---
title: "Decide whether a late submission may be accepted"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/government-procurement-and-tendering/decide-whether-a-late-submission-may-be-accepted"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A50-CO20261022-12"
practice_area: "Government Procurement & Tendering"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Decide whether a late submission may be accepted

> Record the deadline, the time the submission was received, and the reason the file gives for the delay, including who engaged any courier or mail service. Do not decide that the submission may be accepted.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/government-procurement-and-tendering/decide-whether-a-late-submission-may-be-accepted  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Government Procurement & Tendering](https://ailawframework.com/practice/government-procurement-and-tendering.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Record the deadline, the time the submission was received, and the reason the file gives for the delay, including who engaged any courier or mail service. Do not decide that the submission may be accepted. |
| What the lawyer must review | The lawyer decides whether the submission may be accepted. Paragraph 10.28 says a late submission must not be accepted unless it is late because of mishandling by the relevant entity, and the entity must not penalise a potential supplier whose delay is due solely to that mishandling. Paragraph 10.29 says mishandling by the entity does not include mishandling by a courier or mail service the potential supplier engaged, and that it is the supplier's responsibility to dispatch the submission in time. Paragraph 10.30 says late submissions should be returned unopened, so they are not evaluated or compared, so other tenderers can see the process is fair, and so there is no suggestion the submission was rejected for a reason other than lateness. |
| Written for / versions | 1 jurisdiction versions below |

## Checking plan

**Source-by-source verification**

The responsible lawyer checks each element against the source named for it.

- What the AI does: Record the deadline, the time the submission was received, and the reason the file gives for the delay, including who engaged any courier or mail service. Do not decide that the submission may be accepted.
- What the lawyer does: The lawyer decides whether the submission may be accepted. Paragraph 10.28 says a late submission must not be accepted unless it is late because of mishandling by the relevant entity, and the entity must not penalise a potential supplier whose delay is due solely to that mishandling. Paragraph 10.29 says mishandling by the entity does not include mishandling by a courier or mail service the potential supplier engaged, and that it is the supplier's responsibility to dispatch the submission in time. Paragraph 10.30 says late submissions should be returned unopened, so they are not evaluated or compared, so other tenderers can see the process is fair, and so there is no suggestion the submission was rejected for a reason other than lateness.
- Who reviews: Responsible lawyer with competence in the matter
- Basis: Practical workflow informed by the linked primary sources; the traffic light and working checks are editorial guidance, not a court or regulator classification.
- Why: The level reflects what the work is, the consequence of an error, and how much of the output the lawyer must independently re-derive.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Use the receipt time, not the time the supplier says it was sent.
2. A courier the supplier engaged is not entity mishandling, on paragraph 10.29.
3. Do not open a late submission in order to compare it. Paragraph 10.30 says it should be returned unopened.

## Notes

- These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.

## Sources

- [Department of Finance, additional rules](https://www.finance.gov.au/government/procurement/commonwealth-procurement-rules/additional-rules) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [United States](https://ailawframework.com/practice/government-procurement-and-tendering/decide-whether-a-late-submission-may-be-accepted/united-states.md) | Yellow |

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*