Why clear evaluation criteria matter
Launch library · evergreen read
Clear evaluation criteria, published before bids are actually received, tell every supplier exactly what will be assessed and how heavily each factor will be weighed, removing much of the ambiguity that could otherwise allow a decision to be justified after the fact rather than reached through a genuinely transparent, structured process.
Vague criteria, such as simply requiring the best overall value without further definition, leave far too much room for a decision to be rationalised however the evaluator ultimately prefers, since almost any outcome can be described as representing the best overall value if the term is never actually defined with any real precision.
Well designed criteria also make an evaluation genuinely easier to defend if challenged, since scoring against clearly defined, published factors creates a documented, traceable path from the raw evidence submitted through to the final decision reached, rather than asking anyone to simply trust the evaluator's own unrecorded, entirely internal judgement.