepts fewer years, or relaxes the criterion for a start-up, is written in the tender's own eligibility section; the certificate does not claim the relief for you.
"Turnover" or "GST turnover"?
Where the clause just says "annual turnover", the audited figure is the usual basis and the GST figure is reconciled to it. Where the clause or the format says "as per GST returns", the return-based figure is certified. Where it is silent and the two differ, the certificate states which it used and why.
Professional basis
The professional basis: ICAI guidance and UDIN
The tender sets what it wants to see. What a chartered accountant's certificate brings to it is the framework the certificate is issued under and the number that lets the officer check who signed it.
Guidance Note on Reports or Certificates for Special Purposes (Revised 2016)
The ICAI guidance a chartered accountant follows when certifying a figure for a named reader and purpose: what is examined, the written representation obtained from the bidder, and how the basis and limitations are stated on the face of the certificate. It is why a certificate written to a tender names its addressee, its purpose and its sources rather than just a number.
UDIN on every certificate since 1 February 2019
The Unique Document Identification Number is generated by the signing member on the ICAI portal for each certificate. It is mandatory for the chartered accountant who signs, and a tendering authority may enter it on the portal before relying on the certificate. A certificate without one cannot be traced to its signer, which is the check the officer is making.
What the evaluating officer checks, and how you can check it first
Open udin.icai.org, choose the verification option and enter the UDIN printed on the certificate. The portal shows the member who generated it, the date and the type of document. Then read the certificate against the clause once more: the bidder's name as on the bid form, the tender reference, the years, the average. Those four are what the officer reads first.
What the tender rules say
Tender eligibility, such as a minimum average annual turnover or a minimum net worth, is set in each tender document; most procuring entities ask for a CA certificate, and a UDIN lets them verify it.
Using a forged or false certificate to obtain a contract can amount to cheating under section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
Fee
Turnover certificate fee for a tender
One fee for one certificate: one bidder, one tender, the years its clause names. The four answers fixed at step two decide the work, so the quote is written before any of it starts.
Professional fee
Starting from INR 1,499 (Exl GST and Govt. Charges)
One bidder, one tender, one financial year, on the tender's format
Covers reading the clause with you, fixing the years, the test and the format, reconciling the year across the records, the management representation, drafting to the tender's wording, and one signed certificate with its UDIN delivered as a PDF.
Fees are indicative until confirmed in writing for your engagement. The final fee depends on the years and records to be examined.
More years on the certificateA clause that names three years is asking for three reconciliations. The fee follows the number of years, quoted before work starts.
A narrowed figure: similar works, named services, OEMTurnover from similar works or from named services has to be built contract by contract from work orders and receipts, and an OEM certificate rests on a second set of accounts. Each is quoted on its records.
A second tender, or a changed clauseA certificate for another tender, or re-issued because a corrigendum changed the years or the format, is a fresh certificate with its own UDIN and is quoted as one.
Records that need work firstA year whose books are not closed, or returns that disagree with the books by more than a reconciliation explains, is brought into line before certification and quoted separately.
Beside the turnover line
Other certificates a bid may ask for
The turnover line is rarely the only financial line in an eligibility section. One sentence on each of the others, and where it is covered.
Many eligibility sections put a "positive net worth" or "net worth of at least Rs XX" line beside the turnover line. It is a separate certificate, as on a date, built from assets and liabilities rather than sales.
What this page leaves to the portal and the tender
Registering as a seller on a procurement portal, vendor assessment, updating or checking the turnover shown on your portal profile, and what the portal's own policies require are portal matters, answered by the portal's help pages and the bid document. We do not answer them here. What we do is certify the figure the clause asks for, on the format the tender gives, in time for the bid.
Questions
Turnover certificate for tender questions
The one question bidders ask that the sections above do not answer head-on. Years, averages, OEM turnover, the format and the fee are covered above.
What is bidder turnover?
Bidder turnover is the turnover of the entity that submits the bid, the one whose name and PAN are on the bid form, for the financial years the tender names, measured the way the tender defines it. Where the clause says "average annual turnover of the bidder", it is that entity's yearly turnover added across the years named and divided by their number.
It is not the turnover of the proprietor personally, of a group company, or of the OEM whose goods are being offered, unless the clause names them. The certificate states the bidder's turnover for those years from the bidder's own accounts and returns, with the average where the clause asks for it; the comparison with the figure in the clause is the evaluating officer's.
Get your tender turnover certificate
Send us the turnover clause and the bid closing date
Paste the eligibility clause, name the years it asks for and tell us when the bid closes. A chartered accountant reads it and sends back the four answers and the short list of records before any work starts.
Get a quote for a tender turnover certificate
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Prefer to chat?
Send a photo of the eligibility clause on WhatsApp and a CA replies with the years, the test and the records the certificate will need.
A chartered accountant calls to confirm the years, the test, whose turnover and the format, and sends the short list of records for each year. Once they arrive and reconcile, the certificate is drafted on the tender's format, signed, its UDIN generated, and the PDF sent to you for the bid.
