​​​​Knowing how your submission will be evaluated will enable you to focus your efforts on those areas which are considered important by the contracting agency.

The criteria that will be used to assess your response and any relevant conditions for participation or mandatory requirements will be specified in the procurement documents.

Where conditions for participation are included, your response will be first assessed to see if it complies with those mandatory requirements and the contract conditions. If it does not comply, it may be considered to be invalid and eliminated from further evaluation.

An assessment will then be undertaken against each of the evaluation criteria. The criteria is used by the contracting agency to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each response. These may include such matters as:

• the technical merit of your proposal;
• the capability of your business to fulfil the requirement including: technical and management competence, financial viability and relevant experience;
• the relevant skills, experience and availability of key personnel;
• quality assurance requirements;
• the risks or constraints associated with your offer;
• for procurements with a value of $100 000 or more, the economic and social benefits of your su​bmission; and
  
• cost/price/value for money.

Note: value for money does not necessarily mean choosing the cheapest price.