Tender evaluation is the process of opening, examining and assessing tender returns to establish whether each bidder is capable and compliant, and to decide which tender should be recommended for award.
The quantity surveyor usually checks the priced tenders and prepares a tender report for the client. Evaluation is based on the criteria stated in the tender documents, often a weighted split between price and quality. Typical steps include:
- checking that each tender is complete and complies with the instructions to tenderers
- checking the arithmetic and dealing with any errors in the way set out in the tender instructions
- reviewing rates for errors, unusually low prices, front loading and qualifications
- scoring quality submissions and combining them with price to rank the tenders
The aim is to identify the tender that offers the best overall value, not simply the lowest price.
Related terms: tender, tender report, price quality ratio, abnormally low tender.
