what is a tender offer 
a tender offer is a bid to purchase some or all of the shareholders stock in a corporation tender offers are typically made publicly and invite shareholders to sell their shares for a specified price and within a particular window of time the price offered is usually at a premium to the market price and is often contingent upon a minimum or a maximum number of shares sold 1to tender is to invite bids for a project or accept a formal offer such as a takeover bid an exchange offer is a specialized type of tender offer in which securities or other non cash alternatives are offered in exchange for shares companies might also offer a debt tender offer to repurchase or retire their outstanding debt and bond securities 