Evaluation report

In Canadian federal procurement, an evaluation report is the documentation that records the assessment of supplier proposals against the evaluation requirements of a solicitation. That includes both mandatory technical criteria and point-rated technical criteria. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) uses the term for individual evaluation reports and, where applicable, a summary report.

PSPC also uses the same term in a second, separate way. Its Evaluation Services work produces published evaluation reports on government programs and initiatives, containing findings and recommendations. Bid teams will meet both uses, so it helps to know which one a document or requirement refers to. The sections below cover each use and what they mean for your bids. PSPC's evaluation report page describes the program-level reports.

Evaluation reports in the procurement file

PSPC's procurement-file checklist lists "individual evaluation reports and summary report if applicable" as required documentation, alongside related correspondence. The evaluation report is therefore part of the formal record of how a contract award was reached. It is an evaluator's document, kept on file, and it sits behind the decision on which proposal met the solicitation's requirements. The checklist is available as a PSPC PDF.

Mandatory and point-rated criteria reports under supply arrangements

PSPC's Assessor Guidance Document for supply arrangement requirements contains a section titled "Evaluation reports, documentation." The guidance directs assessors to document proposal evaluations in evaluation reports. It treats two kinds of report separately:

• Evaluation reports for mandatory technical evaluation criteria.
• Evaluation reports for point-rated technical evaluation criteria.

This split reflects how Canadian solicitations are built. Mandatory criteria are assessed on whether the proposal meets them. Point-rated criteria are scored. Each result is recorded so that the assessment of every proposal can be traced to the stated requirements.

PSPC program evaluation reports

The second use of the term is the program or departmental evaluation. PSPC states that its evaluation reports contain recommendations intended to help the Government of Canada design and deliver accountable, results-focused programs and services. Several of these reports concern procurement and contracting programs:

• The evaluation of the Risk-Based Approach to Contract Approval for Defence Procurement, Phase II, conducted through PSPC's Evaluation Services Directorate.
• The summary of the risk-based defence procurement pilot evaluation, which examined whether the program achieved its objectives under the Treasury Board Policy on Results.
• The Contract Security Program evaluation summary.
• The Controlled Goods Program evaluation summary, which includes findings on relevance, performance, efficiency and economy.
• The Fairness Monitoring Program evaluation summary, which includes conclusions and recommendations.

These reports are published for the public. They do not record the assessment of an individual bid.

What an evaluation report means for a supplier

The procurement evaluation report is prepared by evaluators as part of the procurement record. A supplier's part is the proposal itself. Address every mandatory criterion clearly, because the evaluation report records whether each one was met. Give evaluators the evidence they need for each point-rated criterion, because those scores are documented separately.

The published program evaluations are useful background reading. If you bid on defence work, or on contracts that involve security screening, controlled goods or fairness monitoring, the findings and recommendations show how PSPC reviews those programs.