# Inside the evaluation room: how public bids are scored

> Public RFPs are usually scored by a small committee using the criteria and weights published in the document. Each evaluator scores alone, then they agree a consensus score. Price is often converted to points with a formula that gives the lowest price full marks and others a share. Evaluators can only score what's in your proposal.

By James DeGreef. Updated 2026-10-24. Facts checked 2026-10-24. Source page: https://crewbid.tech/articles/how-public-bids-are-scored

You submit a proposal, wait a few weeks, and get a yes or a no. What happens in between is less mysterious than it seems. Public evaluations follow a fairly standard pattern, because buyers have to be able to show the process was fair if anyone challenges it. Knowing that pattern changes how you write.

## Who reads your proposal?

Usually a committee of three to five people: someone from the department that needs the work (the parks supervisor, the facilities manager), sometimes a second technical person, and often someone from purchasing who runs the process but may not score. Evaluators typically sign conflict of interest and confidentiality declarations before they start.

They're doing this on top of their regular jobs, often reading every proposal in a few days.

## How does the scoring work?

1. **Compliance first.** Purchasing checks each bid against the mandatory requirements: on time, signed, every form, every addendum acknowledged. Bids that fail are usually set aside before anyone scores them. This is where good proposals most often die. See [nine ways good bids get thrown out](https://crewbid.tech/articles/why-bids-get-disqualified).
2. **Individual scoring.** Each evaluator scores each criterion on their own, using the RFP's published criteria and weights, and often a scale such as 0 to 10 with descriptions ("does not address", "meets", "exceeds").
3. **Consensus.** The committee meets, compares scores, discusses big differences and agrees a single score for each criterion. Notes are kept, which is what you'll hear about in a [debrief](https://crewbid.tech/guides/bid-debrief).
4. **Minimum thresholds.** If the RFP sets a minimum technical score, proposals below it may be eliminated before price is opened.
5. **Price.** Price is scored, often by someone else, and sometimes only for proposals that passed the technical stage.
6. **Interviews or references,** if the RFP allows them, for the top-ranked proponents.

## How is price turned into points?

The RFP should say. A common formula gives the lowest price full marks and every other bid a share:

> points = (lowest price ÷ your price) × points available for price

So if price is worth 30 points and you're 20 percent above the lowest bid, you'd get about 25 points, not zero. That means a strong technical proposal can beat a cheaper one, as long as the gap in price isn't too big. Run the numbers: if the technical part is worth 70 points, gaining 6 points there beats cutting your price 20 percent.

Other RFPs use different formulas, or score price by bands. Read the method before you set your price.

## What evaluators can and can't do

- **They score what's written.** Evaluators generally can't give you credit for what they know about you but you didn't put in the proposal. Your great reputation with the parks crew counts for nothing if the "experience" section is thin.
- **They score against the published criteria.** Not against a gut feel, and not against criteria that aren't in the document. If they did, the buyer would be breaking the [tender rules it has to follow](https://crewbid.tech/articles/contract-a-tender-law).
- **They compare answers.** Consensus discussions often come down to "Proposal A told us exactly how they'd do it; Proposal B just said they would."

## What this means for how you write

- **Use the RFP's headings, in order,** so each evaluator finds each answer where they expect it.
- **Answer the question asked, first,** then support it.
- **Be specific to their sites and their work.**
- **Make claims checkable:** names, numbers, equipment, references.
- **Respect page limits.** Evaluators may be told not to read past them.

[How to write an RFP proposal that scores well](https://crewbid.tech/guides/write-rfp-proposal) turns this into a checklist.

## Sources

- [Legal basics of competitive bidding and procurement in Canada (AHBL)](https://www.ahbl.ca/legal-basics-of-competitive-bidding-and-procurement-in-canada/)
- [How the government buys (Government of Canada)](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/acquisitions/support-for-businesses/understand-procurement-process/how-government-buys.html)