Procurement glossary · Writing and evaluation
Award criteria versus selection criteria
Selection criteria assess the supplier: its standing, capability and compliance. Award criteria assess the offer: what it proposes to do and at what price. They are assessed separately and an authority may not score the same thing twice, which is why the same evidence has to be presented differently at each stage.
What it means in practice
The distinction is a legal one and it governs how you write. At selection you are proving you are a credible organisation. At award you are proving this particular proposal is the best one available.
Suppliers routinely submit the same material at both stages, which wastes the award response. A company history and a list of accreditations answer a selection question. At award they answer nothing, because the evaluator has already accepted you are capable and is now asking what you will actually do on this contract.
The practical rewrite is to move from what we have to what we will do. Selection: we hold ISO 9001 and have delivered fourteen comparable contracts. Award: on this contract the quality plan will work as follows, these named people will do it, this is the programme, and here is how you will know it is working.
Where suppliers get caught
Answering an award question with a capability statement. It is the single most common reason a technically strong supplier scores in the middle band. The evaluator is not asking whether you could do it; they have already decided you could. They are asking what you will do, and a generic answer leaves them nothing to score.
Common questions
Can a buyer score the same evidence at selection and at award?
No. Selection and award assess different things and the same matter should not be scored twice. This is why an award response that repeats your selection material effectively leaves marks on the table.
How should I change my writing between the two stages?
Selection is about the organisation and is largely evidential and binary. Award is about this specific proposal and is about named people, a specific method, a programme and measurable outcomes. Move from past tense capability to future tense commitment.
Related terms
If a tender in front of you turns on this, send us the documents and the deadline and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth bidding. Call 020 3668 5488, or read the rest of the UK procurement glossary.