What is Schedule of Rates?
SOR
A Schedule of Rates (SOR) is a government list of standard work items and rates, such as CPWD DSR, used to prepare estimates and BOQs for works tenders.
What is a Schedule of Rates?
A Schedule of Rates, or SOR, is a book of standard item descriptions with units and rates, published by a works department. Engineers use it to prepare cost estimates and the BOQ for a works tender.
The best known is the CPWD Delhi Schedule of Rates (DSR). Many state PWDs, water resources departments, railways and other organisations publish their own SORs, which are revised from time to time.
How it is used in tenders
BOQ items are often taken word for word from the SOR, with the SOR item number shown. The estimated cost is then built from SOR rates, and in many works tenders bidders quote a percentage above or below that estimate.
Where the work is outside Delhi, CPWD estimates usually apply a cost index to the DSR rates for that place. Items not covered by the SOR are called non-schedule items, and their rates are worked out by rate analysis.
Tips for bidders
Knowing which SOR a tender uses tells you a lot about the estimate behind it.
- Check which SOR, and which year’s edition, the estimate is based on
- Read the full SOR item description, as it defines what the rate includes
- Compare SOR rates with your actual costs for materials and labour
- Price non-schedule items with your own rate analysis
Common questions
Common questions about Schedule of Rates in government tenders.
DSR is the Delhi Schedule of Rates published by CPWD. It lists standard civil and electrical work items with rates, and is widely used as a reference for estimates.
No. The SOR is the buyer’s basis for the estimate. Bidders quote their own rates or a percentage above or below the estimate, as the tender asks.
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