Procurement Glossary
Bid Validity Period: How Long Your Offer Stays Binding
20 October 2026 · 6 min read · By NextBid Bid Experts
The bid validity period is how long your offer stays binding after the opening date: 90 days under the current law, 90 working days under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027. See how it links to your guarantee, extensions and withdrawal.
The bid validity period (مدة سريان العروض) is the time after the date set for opening during which your offer stays binding and the entity decides the award. Under the current law it is 90 days from the opening date. The new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, makes it 90 working days. Withdraw inside the period and your initial guarantee is not returned.
A tender offered before the new law takes effect stays under the current law unless the Minister of Finance decides to apply some of the new rules to it, so check that tender's booklet and announcements. Expect both counts for a while. The law fixes the period and each booklet repeats it; the Ministry of Finance's model booklet reads 90 days from the date set for opening. For the wider changes, see our Government Tenders and Procurement Law guide.
How long does the period last, and when does it start?
| Point | Current law and Regulations | New law (early January 2027) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 90 days | 90 working days |
| Counted from | The date set for opening | The date set for opening |
| Extension | Up to 90 more days at the entity's request; after that the Ministry of Finance's consent, or the tender is cancelled | The entity may extend and the Regulations set the detail; if the period ends with no award or extension, the tender is cancelled |
| Withdrawal inside the period | Initial guarantee not returned; a local SME exempt from the guarantee pays a fine equal to it | Initial guarantee not returned; a bidder exempt from the guarantee pays a fine of 2% of the offer value |
In calendar terms the new period is longer: on our own arithmetic, not an official figure, about 18 weeks on a five-day week, more when public holidays fall inside it.
How does validity relate to your guarantee?
The initial guarantee has to last as long as your offer is valid. Under the current Regulations the original guarantee letter must be valid for at least 90 days from the date set for opening, the same length as the validity period. If you win, the entity can ask you to extend it when it would expire before you lodge the final guarantee. Under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, validity counts in working days, so do not carry the 90-day figure across: follow your booklet and, once issued, its new Implementing Regulations. See our guide to bid bonds and guarantees.
What happens if the entity needs more time?
Under the current Regulations, an entity that cannot decide the award inside the period follows these steps:
- The examination committee records the reasons for the delay.
- The entity asks bidders to extend their offers by up to 90 more days.
- A bidder who agrees extends its guarantee and tells the entity within two weeks of the request.
- A bidder who does not come forward in that time is treated as declining, and its guarantee is returned.
- Once those periods are used up, a further extension needs the Ministry of Finance's consent on justified reasons; otherwise the tender is cancelled.
The new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, keeps the shape: the entity may extend, a bidder who wants to stay in confirms and extends its guarantee, and one who declines gets it back. Its new Implementing Regulations will set the detail.
Can you withdraw while your offer is valid?
Under the current Regulations you can withdraw before the deadline for receiving offers and your guarantee is returned. After the deadline, your offer binds you for the validity period. Withdraw inside it and the initial guarantee is not returned under either law. A bidder exempt from the guarantee pays a fine instead: a local SME under the current law, any exempt bidder under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027. See our guide to submitting an offer on Etimad.
What does a short validity cost you?
When an offer is in two files, the model booklet puts the guarantee in the financial file, so a short term is a commercial-side failure of the kind covered in our guide to commercial bid disqualification.
- An offer that promises less validity than the booklet requires does not comply with the tender documents, and non-compliant offers are excluded.
- Under the current Regulations, if the guarantee is short by up to 30 days, the examination committee must ask you to complete it before recommending an award, and one or two days are not counted. If you do not, you are treated as withdrawn and the guarantee is not returned.
- A bigger gap is not covered by that rule, so match the booklet's term from the start.
Validity runs from the opening date, not the day you submit, and your guarantee must cover it: at least 90 days from opening under the current Regulations. Under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, validity counts in working days, so follow your booklet's term.
Frequently asked questions
What is the bid validity period in Saudi tenders?
It is the time after the date set for opening during which your offer binds you and the entity decides the award. It is 90 days under the current law and 90 working days under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027.
Does validity start when I submit or when offers open?
When offers open. Both the current law and the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, count from the date set for opening, not from the day you submit.
Can I refuse a validity extension?
Yes. Under the current Regulations a bidder who does not confirm within two weeks of the request is treated as declining, and its guarantee is returned. Under the new law, which takes effect in early January 2027, a bidder who does not want to extend gets its initial guarantee back.
What if my guarantee expires before the validity period ends?
Under the current Regulations the examination committee must ask you to complete a term that is short by up to 30 days before it recommends an award. If you do not, you are treated as withdrawn and lose the guarantee. Match the booklet's term from the start.
A validity that differs between the booklet, your offer and your guarantee is easy to miss while the team finishes the technical file. Our compliance review service checks your submission against the booklet before you send it.