Award criteria are the published factors the buyer uses to identify the tender offering the best result under the stated evaluation model.
Detailed explanation
Award criteria convert the buyer’s priorities into measurable evaluation areas. They may include price, technical quality, mobilisation, customer service, social value, sustainability, risk, programme or other contract-specific considerations. Each criterion should be read together with its weighting, scoring description and evidence requirements.
The criteria should control how the bid team spends its time. A heavily weighted mobilisation response deserves more planning, evidence and senior review than a low-weighted supporting question. This does not mean low-weighted requirements can be ignored; mandatory failures can still invalidate a submission.
Strong bidders create a question plan that records the criterion, weighting, scoring descriptor, response limit, required attachments, evidence and accountable author. This prevents a polished but generic submission that does not answer what will actually be scored.
Why it matters
Your submission is scored against these criteria, so every response should be built around them.
How buyers use it
Evaluators assess the tender only against the published criteria and methodology. They look for relevant content that demonstrates how the proposed solution will meet the requirement, manage risk and deliver the stated outcomes.
What suppliers should do
- Map every question to the published criterion and weighting.
- Highlight every instruction word such as describe, demonstrate, explain and evidence.
- Build the answer around the scoring descriptor.
- Allocate review effort according to value and risk.
- Check that attachments are expressly permitted and correctly referenced.
Where it fits in the process
- 1Buyer defines outcomes
- 2Criteria and weightings published
- 3Supplier structures responses
- 4Evaluators score evidence
- 5Weighted scores determine result
Frequently asked questions
Are award criteria the same as mandatory requirements?
No. Mandatory requirements are usually pass/fail gateways. Award criteria are generally used to compare compliant tenders through the published scoring model.
Can criteria change after publication?
Material changes should be handled through the buyer’s formal process. Monitor portal messages and amendments throughout the competition.
What does a weighting mean?
It indicates the relative contribution of that criterion to the final result. Confirm how raw scores are converted into weighted scores.
Should every answer use the same structure?
Use a consistent quality framework, but tailor the structure to the actual question, evidence and scoring expectations.
How do we review against criteria?
Ask an independent reviewer to score only what is written, using the published descriptors rather than what the author intended to say.
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