How Public Buyers Evaluate Tenders: Scoring, Criteria, and Weightings
When it comes to public tenders, the best bid doesn’t always win - the best scored bid does.
Public buyers don’t pick suppliers based on gut feeling or persuasive language.
They use structured, transparent evaluation systems to ensure fairness, compliance, and value for money. Each bid is assessed against published criteria, scored according to weighting, and ranked based on total points.
For suppliers, understanding how this process works is the key to writing bids that not only sound good but also score well. The goal isn’t just to meet the requirements - it’s to align your bid with exactly what the buyer is measuring.
How Tender Evaluation Works
Every tender follows a formal evaluation process designed to keep things fair and auditable.
It usually unfolds in three stages:
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Qualification: Buyers check that you meet mandatory requirements (legal, financial, technical). If not - you’re out before evaluation even begins.
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Evaluation: The buyer reviews your responses against the published criteria. Each section is scored independently, often by multiple evaluators.
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Award: The supplier with the highest combined score (quality + price) wins the contract.
Public buyers are legally required to evaluate tenders using only the criteria listed in the tender documentation - nothing can be added later. That means the clues to how your bid will be scored are right in front of you.
The Two Main of Tender Evaluation
1. Selection Criteria
The selection stage determines whether you’re eligible to compete. Think of it as the “qualifying round.”
Buyers assess:
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Legal status: Is your company properly registered and compliant?
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Financial stability: Are your accounts, turnover, and insurance sufficient?
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Technical capacity: Do you have relevant experience and qualified staff?
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Past performance: Can you demonstrate success on similar contracts?
Only suppliers who meet these minimum standards move on to the next stage.
2. Award Criteria
This is where the scoring begins. Buyers evaluate the quality and value of your actual offer. Most tenders are awarded based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), which balances price and quality.
A typical weighting might look like this:
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Quality: 60%
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Price: 40%
But that balance can shift depending on the contract type. Consultancy services might lean more toward quality, while commodity goods might favor price.
Once you’ve met the selection requirements, your bid is scored against a set of award criteria. These are the key areas buyers use to compare suppliers and determine who offers the best overall value.
Common Evaluation Criteria
While the specifics vary, most buyers assess the same broad areas:
Price
Price almost always factors in - but not always as “lowest wins.” Buyers look for value for money, not just cost savings.
Tip: Explain your pricing structure clearly and justify how it aligns with quality and efficiency.
Quality
This covers your technical approach, methodology, and ability to deliver.
Buyers look for:
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Clear processes and risk management.
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Evidence of innovation or efficiency.
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Experience with similar projects.
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Quality assurance and monitoring systems.
Social Value / ESG
Increasingly, buyers assess environmental and social impact - such as carbon reduction, inclusive hiring, or local community engagement.
Tip: Provide measurable outcomes (e.g., “we reduced CO₂ emissions by 20% on our last project”).
Delivery and Capacity
Buyers want confidence that you can deliver on time, at scale, and with minimal disruption.
Show: Your delivery plan, key personnel, resources, and contingency measures.
4. Understanding Weightings - and Why They Matter
Weightings tell you what the buyer cares about most. They’re expressed as percentages that show the relative importance of each evaluation category.
For example, a buyer might assign 70% to quality, 30% to price, and 10% to social value.
That means they value quality and performance over cost, but competitive pricing still matters. Sustainability and community impact can also provide an edge.
If quality carries more weight, invest time in crafting detailed, evidence-backed responses. If price dominates, focus on cost efficiency and demonstrating value.
For instance, a public IT contract weighted 70/30 (quality/price) suggests the buyer prioritizes reliability, data security, and long-term support. A simple “low-cost” offer will likely lose to a slightly higher-priced bid that proves better technical quality.
Why it matters:
If quality carries more weight, invest time in crafting detailed, evidence-backed responses. If price dominates, focus on cost efficiency and demonstrating value.
Example:
A public IT contract weighted 70/30 (quality/price) means the buyer prioritizes reliability, data security, and long-term support. A simple “low cost” offer will likely lose to a slightly higher-priced bid that proves better technical quality.
Inside the Scoring Process
Every buyer’s scoring process is built around a clear, auditable framework. Most use a scale - often from 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 - with defined descriptors for each score.
A typical 0–5 scale works like this:
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0 means the response fails to meet requirements or is missing entirely.
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1 indicates a poor response with major gaps or limited understanding.
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2 is fair - meeting some but not all requirements.
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3 represents a good response that meets requirements adequately.
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4 is very good, exceeding expectations in certain areas.
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5 signals an excellent response that fully meets and exceeds requirements, supported by strong evidence.
Each evaluator scores responses independently, and the scores are then averaged to reduce bias. Buyers also record their reasoning for each score, forming the basis of post-bid feedback.
Why it matters for suppliers:
Evaluators score evidence, not promises. “We always deliver on time” won’t score well. “We achieved 98% on-time delivery across 12 contracts last year” will.
Writing With the Evaluator in Mind
To score high, think like a buyer. Evaluators often review dozens of responses - they need clarity, relevance, and evidence.
Here’s how to help them score you well:
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Mirror the language: Use the same terminology as the question. If it says “describe your approach to risk management,” use that exact phrase in your answer.
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Structure your response: Follow the question order and use clear headings.
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Provide evidence: Support every claim with data, references, or case studies.
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Be explicit: Don’t make evaluators “read between the lines.” Spell out benefits, outcomes, and alignment with the specification.
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Review before submission: Ask someone unfamiliar with the bid to score it using the published criteria. You’ll quickly spot unclear or weak sections.
Remember: evaluators don’t reward effort - they reward clarity and proof.
Using Feedback to Improve Future Scores
Even the best suppliers don’t win every time. What separates consistent winners is how they learn from feedback.
After each tender, request a debrief. Buyers are required to provide:
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Your score per criterion.
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The winning bidder’s score (and sometimes summary).
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Reasons for differences in scoring.
Use this data to analyze patterns. Do you consistently score lower on social value? Pricing? Technical delivery? Focus your improvement efforts there.
Mercell helps suppliers track feedback and tender outcomes in one place, allowing you to spot trends and continuously refine your bidding strategy.
Winning by Thinking Like a Buyer
Tender evaluation isn’t a mystery - it’s a structured process designed to be fair, consistent, and transparent. The suppliers who win most often aren’t just great writers - they’re strategic thinkers who understand how buyers score bids.
By focusing on clarity, alignment, and evidence, you make it easy for evaluators to award you top marks.
And with Mercell, you gain insights into how buyers evaluate, what weightings matter most, and how your past performance compares - so every bid you submit is sharper, stronger, and more competitive.