Award criteria and weightings
Award criteria and their weightings decide how a public buyer ranks bids: price, quality, delivery, social value. How to read them and where to put your effort.
Updated on September 5, 2026
Award criteria are the factors a public buyer uses to compare bids and pick the most advantageous tender. The weighting is the share of the total score given to each criterion, expressed as a percentage or in points, and it decides how much influence that criterion has on the final ranking.
How it works
Under the Procurement Act 2023 the criteria must relate to the subject matter of the contract, be sufficiently clear, measurable and specific, be proportionate, and be published in the tender notice or the tender documents together with their relative importance. A buyer may award on price alone for a standardised purchase, but a mix is the norm: price or whole-life cost, technical quality, delivery, environmental performance, social value, after-sales support, innovation.
In England, central government departments apply a minimum weighting for social value, and Wales and Scotland impose their own community benefit and fair work requirements; Ireland uses the most economically advantageous tender under the 2016 Regulations. Sub-criteria that carry marks must also be disclosed.
The scoring method itself does not have to be published, but it must not neutralise the published weighting: a price formula that gives near-identical marks to every bid makes a 60 per cent price criterion meaningless. If the criteria or their importance change, the buyer must tell tenderers and, where the change is significant, extend the deadline.
Each bid is scored per criterion, weighted and totalled. Before the contract is signed, every tenderer receives an assessment summary explaining its own scores and those of the winning bid, followed by a standstill period of eight working days (verified 2026-09-05).
What it means for a bidder
The weighting tells you where to spend your effort. Price at 70 per cent calls for a keen number; quality at 60 per cent calls for a detailed written response. A 10 per cent social value criterion can separate two close bids.
Read the sub-criteria and structure your answer in the same order. Evidence every claim, because the evaluator is looking for proof, not assertion. For price, find out which formula the buyer normally uses, often proportional to the lowest bid: that tells you what each percentage point of difference costs you in marks.
Always read the assessment summary carefully after an award. It is the best feedback you will get for the next bid.
Example
Fontridge Council awards a meals-on-wheels contract estimated at £200,000 including VAT over three years. Criteria: price 40 per cent, food quality and organisation 40 per cent, environmental performance 20 per cent (packaging, vehicles). A local SME prices 6 per cent above the cheapest bid but takes the best quality score thanks to a nearby kitchen and an electric delivery round, and finishes first on the weighted total.
Frequently asked questions
Is price always the main criterion?
No. Price or cost must be assessed, but its weight varies. On professional services it often counts for less than quality.
Can the buyer change the criteria mid-procedure?
Only by publishing a corrigendum before bids are due, with enough time left to respond. Changing them after opening bids is unlawful.
Can I challenge a score I think is unfair?
Ask for clarification of your assessment summary. If a criterion that was never published has been used, or the method contradicts the stated weighting, you can start a legal challenge during the standstill period, which suspends the buyer's ability to sign.