Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria are the disclosed factors, subfactors, and their relative importance that an agency uses to assess and rank competing proposals, establishing the scoring framework that drives the source selection decision.

What are Evaluation Criteria?

Evaluation criteria are the government's publicly disclosed framework for comparing competing proposals and selecting a winner. Under FAR 15.304, agencies must identify all significant evaluation factors and subfactors in Section M of the RFP. The evaluation criteria must be established before the solicitation is released, agencies cannot add or change criteria after receiving proposals without issuing an amendment.

FAR 15.304 identifies factors that must always be considered:

• Price or cost: evaluated for every contract (but may not be the determining factor)
• Quality: including technical capability, management approach, and past performance

Common evaluation factor structures include:

Best Value Tradeoff Structure:

• Technical Approach (typically most important)
• Management/Staffing (second)
• Past Performance (second or third)
• Price (evaluated but not scored)

LPTA Structure:

• Technical (acceptable/not acceptable only, no gradations)
• Price (determinative among technically acceptable offerors)

For each factor and subfactor, the agency establishes rating definitions, either adjectival ratings (Outstanding, Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Unacceptable) or color ratings (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red) or risk ratings (Low, Medium, High). The specific rating system is typically described in the agency's source selection procedures referenced in the solicitation.

Why Evaluation Criteria matter for government contractors

Evaluation criteria are the single most important thing to read in an RFP. They tell you exactly what you must prove to win. Every page of your proposal should address a specific evaluation criterion, claims that do not tie back to a scored factor do not earn points. Experienced proposal managers build a compliance matrix that maps every Section M factor and subfactor to specific proposal pages, ensuring evaluators can find your evidence for each criterion without hunting. Section M reading also reveals what the agency cares about most: if "past performance" is listed last and "price" first, price is likely the near-determining factor even if the agency uses best value language.

Example

An RFP's Section M lists evaluation factors in descending order of importance: (1) Technical Approach, with three subfactors: (1a) Technical Methodology, (1b) Staffing Plan, (1c) Transition Plan; (2) Past Performance; (3) Price. The RFP states "Technical is significantly more important than Past Performance. Past Performance and Price are approximately equal in importance." A savvy contractor allocates 60% of their proposal writing effort to the Technical volume, 25% to Past Performance, and 15% to Price, proportional to the stated weights. A less experienced competitor splits effort evenly across all volumes, producing a weaker Technical section that loses the competition despite excellent past performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the government use evaluation criteria that aren't in Section M?

No. Using an undisclosed evaluation criterion is grounds for a successful bid protest. The agency must evaluate only the criteria disclosed in Section M, weighted as stated. Any significant deviation from the disclosed criteria constitutes a material procurement error.

What is the difference between evaluation factors and evaluation subfactors?

Evaluation factors are the major categories (Technical Approach, Past Performance, Price). Subfactors break major factors into scored components (Technical Methodology, Key Personnel, Transition Plan under Technical Approach). Both factors and subfactors must be disclosed in Section M if they are significant to the award decision.

Does the government have to tell offerors which specific aspects of their proposals scored best or worst?

Not in the solicitation, but after award, offerors who request a debriefing are entitled to learn their own proposal's strengths and weaknesses against each evaluation criterion. Debriefings do not reveal competitors' proposal details or scores.

Can evaluation criteria differ from one task order to another under the same IDIQ?

Yes. In an IDIQ vehicle, the master contract evaluation criteria govern on-ramp awards. Individual task order competitions may use different, task-specific evaluation criteria disclosed in the task order RFP. This is especially common in GWAC and agency IDIQ task order competitions.