This is Set 18 of 48 in the smartvidya question bank on the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, updated up to 31.01.2026. Part V: Procurement of goods. This set covers Rules 161 and 162: advertised tender enquiry, global tender enquiry and limited tender enquiry.
Try each question first, then tap Show answer to see the correct option, a short explanation and the rule reference. The questions are useful for departmental examinations, SAS, JAO and AAO examinations, LDCE and promotion tests, and for officers dealing with finance and procurement.
Set 18: Advertised, Limited and Global Tenders
1. Under the amended Rule 161, advertised tender enquiry should be used for procurement of goods of estimated value of
(a) Rupees 25 lakh and above
(b) Rupees 1 crore and above
(c) Rupees 10 lakh and above
(d) Rupees 50 lakh and above
Ans. (d) Rupees 50 lakh and above — Explanation: Rule 161(i), as amended by DoE OM dated 10.07.2024, sets Rupees 50 lakh and above. [Ref: Rule 161(i)]
2. For notified Scientific Ministries, advertised tender enquiry applies to goods of estimated value of
(a) Rupees 50 lakh and above
(b) Rupees 2 crore and above
(c) Rupees 1 crore and above
(d) Rupees 25 lakh and above
Ans. (c) Rupees 1 crore and above — Explanation: The footnote to Rule 161(i), per DoE OM dated 05.06.2025, sets Rupees 1 crore for scientific procurement. [Ref: Rule 161(i), footnote]
3. Advertisements for advertised tender enquiries must be given on
(a) only the Indian Trade Journal
(b) only notice boards
(c) only newspapers
(d) GeM as well as GeM-CPPP, and also on the organisation's own website if it has one
Ans. (d) GeM as well as GeM-CPPP, and also on the organisation's own website if it has one — Explanation: Rule 161(i) requires publication on GeM and GeM-CPPP and the organisation's website. [Ref: Rule 161(i)]
4. The complete bidding document for advertised tenders should be
(a) posted on the organisation's website and GeM-CPPP for download
(b) given only on request
(c) sold only in hard copy
(d) sent to three firms only
Ans. (a) posted on the organisation's website and GeM-CPPP for download — Explanation: Rule 161(ii) requires posting of the complete bidding document. [Ref: Rule 161(ii)]
5. To promote wider participation, cost of tender documents downloaded by bidders
(a) must be 1% of estimated value
(b) may not be charged
(c) must be paid in cash
(d) must be at least Rupees 1,000
Ans. (b) may not be charged — Explanation: Rule 161(v) provides that no cost may be charged for downloaded documents. [Ref: Rule 161(v)]
6. Ordinarily, the minimum time for submission of bids in advertised tender enquiry is
(a) one week
(b) six weeks
(c) three weeks from publication of tender notice or availability of document, whichever is later
(d) two weeks
Ans. (c) three weeks from publication of tender notice or availability of document, whichever is later — Explanation: Rule 161(vi) prescribes three weeks. [Ref: Rule 161(vi)]
7. Where bids are also contemplated from abroad, the minimum period for bid submission is
(a) four weeks for both domestic and foreign bidders
(b) six weeks
(c) eight weeks
(d) three weeks
Ans. (a) four weeks for both domestic and foreign bidders — Explanation: Rule 161(vi) prescribes four weeks in such cases. [Ref: Rule 161(vi)]
8. No Global Tender Enquiry shall be invited for tenders up to
(a) Rupees 50 crore
(b) Rupees 100 crore
(c) Rupees 200 crore or such limit as prescribed by the Department of Expenditure
(d) Rupees 500 crore
Ans. (c) Rupees 200 crore or such limit as prescribed by the Department of Expenditure — Explanation: Rule 161(iv)(b), amended on 15.05.2020, restricts GTE below Rupees 200 crore. [Ref: Rule 161(iv)(b)]
9. For tenders below the GTE limit, a Global Tender Enquiry may be invited in exceptional cases after
(a) advertising in foreign newspapers
(b) informing the CAG
(c) the Secretary's oral approval
(d) recording detailed justification and obtaining prior approval of the Competent Authority specified by DoE
Ans. (d) recording detailed justification and obtaining prior approval of the Competent Authority specified by DoE — Explanation: The proviso to Rule 161(iv)(b) prescribes this relaxation procedure. [Ref: Rule 161(iv)(b)]
10. In a Global Tender Enquiry, copies of the tender notice may be sent to
(a) Indian Embassies abroad and Foreign Embassies in India
(b) the World Bank
(c) only Indian Embassies
(d) only foreign chambers of commerce
Ans. (a) Indian Embassies abroad and Foreign Embassies in India — Explanation: Rule 161(iv)(a) provides for sending notices to embassies based on likely availability of goods. [Ref: Rule 161(iv)(a)]
11. In GTE cases under Rule 161(iv)(a), e-procurement as per Rule 160
(a) is mandatory
(b) may not be insisted upon
(c) is prohibited
(d) requires CAG approval
Ans. (b) may not be insisted upon — Explanation: Rule 161(iv)(a) relaxes the e-procurement requirement in such cases. [Ref: Rule 161(iv)(a)]
12. Under the amended Rule 162, Limited Tender Enquiry may be adopted when the estimated value of goods is up to
(a) Rupees 1 crore
(b) Rupees 50 lakh
(c) Rupees 25 lakh
(d) Rupees 10 lakh
Ans. (b) Rupees 50 lakh — Explanation: Rule 162(i), as amended by DoE OM dated 10.07.2024, sets Rupees 50 lakh. [Ref: Rule 162(i)]
13. In Limited Tender Enquiry, the number of supplier firms should be
(a) more than three
(b) at least two
(c) exactly three
(d) at least ten
Ans. (a) more than three — Explanation: Rule 162(i) requires more than three firms from the list of registered suppliers. [Ref: Rule 162(i)]
14. In Limited Tender Enquiry, bidding documents are sent directly to firms
(a) in other States only
(b) recommended by bidders
(c) chosen by the user at random
(d) borne on the list of registered suppliers for the goods
Ans. (d) borne on the list of registered suppliers for the goods — Explanation: Rule 162(i) refers to suppliers registered under Rule 150 of GFR 2017. [Ref: Rule 162(i)]
15. In Limited Tender Enquiry, unsolicited bids
(a) must be accepted
(b) should not be accepted
(c) get preference
(d) are accepted if cheaper
Ans. (b) should not be accepted — Explanation: Rule 162(ii) bars acceptance of unsolicited bids but asks for a system to register interested firms for later rounds. [Ref: Rule 162(ii)]
16. Limited Tender Enquiry may be used even above Rupees 50 lakh when
(a) the supplier requests it
(b) the budget is surplus
(c) the item is very cheap
(d) the competent authority certifies urgency and justifies additional expenditure
Ans. (d) the competent authority certifies urgency and justifies additional expenditure — Explanation: Rule 162(iii)(a) permits this, with the nature of urgency recorded. [Ref: Rule 162(iii)(a)]
17. Another ground for using LTE above Rupees 50 lakh is that
(a) the Ministry prefers fewer bidders
(b) the documents are lengthy
(c) the sources of supply are definitely known and possibility of fresh sources is remote
(d) the vendor is a friend
Ans. (c) the sources of supply are definitely known and possibility of fresh sources is remote — Explanation: Rule 162(iii)(c) lists this ground. [Ref: Rule 162(iii)(c)]
18. LTE above Rupees 50 lakh is also permitted where it is recorded that procuring through advertised tender
(a) needs more paperwork
(b) requires e-procurement
(c) is costly to advertise
(d) will not be in public interest
Ans. (d) will not be in public interest — Explanation: Rule 162(iii)(b) permits LTE for recorded public interest reasons. [Ref: Rule 162(iii)(b)]
19. Limited tender enquiries should be published on
(a) only the CAG website
(b) GeM and GeM-CPPP, and the organisation's website if it has one
(c) only by post
(d) no portal
Ans. (b) GeM and GeM-CPPP, and the organisation's website if it has one — Explanation: Rule 162(i), as amended on 10.07.2024, requires publication on GeM and GeM-CPPP. [Ref: Rule 162(i)]
20. In Limited Tender Enquiry cases, the time allowed for submission of bids should be
(a) at least six weeks
(b) not more than three days
(c) sufficient
(d) one day
Ans. (c) sufficient — Explanation: Rule 162(iv) requires sufficient time. [Ref: Rule 162(iv)]
21. For notified Scientific Ministries, Limited Tender Enquiry may be adopted for goods up to
(a) Rupees 2 crore
(b) Rupees 1 crore
(c) Rupees 50 lakh
(d) Rupees 25 lakh
Ans. (b) Rupees 1 crore — Explanation: The footnote to Rule 162(i), per DoE OM dated 05.06.2025, applies to scientific procurement. [Ref: Rule 162(i), footnote]
22. The advertised tender method is subject to exceptions under
(a) Rule 175 only
(b) Rule 170 only
(c) Rules 154, 155, 162 and 166
(d) Rules 149 and 150 only
Ans. (c) Rules 154, 155, 162 and 166 — Explanation: Rule 161(i) is subject to these exceptions. [Ref: Rule 161(i)]
23. Advertisements for tenders should give
(a) the complete web address from where the bidding documents can be downloaded
(b) only the office telephone number
(c) only the estimated value
(d) only the name of the purchase officer
Ans. (a) the complete web address from where the bidding documents can be downloaded — Explanation: Rule 161(iii) requires the complete web address. [Ref: Rule 161(iii)]
24. Which method is ordinarily used for goods estimated at Rupees 70 lakh in a general Ministry when the item is not on GeM?
(a) Advertised Tender Enquiry
(b) Purchase Committee
(c) Limited Tender Enquiry without justification
(d) Purchase without quotation
Ans. (a) Advertised Tender Enquiry — Explanation: Goods of Rupees 50 lakh and above call for advertised tender enquiry under Rule 161 of GFR 2017. [Ref: Rule 161(i)]
25. Efforts in LTE should be made to identify
(a) the minimum number of suppliers
(b) only one supplier
(c) a higher number of approved suppliers to obtain more responsive bids
(d) only foreign suppliers
Ans. (c) a higher number of approved suppliers to obtain more responsive bids — Explanation: Rule 162(i) encourages a larger number of approved suppliers. [Ref: Rule 162(i)]
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These questions are prepared for practice from the General Financial Rules 2017 as updated by the Department of Expenditure up to 31.01.2026. Always check the latest Office Memorandums of the Department of Expenditure before relying on a limit or procedure.