Procurement glossary · The Procurement Act 2023
Most advantageous tender (MAT)
The standard a contracting authority awards against under section 19 of the Procurement Act 2023. The authority awards to the supplier submitting the tender that satisfies its requirements and best satisfies the award criteria, assessed by reference to the published assessment methodology and the relative importance of the criteria.
Also called MAT.
What it means in practice
MAT replaced the older formulation, most economically advantageous tender or MEAT, and the dropped word is the entire point. MEAT was routinely read, wrongly but persistently, as an instruction to favour price. MAT removes the invitation to that reading.
In practice the mechanics did not change as much as the language. Under both regimes the authority publishes its criteria and weightings in advance and must evaluate against them. What the change does is give authorities clearer cover to weight quality, social value and delivery risk heavily, and it makes it harder for an internal finance function to argue that the cheapest compliant bid must win.
For a bidder the consequence is that the published weightings are now an even more reliable guide to where to spend effort. If quality carries sixty per cent, sixty per cent of your preparation belongs there, and an hour spent shaving the price is worth less than an hour spent making a method statement evidenced.
Read section 19 alongside the tender notice and the associated tender documents, which are where the assessment methodology and the relative importance of the criteria actually appear. The Act sets the standard; the documents set the specifics for your tender.
Where suppliers get caught
Assuming MAT means price no longer matters. It still does, and on many commoditised requirements it still dominates the weighting. What changed is the default assumption, not the arithmetic. Read the published weightings for the tender in front of you rather than the commentary about the Act.
Common questions
What is the difference between MAT and MEAT?
MEAT, most economically advantageous tender, was the standard under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. MAT, most advantageous tender, is the standard under section 19 of the Procurement Act 2023. Dropping economically removes the implication that price should lead, though the evaluation mechanics of published criteria and weightings are broadly the same.
Does MAT mean the cheapest bid no longer wins?
No. It means the authority is not steered towards price by the language of the test. Where an authority weights price at seventy per cent, the cheapest compliant bid will usually still win. The weightings in the tender documents decide it, not the name of the standard.
Related terms
- Evaluation criteria and weightings
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Award criteria versus selection criteria
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.