Tender Understanding2 September 20266 min readBid Bharat
BOQ ‘Tampered’ Error: Editable Cells, GST Column & How to Fix (2026)
Why BOQ shows ‘Tampered’ — yellow editable cells, GST treatment, unit errors, and the exact fix to avoid rejection.
On this page
Why “BOQ Tampered” — The #1 Rejection (30% of BoQs)
BOQ Excel has protected sheets — only yellow cells (Rate column) are unlocked for editing. Editing any other cell, renaming sheets (Sheet1 → BOQ), adding rows, or saving as .xlsx (instead of .xls 97-2003) triggers BOQ tampered on upload — the portal’s macro verifies the sheet structure on upload.
Editable vs Non-Editable (Know Before You Type)
| Column | Editable | What to Enter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate (yellow, col F) | Yes | Per-unit rate (without GST) | 125.50 |
| Amount (grey, col G) | No | Auto-calculated (Rate × Quantity) |
12550.00 (don’t type) |
| Description | No | — | — |
| Quantity | No | — | — |
| GST % (if present, col H) | Sometimes | 18 (not 0.18 or 18%) |
18 |
GST Column — The Confusion
- Some BOQs have
GST %(col H) — leave blank if header says “GST (if applicable)”; if NIT saysGST @18%, enter18(integer, not0.18or18%). Portal calculatesAmount + GST.
Fix — 2 Minutes
- Download fresh BOQ from portal →
Enable Editing(yellow bar) → enter only yellow rate cells → checkAmountauto-fills → Save As*.xls(Excel 97-2003 Workbook) — not.xlsx(nProcure/KPPP/GePNIC reject.xlsx). - Don’t: add rows, delete rows, rename
Sheet1, unprotect sheet, or copy-paste with formatting (paste asValuesonly).
Test: Upload BOQ → Validate BOQ → BOQ Validated (green) before Submit.
Official Resources
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| BOQ Pricing Guide | /guide/boq-bill-of-quantities-pricing-guide |
| GeM BOQ Help | https://gem.gov.in/training/BOQ |
| Bid Bharat BOQ pricing | /guide/boq-bill-of-quantities-pricing-guide |
BOQBOQ tamperededitable cellsGSTBOQ errortender BOQ
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