Performance Guarantee for MP PWD Contracts
Three separate amounts get confused constantly: EMD, performance guarantee and security deposit. They are taken at different times, for different reasons, and released on different dates.
Three different amounts, three different purposes
| When | What it is for | |
|---|---|---|
| EMD (earnest money) | With the bid | That you will honour your bid if you win. Returned to unsuccessful bidders after the tender |
| Performance guarantee | After award, before the agreement | That you will complete the work as contracted. Usually a bank guarantee for a percentage of the contract value |
| Security deposit | Deducted from running bills | Cover for defects and outstanding obligations, released after the defect liability period |
Contractors routinely treat these as one pot of money. They are not, and confusing them causes real cash flow problems — particularly on the assumption that the performance guarantee returns at handover, when the security deposit is what continues past it.
Written 5 September 2026. Government requirements and portal behaviour change — message us to confirm before you rely on any date or figure here.
What to get right on the bank guarantee
- The exact format the department requires. Departments reject guarantees that deviate from their prescribed wording, and a rejected guarantee delays the agreement.
- The validity period. It has to cover the contract and usually a claim period beyond it. A guarantee expiring before the work completes has to be extended, and banks charge for that.
- The amount, calculated correctly on the contract value the department is using rather than your own figure.
- Bank charges and margin. The bank will usually require margin money or a lien on a deposit. That is your working capital tied up for the duration — factor it into the price before you bid, not after you win.
- A diary entry for expiry. An expired guarantee on a live contract is a default in itself.
Getting it back
Release is not automatic. The department discharges the guarantee once its conditions are satisfied, and the contractor usually has to ask, with the completion documentation in order. Guarantees left unclaimed keep the contractor's margin money tied up long after the work is finished.
If you have completed work and your guarantee has not been released, that is worth chasing formally rather than waiting. It is money doing nothing.
Common questions
Send us your case
Send us the tender or work order and we will tell you what guarantee is required, in what format, and for how long.
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