Tiered Evaluation

Tiered evaluation is a multi-stage assessment approach that lets you screen out weak proposals early by setting minimum technical scores that bidders must achieve before moving forward. Instead of reviewing every submission in full detail, you eliminate proposals that don't meet your baseline requirements before investing time in comprehensive evaluation or opening price envelopes. This matters because it saves federal departments considerable time when dealing with complex procurements that attract numerous bids.

How It Works

Here's the thing: the Supply Manual doesn't explicitly define "tiered evaluation" as a formal multi-stage gating process. What you'll find instead are references to "tiers" in the context of dollar thresholds and procurement authority. For example, the solution-based supply arrangement distinguishes Tier 1 requirements (up to and including $3.75 million) from Tier 2 requirements (above $3.75 million), with different delegation authorities applying to each.

In practice, when departments do use staged evaluation approaches, they typically structure solicitations with mandatory requirements followed by rated criteria. Evaluate technical proposals first. Establish a minimum score threshold. Only then advance qualified bidders to financial evaluation. PSPC's evaluation periods under Task and Solutions Professional Services opportunities give you a sense of timing: three months for bid submissions and another three months for completing evaluations. That's a significant investment, which is exactly why you'd want to filter early.

The evaluation structure needs careful planning. You're not just creating arbitrary hurdles—you need to justify why certain technical capabilities matter enough to become gates. When requirements fall between the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement threshold and $3,750,000, for instance, you must invite at least 15 suppliers, which means your evaluation criteria need to handle potentially substantial bid volumes while remaining defensible if challenged.

Key Considerations

• The term "tiered evaluation" isn't standardized across federal procurement documents, so you'll need to clearly define your evaluation stages and scoring thresholds in your solicitation. Ambiguity here invites complaints.

• Setting minimum technical scores requires balancing two risks: set them too low and you don't filter effectively; set them too high and you might eliminate all bidders or face challenges about unreasonable requirements.

• Your evaluation plan must explain the rationale for staged assessment. Treasury Board and PSPC expect you to demonstrate that the approach serves a legitimate procurement objective, not just administrative convenience.

• Price can't be opened or considered until technical evaluation is complete for each stage. This sequencing protects the integrity of your technical assessment but requires disciplined process management.

Related Terms

Rated Criteria, Mandatory Criteria, Evaluation Plan

Sources

• Supply Manual - Canada Buys

• Solution-based supply arrangement - Canada.ca

• Supply arrangement terms and conditions - Canada.ca

Whatever you call it, any staged evaluation approach needs crystal-clear documentation in your solicitation. Suppliers need to understand exactly what scores they must achieve and when, and your evaluation team needs a roadmap that stands up to scrutiny.