Setting the Award Criteria

This document replaces the brief that was originally published in January 2011. The award criteria are the criteria that constitute the basis on which a contracting authority evaluates submitted tenders and then awards a contract to the best tender. Tenders should be evaluated on the basis of objective criteria that ensure compliance with the principles of transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment, with a view to ensuring objective comparison of tenders. The Public Procurement Directives limit the award criteria to either the lowest-price criterion or the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criterion. SIGMA Brief 8 explains the lowest-price criterion and which methods can be used to identify the most economically advantageous tender. It also provides a checklist of the main points to be addressed when defining the overall strategy concerning the award criteria to be applied in a contract award procedure.