A technically excellent bid can still be undone by a spreadsheet. In a government financial offer, the prices you write in figures, the prices you write in words, your unit prices, and your line totals all have to agree — and when they do not, a correction process kicks in that can quietly cost you the award. Here is how arithmetic errors are handled, and the threshold that can get an offer excluded outright.
Why arithmetic errors matter
Your financial offer is not just a number; it is a structured set of unit prices, quantities, line totals, a grand total, and amounts written in both figures and words. Buyers know these can drift apart through copy-paste and last-minute edits, so the examination committee checks them and corrects discrepancies before comparing offers. The problem is that a "correction" can move your price — or, past a point, remove your offer entirely.
The 10% threshold that can exclude you
There is a hard limit. If the arithmetic corrections to your prices add up to more than 10% of your price list or your total offer value — up or down — the examination committee may recommend excluding your offer. Small inconsistencies get corrected; large ones can disqualify you. This comes from the Implementing Regulations, and it is why a messy financial offer is a real risk, not a cosmetic one.
How discrepancies get resolved
When the numbers disagree — figures versus words, or a unit price versus a line total — the regulations set which value the committee treats as authoritative and correct the rest to match. You do not want to be on the wrong side of that correction. The safe approach is not to memorise which one prevails; it is to make sure they never disagree in the first place.
The committee's correction rules exist for offers that contradict themselves. Submit an offer that is internally consistent, and the rules never get a chance to move your price.
A checklist to keep your financial offer clean
- Make every unit price × quantity equal its line total — check each row, not just the grand total.
- Make figures and words match exactly, everywhere both appear.
- Make line totals sum to the grand total — and the grand total match the figure you write in words.
- Lock the file and re-verify after any last-minute change; most errors enter in the final hour.
- Have someone who did not build the sheet check it cold before submission.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if my figures and words disagree?
The committee corrects one to match the other under the regulations and uses the corrected value. You do not control which way it goes — so make them agree before you submit.
Can an arithmetic error disqualify me?
Yes. If the total corrections exceed 10% of your price list or offer value, up or down, the committee may recommend excluding your offer.
What is the most common error?
A unit price that does not multiply to its line total, or a grand total that does not match the amount written in words — usually introduced by a last-minute edit.
How do I avoid all of this?
Internal consistency. If every price, total, and written amount agrees, there is nothing to correct and nothing to exclude.
You can lose a winnable contract to arithmetic you never meant to get wrong. Treat the financial offer like the precision document it is — every figure, word, and total in agreement — and you take an entire category of disqualification off the table. Our team checks exactly this before any offer we manage goes in.