Work completion certificate: what it must show, a sample format and how to get one

A work completion certificate is the paper that turns a finished job into experience you can use in your next tender. Works tenders ask for one to check their "similar work" criteria, and a missing date or the wrong signature can sink an otherwise good bid. This guide covers what the certificate must show, who issues it under CPWD and central rules, a sample format you can copy, and how to ask for one.

What a work completion certificate is

Three documents get mixed up here, and tenders sometimes use the names loosely:

Under CPWD's General Conditions of Contract (GCC) 2023, the completion certificate comes out of a formal inspection by the Engineer-in-Charge, the officer who runs your contract for the department. An experience certificate is what you attach to a bid. CPWD's own form for it, Annexure-III of its 2026 enlistment rules, is titled "Work experience certificate of completed work(s)". In practice many departments issue one letter that serves both purposes, which is why you'll see "completion certificate" asked for in tender documents.

Why tenders ask for a completion certificate

Works tenders set a minimum of past "similar work". The Department of Expenditure's Manual for Procurement of Works 2025 (the works manual, para 3.9.1-4) asks for similar works "successfully completed or substantially completed" during the last seven years, ending on the last day of the month before bids are invited:

• three similar completed works each costing at least 40% of the estimated cost, or
• two each costing at least 50%, or
• one costing at least 80%.

The same test appears in a Central Vigilance Commission office memorandum of 17 December 2002, which also told departments to define "similar work" clearly. The completion certificate is how you prove each of these works: what it was, what it cost and when it finished.

Two more rules in the same paragraph change how your certificates are counted:

• Old values are updated. The value of a completed work is raised at a simple rate of 7% a year from its completion date to bid opening. A ₹1 crore work completed three years before bid opening counts as ₹1.21 crore.
• Only your share counts. For a work you did as a joint venture partner or sub-contractor, only your share by value is considered. Your certificate should state that share.

An ongoing work can count if it is "substantially completed": at least 90% of the current contract value has been paid, the work or a major part of it is usable, and no termination proceedings for your default are pending. The Engineer-in-Charge or the employer then issues a two-part certificate: Part I with the value executed and certified as a percentage of the contract value, Part II certifying functional completion. To count, it must have been issued within 60 days before the tender is invited.

The full set of turnover, bid capacity and relaxation rules is in our guide to tender eligibility criteria.

Who issues a completion certificate

The officer in charge of your contract issues it. The works manual (para 7.6.1) says that when the work is done, "the Contractor should request the Contract Manager to issue a 'completion certificate'".

In CPWD works, the steps are set by Clause 8 of GCC 2023, as amended on 10 February 2025:

1. Within 10 days of completing the work (or a part, where the contract allows part completion), you give notice to the Engineer-in-Charge.
2. Within 7 days, the Engineer-in-Charge inspects and, once satisfied, informs the authorities named in Schedule F of your contract.
3. Those authorities inspect and issue a part or final completion certificate within 30 days. It lists any defects you must fix and any items to be paid at reduced rates.

The CPWD Works Manual 2022 (para 5.17) and its procedures (SOP 5/27) say who inspects and records the certificate:

SOP 5/27 also says the certificate should be recorded within one month of completion, that final payment is not made until it is, and that officers should record it for works completed during their tenure before handing over charge.

For experience certificates, CPWD's standard pre-qualification document asks that the value of each completed work be "certified by an officer not below the rank of Executive Engineer/Project Manager or equivalent". The 2026 enlistment form is signed by the "Project Manager or Executive Engineer or Equivalent Officer of owner department".

On national highway EPC contracts, the Authority's Engineer issues the Completion Certificate in the form at Schedule-L of MoRTH's model agreement, after tests on completion succeed.

What a work completion certificate must contain

Use the tender's own format if it gives one. If it doesn't, make sure the certificate shows:

• Certificate number and date, on the department's letterhead.
• Name and location of the work (city and state).
• Your firm's name exactly as in the award letter. CPWD's form asks for this, and a mismatch invites questions.
• Agreement or work order number, with its date.
• Estimated cost and agreement amount.
• Gross value of work completed. CPWD counts the gross value including material supplied by the client, but not material supplied free of cost.
• Date of start, stipulated date of completion and actual date of completion, plus the extended date if time was extended.
• Whether extension of time was granted and any compensation levied for delay.
• Nature and size of the work: building, road, bridge, electrical; storeys, plinth area or length; specialised items done by you or an associate agency.
• Your share, for joint venture or sub-contracted work.
• Any arbitration or court case, yes or no.
• A quality remark, such as "completed satisfactorily".
• Signature, name, designation and seal of the issuing officer, with office address, phone and official email so the buyer can verify it.

Sample work completion certificate format

This sample is ours, written to cover the points above. Ask the department to issue it on its letterhead, and replace it with the tender's format wherever one is prescribed.

[Letterhead of the issuing office]

No. ……………… Date: ………………

Work completion certificate

Certified that M/s ……………… (name as in the award letter) has executed and completed the following work under this office.

1. Name of work: ………………
2. Location: ……………… (city, district, state)
3. Agreement / work order no. and date: ………………
4. Estimated cost put to tender: ₹ ………………
5. Agreement amount: ₹ ………………
6. Gross value of work completed: ₹ ……………… (in words: ………………)
7. Date of start: ………………
8. Stipulated date of completion: ………………
9. Actual date of completion: ………………
10. Extension of time granted: Yes / No. If yes, up to ……………… Compensation for delay levied: ₹ ……… / Nil
11. Nature and main items of work: ……………… (for example: G+3 RCC framed building, plinth area ……… sq m, internal electrical work by the contractor)
12. Contractor's share, if executed as joint venture or sub-contract: ……… %
13. Arbitration or court case: Yes / No
14. Performance: The work has been completed satisfactorily. Defects pending: Nil / ………………
15. Defect liability period: ……… months, ending on ………………

Signature: ……………… Name and designation: ……………… (Executive Engineer or equivalent) Office seal, address, phone and official email: ………………

How to get a completion certificate from a government department

1. Give written notice the day you finish. Under CPWD's Clause 8 you have 10 days. Keep the receiving stamp or email.
2. Attend the inspection and close the defects list. The certificate records defects to be fixed, so close them quickly and get the closure noted.
3. Ask in writing for the certificate you need. Write to the Engineer-in-Charge or Executive Engineer with the agreement number, dates and final or last bill amount. Attach the award letter, extension of time letters and the final bill. If you need an experience certificate in a particular format, attach that format.
4. Check every line before you leave the office. Your firm's name, the values against your bills, the dates and the signature, designation and seal. A wrong figure is far easier to fix now than after bids close.
5. Follow up while the officer is still in post. If a certificate is held up, a polite letter to the Superintending Engineer is reasonable: CPWD's SOP 5/27 asks the next higher authority to sort out such cases and calls for action against officers who don't record certificates on time.
6. Keep scans and track their age. Some uses have time limits: CPWD's enlistment form must not be more than six months old when you apply, and a substantial completion certificate must be issued within 60 days before the tender is invited.

Keep these with the rest of your bid papers; our documents checklist lists the full set.

TDS certificates and Form 26AS as supporting proof

Tax records can back up a certificate, mainly for private-sector work, where there is no government office to verify it. The officially accepted uses we found are:

• CPWD enlistment (Rules 2026). Applicants must upload self-attested Form 16/16A and Form 26AS for private works or back-to-back work, and copies of the final bills of private works (not needed for central or state government works). CPWD may independently verify Form 16A, the TDS certificate your client issues, and Form 26AS, your annual tax statement. A private work also needs an agreement on e-stamp paper of at least ₹100.
• Back-to-back contracts. Where the owner gave the work to a first agency and you actually executed it, CPWD accepts your experience only if, among other conditions, the owner and the first agency jointly certify it and your payments show in your bank accounts and income tax statements.
• Listed companies. The works manual (para 3.9.1-4) says a valid experience certificate from a private company listed on BSE or NSE "will be accepted as proof of capability".

One change to note: under the Income-tax Act, 2025, the annual tax statement is Form 168 from tax year 2026-27. Form 26AS still covers the years up to 2025-26, so older works stay on 26AS.

For a tender, the tender document decides. If it asks for TDS proof alongside private-work certificates, give it; if it asks only for client certificates, a tax statement won't replace one.

Common reasons bids get rejected over completion certificates

• The certificate was issued after bid opening. The works manual (para 6.3.5) says certificates "created, signed, or issued after the date of bid opening shall not be accepted, even if they purport to certify historical facts".
• It was never uploaded. Evaluators may ask for a missing completion certificate, but only one that already existed before the bid deadline. Don't rely on getting that chance.
• The work is outside the window. Count seven years back from the last day of the month before the tender was invited, unless the tender sets another period.
• It isn't "similar" as the tender defines it. Read the definition word by word. A road job won't count for a building tender that defines similar work as construction of RCC framed buildings.
• The value falls short after counting only your share of a joint venture or sub-contracted work.
• The signatory is too junior, where the tender asks for an Executive Engineer or equivalent.
• The name doesn't match. The certificate is in an old firm name or a partner's name, not the bidder's. CPWD enlistment rules accept only works done in the same name and style as the applicant, with limited exceptions.
• The substantial completion certificate is stale, issued more than 60 days before the tender was invited, or missing one of its two parts.

Finding works that match your certificates

Once your certificates are in order, look for tenders whose similar-work threshold fits your largest completed job. You can browse live civil works tenders from central and state portals on GovtTenderHub, including CPWD tenders. If you're new to e-tendering, start with how to apply for government tenders.

Common questions

What is a work completion certificate?

It is a letter or form from the department that owned the work, confirming that you completed it, with the agreement number, value, start and completion dates and a quality remark. Tenders use it to check similar work experience.

Who issues a completion certificate for government work?

The officer in charge of the contract: the Engineer-in-Charge or Contract Manager. In CPWD, the Executive Engineer records it for building and infrastructure works up to ₹10 crore, and the EE with a Superintending or Chief Engineer above that.

What is the difference between a completion certificate and an experience certificate?

A completion certificate records, after inspection, that the work is complete, and starts the defect liability period. An experience certificate is issued for you to show other buyers, and adds details like value, nature of work and quality. Many departments issue one letter covering both.

Can an ongoing work count as experience?

Under the central works manual, yes, if it is substantially completed: at least 90% of the contract value paid, the work usable and no termination for your default pending. You need the Engineer-in-Charge's two-part certificate, issued within 60 days before the tender is invited.

Is Form 26AS accepted as proof of work experience?

Only as support, and only where the rules ask for it. CPWD's enlistment rules require Form 16/16A and 26AS for private works, with copies of the final bills. From tax year 2026-27 the annual tax statement is Form 168. A tender that asks for client certificates still needs the certificates.

How long is a completion certificate valid?

It doesn't expire as such, but the work must fall inside the tender's experience window, usually seven years. Some uses set their own limits: six months for CPWD's enlistment form, and 60 days for a substantial completion certificate.