The Short Distinction
A clarification seeks to understand the offer already submitted. An offer revision changes its price or substantive commitment. The boundary depends on the applicable process and rules; these definitions help identify the question for the procurement owner.
Why the Boundary Matters
An apparently helpful reply can change the basis on which suppliers compete. Calling it clarification does not preserve fair treatment if it introduces a different price or requirement. The record needs to distinguish the submitted offer, the question and any authorized change, without disclosing a competitor's confidential offer.
One Offer, Two Questions
All facts and USD amounts below are invented. A supplier offers 200 manuals at 12 USD each. Page 2 says delivery is included; page 4 separately lists delivery at 150 USD. The supplied process rule keeps price and substance as submitted unless the requirement is formally amended.
| Offer Text Concerned | Proposed Question | Why It Falls on This Side |
|---|---|---|
| Conflicting delivery statements on pages 2 and 4 | “Which delivery statement applies to your submitted offer?” | Seeks an explanation of existing text; the owner still checks whether the reply merely explains or actually changes the offer |
| Submitted unit price of 12 USD | “Can you offer 11 USD per manual?” | Requests a different price, rather than explaining the submitted one |
At the submitted unit price, 200 × 12 = 2,400 USD. The delivery conflict leaves two readings: 2,400 USD if included, or 2,400 + 150 = 2,550 USD if additional. Neither is selected here. At the requested lower price, 200 × 11 = 2,200 USD, a 200 USD reduction from 2,400 USD before resolving delivery. That reduction is a proposed revision.
A Practical Mistake
“The cheaper answer helps us” does not make a price drop clarification. Nor does phrasing an invitation as a question stop it from requesting a new commitment. Even the delivery question does not guarantee that every possible answer is an admissible clarification.
What Stays Local
Some processes permit negotiated improvement at a later stage. Under those rules, a price-revision request belongs to that authorized stage, not to clarification merely by renaming it. The authorized procurement owner determines how a reply is classified and whether a requirement must be formally amended for all suppliers. This page evaluates no supplier and sends no question.
Sources and Scope
The UN Procurement Practitioner's Handbook, section 6.4, printed page 108, separates clarification from changes to substance or price. The relevant passage was opened and checked November 1, 2026; it describes UN practice subordinate to each organization's rules, not NGO procurement law. The Charity Commission's decision guidance, November 2020, CC8, November 2024, and CC26, updated September 2026, provide England and Wales governance, controls and risk context; they supply no clarification rule. See purchase specifications for the separate requirements task.