The Indian Contract Act, 1872
38. Effect of refusal to accept offer of performance
Where a promisor has made an offer of performance to the promisee, and the offer has not been accepted, the promisor is not responsible for non-performance, nor does he thereby lose his rights under the contract.
Every such offer must fulfil the following conditions –
(1) it must be unconditional;
(2) it must be made at a proper time and place, and under such circumstances that the person to whom it is made may have a reasonable opportunity of ascertaining that the person by whom it is been made is able and willing there and then to do the whole of what he is bound by his promise to do;
(3) if the offer is an offer to deliver anything to the promisee, the promisee must have a reasonable opportunity of seeing that the thing offered is the thing which the promisor is bound by his promise to deliver. An offer to one of several joint promisees has the same legal consequences as an offer to all of them.
Illustration
A contracts to deliver to B at his warehouse, on the 1st March, 1873, 100 bales of cotton of a particular quality. In order to make an offer of performance with the effect stated in this section. A must bring the cotton to B’s warehouse, on the appointed day, under such circumstances that B may have a reasonable opportunity of satisfying himself that the thing offered is cotton of the quality contracted for, and that there are 100 bales.
Comments
Tender must be strict
Where the instructions have been issued to Bidders asking them to state against each work item unit rate in Indian Currency and in U.S. Dollar or Japanese Yen. Then the quoating of the unit rate 50 per cent. in Indian Rupee and 50 per cent. in U.S. Dollar will not be treated as clerical or Mechinical error and cannot be allowed to be corrected; West Bengal Electricity Board v. Patel Engg. Co. Ltd., AIR 2001 SC 683.
