How bids are evaluated: suitability, checks and scores
Understand the published criteria and why the cheapest price does not automatically win.
After this guide, you can …
- Separate compliance checks from award scoring
- Read weightings correctly
- Learn from an illustration without treating it as a prediction
1. An attractive bid still has to be admissible
Under the applicable rules, buyers check matters such as form, timeliness, completeness, technical and arithmetic correctness, and suitability. The sequence is not identical in every procedure. A late or non-compliant bid may be rejected despite excellent ideas. Do not rely on repairing it later: supplementation is limited by law and the procedure’s instructions.
2. Published criteria determine what matters
Award evaluation compares admissible bids using the announced criteria. This may mean price or cost alone, or a combination with defined quality features. Read weightings, assessment standards, requested evidence and any minimum scores together. A larger number of attachments, a familiar logo or a long company history does not automatically earn points. Respond to what the buyer actually evaluates.
3. A weighting is not a price formula
“Price40%, quality60%” states only the weighting. To calculate a result, you also need the actual method converting prices and responses into points. Use only the published method for a real bid. A generic online calculator or our teaching example cannot predict the result. If the method is unclear, ask a precise question through the designated channel in good time.
4. Improve quality the buyer can verify
Give each scored requirement a concrete response and relevant evidence. Check before submitting that promised quality is affordable and deliverable. A clear, supportable method can help a smaller business demonstrate its strengths. It does not replace minimum requirements or guarantee a score. After the result, compare the reasons communicated with your response to improve the next bid.
Winning means meeting the relevant requirements convincingly and compliantly, not simply being cheapest.
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Go to the original source
Editorially checked on 27 October 2026. The current original documents of your procedure govern.
- VgV § 42 — Auswahl geeigneter UnternehmenBundesamt für Justiz / Gesetze im Internet
- VgV § 56 — Prüfung und NachforderungBundesamt für Justiz / Gesetze im Internet
- VgV § 57 — Ausschluss von AngebotenBundesamt für Justiz / Gesetze im Internet
- VgV § 58 — Zuschlag und ZuschlagskriterienBundesamt für Justiz / Gesetze im Internet