Written by Marijn Overvest | Reviewed by Sjoed Goedhart | Fact Checked by Ruud Emonds | Our editorial policy
12 RFP Evaluation Criteria to Consider in 2025
What are RFP Evaluation Criteria
- RFP evaluation criteria are predefined standards used to assess and compare vendor proposals based on business needs.
- They typically include measurable factors such as cost, quality, experience, and compliance, often weighted for fair decision-making.
- RFP criteria help identify risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and maximize value by selecting the most suitable vendor.
What are RFP Evaluation Criteria?
An RFP (Request for Proposal) evaluation criteria are the standards and benchmarks used to assess the quality and suitability of proposals submitted in response to an RFP.
The criteria typically reflect the objectives and needs of the organization issuing the RFP and are used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal.
Also, the RFP is sometimes called a request for procurement as the proposal is about procuring the right materials for a project. It is the procurement phase where the procurement manager puts the details of the project or task to acquire the important materials or services.
Having clear evaluation criteria not only improves confidence in supplier selection but also sets expectations, ensures high-quality responses to the RFP, and promotes fairness and transparency in the process.
RFP is commonly used for head-starting procurement projects and is usually used by governments. Thus, they are familiar with these kinds of procurement requests. It is the job of the procurement manager to assess the bids, the background of the company that wants to bid for the project, and know if the potential companies that bid can undertake the project.
Additionally, the scoring guidelines help vendors focus on the key issues and areas of the RFP that are most important to the proposal issuer.
Here are some of the most common RFP evaluation criteria include:
1. Technical expertise
This is the ability of the proposing company or individual to perform the tasks required by the RFP, including experience, qualifications, and knowledge.
2. Costs
This refers to the proposed budget or pricing of the proposal, including any relevant costs such as labor, materials, and equipment.
Of course, if the bid is much higher than the budget, then the company is more likely to not accept that bid.
3. Approach and methodology
This is the proposed approach and methodology for completing the work outlined in the RFP, including timelines, work breakdown structures, and overall project management.
4. Company/Individual qualifications
The proposing company or individual’s past experience, reputation, and financial stability.
You need to check the background of the company if it can commit to the bid it sent to you and if there are no negative reviews regarding its reputation or how it does its work.
5. Compliance
The extent to which the proposal meets all of the requirements and specifications outlined in the RFP.
6. Innovation
This is the extent to which the proposal offers unique and innovative solutions that address the needs and objectives of the organization issuing the RFP.
7. Overall fit
The overall fit of the proposal with the needs and objectives of the organization issuing the RFP, including the ability to deliver the project on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
8. Vendor experience
An evaluation of the proposer’s past work on similar projects, including references and case studies.
9. Customer success practices
The extent to which the proposer provides support, training, and other services to ensure successful implementation and long-term collaboration.
10. Social policies
Consideration of the proposer’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts, including environmental initiatives, diversity and inclusion, and ethical business practices.
11. Data security
An assessment of how the proposer protects confidential information and whether it meets industry security standards such as ISO 27001 or GDPR compliance.
12. Terms and conditions
A detailed review of contract terms, warranties, delivery timelines, and other legal aspects of the proposal to ensure they are acceptable and beneficial for the organization.
Evaluation Criteria Best Practices
Here are some of the best RFP evaluation criteria best practices:
1. Tell the vendors what you want
Vendors put a lot of effort into creating proposals. Therefore, the more information you provide them about your needs and priorities, the better their responses will be.
It is advisable to include your RFP evaluation criteria and the weighting you plan to use in the RFP document to help them understand your requirements and submit more appropriate proposals.
2. Always stick to your RFP criteria
Once you have established your RFP evaluation criteria, it should be the basis and direction for your scoring process. However, if there are any changes to the criteria, it is important to inform them.
For instance, if you come across a supplier offering services you did not initially consider but now believe are necessary, you should inform all suppliers of this new requirement and allow them to meet it.
This ensures that all suppliers are given a level playing field and helps to avoid any potential risks or compliance issues.
3. Make an RFP Evaluation Guide
The difficulty in evaluating proposals usually arises from uncertainty within the organization regarding scoring expectations. For you to address this, it is advisable to develop a brief guide for stakeholders to follow when evaluating RFPs.
This guide should contain the original list of factors to consider, along with their level of importance. Additionally, if there are subjective questions, it may be helpful to provide further explanations or context to help in the evaluation process.
4. Weight the criteria appropriately
The criteria should be weighted appropriately based on their importance to the project. This ensures that the most critical factors are given the highest weight in the evaluation process.
5. Provide feedback to suppliers
After the evaluation process is completed, it is important to provide feedback to vendors to help them understand why their proposal was or was not selected.
This helps to build better relationships with suppliers and improve the quality of future proposals.
Assigning weights to RFP criteria
RFP criteria are unique to each issued RFP, and some hold greater importance than others. Assigning weights to criteria is essential because not all criteria have the same level of importance in decision-making. In the proposal evaluation process, certain factors, such as technical expertise or costs, may have a greater impact on the final selection, depending on the specific needs of the organization.
Without assigning weights, all criteria would have equal value, which does not reflect real priorities. For example, in one RFP, cost may be the deciding factor, while in another, technical innovation might carry the most weight. By assigning weights, a fairer and more objective evaluation is ensured, as each criterion receives an appropriate level of importance in line with the project goals and organizational strategy.
There are various algorithms and methods for assigning weights to criteria, with one of the simplest being the scoring method. In this approach, each criterion is assigned points according to its importance. The only requirement is that the total weight of all criteria must sum up to 100%.
Depending on the case, criteria can also be grouped, in which case weights are distributed so that each group collectively totals 100%.
Additionally, weighting criteria enables the use of quantitative evaluation methods, reducing subjectivity and making it easier to make data-driven decisions.
Example
Let’s say you are evaluating proposals for a new automation system to optimize production processes in a manufacturing plant. You need to assign weights to the RFP criteria based on the project’s specific requirements. Here’s how the 12 criteria in the two groups might be weighted:
Group 1 includes factors that directly affect the successful implementation and technical aspects of the project, such as expertise, approach to methodology, costs and innovative solutions.
Group 2 includes aspects related to support, long-term cooperation, data security and contractual conditions that enable safe implementation of the project and sustainable cooperation with the bidder.
Group 1:
- Technical expertise (Weight: 30%)
- Costs (Weight: 20%)
- Approach and methodology (Weight: 15%)
- Company/Individual qualifications (Weight: 10%)
- Innovation (Weight: 10%)
- Compliance (Weight: 15%)
Group 2:
- Overall fit (Weight: 20%)
- Vendor experience (Weight: 15%)
- Customer success practices (Weight: 10%)
- Social policies (Weight: 5%)
- Data security (Weight: 25%)
- Terms and conditions (Weight: 25%)
In this example, technical expertise is assigned the highest weight (30%) because it is essential to ensure the automation system is implemented successfully. Costs follow (20%), reflecting the need to balance quality with budget. Other criteria, such as innovation, vendor experience, and social policies, are given lower weights, indicating their relative importance to the project’s success.
By assigning weights, you ensure a fair and balanced evaluation process that prioritizes the factors most crucial for the success of the technology implementation.
Conclusion
A request for proposal for RFP is a document that contains the description of the project and solicits bids from potential contractors to complete it. In addition, it also defines the project, goals, and the organization that sponsors it and outlines the bidding process and contract terms.
Moreover, RFP is also commonly used for head-starting procurement projects and is usually used by governments and government agencies.
Furthermore, an RFP needs evaluation criteria that define the standards and benchmarks used to assess the quality and suitability of proposals submitted in response to an RFP. With that, before issuing an RFP, you should be able to tell the sellers what you want, make an RFP evaluation guide, and stick to it.
To learn more about the RFP process, click here.
Frequentlyasked questions
What is RFP?
An RFP is a formal document that provides potential contractors with detailed information about a project—including its objectives, sponsoring organization, bidding process, and contractual terms—while outlining evaluation criteria to ensure proposals meet specific standards.
What are the RFP evaluation criteria?
The criteria for RFP evaluation are technical expertise, costs, approach and methodology, company or individual qualifications, compliance, innovation, and overall fit.
Why are clear and objective evaluation criteria important?
Clear and objective evaluation criteria help to standardize the evaluation process and remove subjectivity. Thus, it leads to a fair and transparent process.
About the author
My name is Marijn Overvest, I’m the founder of Procurement Tactics. I have a deep passion for procurement, and I’ve upskilled over 200 procurement teams from all over the world. When I’m not working, I love running and cycling.
