Rated Requirement

A rated requirement is a requirement in a Canadian federal solicitation that the buyer evaluates by assigning points or another score. Instead of asking whether a bid passes or fails, evaluators judge how well the bid addresses the requirement and record a score. Those scores are then added up and used to compare bids.

Rated requirements are different from mandatory requirements, which are assessed on a met or not-met basis. A solicitation may also require a bidder to reach a minimum score on its rated requirements to remain eligible. Technical merit, management approach, experience and qualifications are common subjects of rated requirements. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat describes this model in its evaluation guidance.

How rated requirements differ from mandatory requirements

The typical federal model has two layers. A bid must first meet the mandatory requirements, which set the minimum conditions for the bid. After that, it can be evaluated against the rated criteria, and it may need to reach a minimum score to proceed. A strong rated score does not cure a failure to meet a mandatory requirement.

Shared Services Canada states in its standard instructions for procurement documents that, where a solicitation includes rated requirements, each bid is rated by assigning scores. Those requirements are identified by the word "rated" or by a reference to a score.

How PSPC writes and assesses point-rated criteria

Public Services and Procurement Canada uses rated requirements in requests for proposals and other competitive solicitations. Related terms in federal documents include point-rated requirement, point-rated technical criterion and rated technical requirement. PSPC's assessor guidance requires evaluators to assign points for each point-rated technical criterion. Evaluators then determine whether the bid meets any required minimum total score or minimum score for an individual criterion.

The same guidance says point-rated technical criteria must be consistent with the statement of work and must clearly describe the requirement. A buyer cannot score against criteria that are vague or unrelated to the work being procured.

Minimum scores in real solicitations

Minimum scores are where rated requirements decide outcomes. A CanadaBuys request for proposal from ESDC required a proposal to obtain at least 70% of the maximum total technical score.

In the PSPC East Block technical-feasibility procurement, proponents had to achieve a minimum technical rating of 60 points out of 100 before moving to later evaluation stages. Only responsive submissions that met the mandatory requirements and the technical rated threshold were ranked. The fairness monitoring report describes the process.

An RCMP facilities solicitation stated that each bid would be rated against the rated requirements. It also stated that failure to submit complete information would affect the rating.

Phased bid compliance and rated requirements

Canada's phased bid compliance process may apply where a rated requirement carries a mandatory minimum score. This includes certain socio-economic criteria and comprehensive land claim agreement criteria. The CanadaBuys page on phased bid compliance sets out how buyers use it.

What a rated requirement means for a supplier

Treat each rated requirement as a scoring opportunity and a possible elimination point. A bid team should:

• Identify every rated requirement and its scoring scale in the solicitation.
• Provide the requested evidence, cross-references and supporting documentation for each criterion.
• Explain how the proposed solution, personnel, experience or methodology satisfies the criterion.
• Meet any stated minimum score, whether overall or for an individual rated criterion.
• Address mandatory requirements separately from rated ones.
• Follow the solicitation's format and submission instructions, because incomplete information can lower a score or cause the bid to miss the threshold.