Rate sheet validity: how never to quote an expired rate

What is rate sheet validity?

Rate sheet validity is the period, from a valid-from date to a valid-till date, during which a vendor's tariff can be used to quote. Outside that period the vendor no longer stands behind the rates, and a quotation built on them can cost you the margin or the customer.

Shipping lines and NVOCCs send many of their sheets monthly, some offers last only days, and local charges often run until revised. Every sheet needs both dates on record before anyone quotes from it.

Which dates matter on a rate sheet?

• Valid from: the first day the rates apply.
• Valid till: the last day they apply. A sheet valid till 31 October can be used on 31 October; on 1 November it has expired.
• Line validity: a single line can end before the sheet does, for example a surcharge that changes in the middle of the month.
• Received on: when the vendor sent the sheet, which matters when it states only an end date.

Two more dates sit outside the sheet but decide whether it can be used: the customer's cargo ready date, and the validity you put on your own quotation.

Is a sheet active, upcoming or expired?

Work it out from the dates every day, never by hand: upcoming before valid from, active from valid from to valid till, expired after valid till. On 27 October 2026:

An expired sheet is kept for history but must never reach a quotation. An upcoming sheet is not used until it starts.

What if the sheet does not state a validity?

• Only an end date: valid from is the date the vendor sent it.
• Only a month, such as "November 2026": the first to the last day of that month.
• No validity at all: ask the vendor, and do not store or quote the sheet until they answer. Never guess.

How do local charges "until revised" work?

Local charges, such as THC, B/L fee and seal at a port, are often published with an effective date and no end date. Store them as valid until revised. When the vendor's next revision for the same trade lane arrives, the earlier tariff ends on the day before the new one starts.

For example, a vendor's Nhava Sheva local charges are effective from 1 July 2026, until revised. On 27 October a revision effective 1 November 2026 arrives. The July tariff now ends on 31 October, and from 1 November only the new one applies. Monthly freight sheets, by contrast, always need a real valid-till date.

How long can a quotation be valid?

Never longer than the vendor's validity behind it. If the vendor's offer is valid till 15 November, your quotation can be valid until 15 November at the latest, even if the customer asks for 30 November.

Then check the cargo ready date. If the cargo will only be ready on 20 November, after the vendor's validity ends, say so on the quotation: "Rates are subject to revalidation at the time of booking." If the vendor's valid-till has already passed, do not quote from it at all; ask the vendor to revalidate first.

How long are ocean freight rates usually valid?

There is no single answer. It depends on the line, the trade and the market: monthly sheets are common, short-term offers can last days, contract rates run longer, and local charges often run until revised. Read the dates on each sheet rather than assuming, and ask when they are missing.

What is a good renewal routine?

Two habits keep a desk in date:

• Watch the sheets ending in the next 7 days, so renewals are asked for before a sheet runs out.
• Once a month (Mega Move India does it on the 25th), list the active sheets expiring in the next 10 days and send each vendor a renewal request.

Subject: Rate renewal | <carrier> | <trade lane> | valid till <DD Mon YYYY>

Dear <vendor name> team,

Your rate sheet <sheet no> (<carrier>, <trade lane>) stored with us is valid till <DD Mon YYYY>.
Please share your rates for the coming period with the validity dates, so that we can continue quoting on these lanes.

Regards,
<sender name>

Store each renewal as a new sheet with its own dates, and keep the expired one for history: it is the record of what you quoted from.

The checklist

1. No validity, no sheet: ask the vendor.
2. Record valid from and valid till, and any line that ends earlier.
3. Store local charges without an end date as until revised.
4. Quote only from active sheets.
5. Never make a quotation valid for longer than the vendor's rate.
6. Cargo ready after the vendor's validity: add the revalidation note.
7. Ask for renewals at least 7 days before a sheet ends.
8. Keep expired sheets; never delete the history.

Before any rate is checked, the enquiry needs its number: see the RFQ acknowledgement SOP. The glossary defines rate sheets, local charges, THC and free days.