Evaluation and award

In Canadian public procurement, evaluation and award is the stage in which bids or proposals are evaluated against the evaluation criteria and methodology disclosed in the solicitation. The contract is then awarded to the successful compliant bidder or proponent. It joins two related activities: assessing what suppliers submitted, and selecting and contracting with the winner.

The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman describes the related process as ensuring consistent bid evaluation according to the planned approach, and documenting the selection of the successful supplier. The Ombudsman's review framework covers an evaluation plan, instructions for evaluators and the documentation that supports the selection.

Where evaluation and award sits in the CanadaBuys lifecycle

CanadaBuys separates the work into a "Receive and evaluate" stage and an "Award" stage. The award stage involves awarding the contract, communicating the results, and holding debriefing or feedback sessions. The CanadaBuys buyer's guide sets out these stages for federal buyers.

The Canada Border Services Agency describes the same sequence for federal consulting procurements. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) or Shared Services Canada issues the request for proposal, collects bids, evaluates them using the published methodology and awards the contract to the winning bidder, as set out in the CBSA description of the process.

What the Directive on the Management of Procurement requires

The Treasury Board's Directive on the Management of Procurement requires departments to design and conduct the bid evaluation process, the financial assessment and due diligence. It also calls for performance-based evaluation criteria that are proportionate to the risk and complexity of the procurement.

In practice, evaluation covers several components:

• mandatory requirements that a bid must meet to remain compliant;
• point-rated criteria scored against the stated methodology;
• financial assessment of the pricing submitted;
• any due-diligence process stated in the solicitation.

Fairness rules for evaluating and awarding

Federal fairness guidance states that bidders must be evaluated only against disclosed criteria, using the same process and evaluators, without undisclosed preferences or bias. Evaluations must be performed consistently and in good faith. The guidance also states that an award must not be made to a non-compliant bidder unless the solicitation permits it, and that the award must be based on the disclosed criteria. See the Treasury Board guidance.

The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman has used "evaluation of bids and contract award" as a review element at several organizations. Its review of Parks Canada describes the need to document the selection of the successful bidder.

How an RFP words its evaluation and award section

Some solicitations use "Evaluation and Award" as a section heading. A request for proposal published on CanadaBuys states that a contract would normally be negotiated and executed with the leading proponent selected under the evaluation format in the RFP. It also reserves rights concerning partial awards, negotiation and rejection of proposals.

Performance-based contracts add a further layer. The federal Practitioner's Guide for Pricing describes an award-fee plan that sets out how contractor performance will be evaluated, including evaluation periods, teams, categories, criteria, ratings and process.

What evaluation and award means for a supplier

A bid is judged on what it shows against the disclosed rules. A supplier should:

• satisfy every mandatory requirement;
• address each point-rated criterion in the manner and format required;
• provide the evidence, certifications, pricing and other information requested;
• follow the submission instructions and deadlines;
• understand the selection method and the evaluation weighting;
• confirm that the bid is compliant before submitting it.

Federal evaluators must apply the disclosed criteria and planned methodology consistently, so bid teams can plan their responses around the solicitation document alone. A supplier that is unsuccessful should use the debriefing or feedback process where the solicitation provides one.