Rated Requirements

Rated requirements are the parts of a Canadian government solicitation that are scored rather than simply passed or failed. Each bid receives points against these requirements according to the evaluation method set out in the solicitation. The scores help the buyer compare bids and decide which one offers the best value.

They sit alongside mandatory requirements, which are generally assessed on a pass/fail basis. A bid that meets every mandatory requirement is compliant, and the rated requirements then show how strong that compliant bid is relative to the others. Canada's standard procurement instructions state that bids are scored against requirements identified by the word "rated" or by reference to a score, as shown in the Shared Services Canada standard instructions for procurement documents.

How Rated Requirements Differ From Mandatory Requirements

A mandatory requirement is a gate. The bid either meets it or it does not, and a bid that fails can be rejected. A rated requirement is a measure. The bid earns some, all or none of the available points depending on how well the response addresses the criterion.

The Industrial and Technological Benefits policy describes this two-step logic directly. Mandatory requirements are assessed pass/fail, and compliant bids are then point-rated to determine relative merit. The wording appears in the ITB policy published by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

How Buyers Write and Score Point-Rated Criteria

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) sets out expectations for how point-rated technical criteria are drafted. The guidance on preparing a bid solicitation requires that these criteria:

• clearly describe the requirement;
• are consistent with the statement of work and the search criteria used;
• clearly state any minimum total score, or any minimum score for an individual rated criterion.

On the evaluation side, PSPC explains that point-rated technical criteria are used to help determine which bid represents the best value. Evaluators must record the points assigned to each point-rated criterion, along with the applicable subtotals and totals. This is set out in PSPC's assessor guidance.

Where Rated Requirements Appear in Federal Solicitations

Rated requirements are most common in requests for proposals and other competitive solicitations. They are used in professional services, construction and engineering, and procurements that carry Industrial and Technological Benefits obligations.

A CanadaBuys solicitation for an RCMP facility in Haines Junction shows the pattern. It states that the procurement contains both mandatory and rated requirements, and that failure to comply could result in rejection. The text is in the solicitation document.

Some solicitations also attach a minimum threshold to a rated criterion. In that case a bid must reach the stated score on that criterion to remain in the competition, even though the criterion is scored rather than pass/fail.

What Rated Requirements Mean for Your Bid

Meeting the mandatory conditions is only the first step. Federal bid-preparation guidance tells suppliers to review the statement of work, including the mandatory and rated requirements, as described on the Government of Canada page on preparing a bid.

• Address every rated criterion, in the format the solicitation requests.
• Provide the supporting evidence or documentation the solicitation specifies, so evaluators can award points.
• Look for any minimum score on an individual criterion or on the total, since falling short can stop a bid from proceeding.
• Look for the word "rated" or a scoring reference to identify which requirements carry points.

A bid team that treats rated criteria as optional narrative gives up available points to competitors. Scoring tables, point allocations and thresholds are all part of the solicitation, so they can be planned for before the response is written.