Technical Bid Evaluation Plan (TBEP)

A Technical Bid Evaluation Plan (TBEP) is a documented plan that describes the objectives, selection methodology and processes used to evaluate the technical bids submitted in response to a request for proposal. It tells evaluators how to apply the technical criteria in the solicitation, how to record their rationales and scores, and how to produce a technical-evaluation report.

The term appears in Canadian defence procurement documentation. The Department of National Defence (DND) published one as an annex to a solicitation on CanadaBuys: the TBEP for the Galley Improvement Project, RFP W8472-235880/A. In Government of Canada practice, the TBEP sits within the broader evaluation plan for a procurement.

What the DND Galley Improvement Project plan sets out

The published DND plan states that its purpose is to describe the objectives, selection methodology and processes for evaluating the technical bids. It directs evaluators to score technical bids against two kinds of criteria: mandatory criteria and point-rated criteria.

Mandatory technical criteria are assessed on a pass/fail basis. A bid that fails a mandatory technical criterion is considered non-compliant and is not assessed further. Point-rated criteria are scored, and evaluators record the rationale behind each score. The plan is the reference document that keeps those scores consistent between evaluators.

Who develops the plan and who applies it

CanadaBuys publishes a responsibility matrix for DND procurement. It assigns development of the Technical Bid Evaluation Plan to the project manager or technical authority. It lists carrying out the technical evaluation in accordance with the evaluation plan as a separate responsibility.

The plan is therefore written by the people who understand the technical requirement, and the evaluation is then carried out against that written plan rather than against evaluators' individual judgement.

Mandatory and point-rated approaches in federal evaluations

CanadaBuys explains how bids are evaluated and selected. Evaluation teams assess technical bids using the evaluation criteria in the tender notice. Three approaches are possible:

• mandatory criteria only;
• point-rated criteria only; or
• a combination of mandatory and point-rated criteria.

Rated criteria are used to compare the relative merits of bids beyond the mandatory requirements. The TBEP records which of these approaches applies to a given solicitation and how it will be carried out.

Records connected to the evaluation plan

Government of Canada acquisition-service records, described in the Library and Archives Canada guidance on acquisition services, identify developing the bid-evaluation plan, the bid-evaluation criteria and the scoring grid as procurement activities. The related records include:

• evaluation-plan documents;
• scoring sheets;
• technical-evaluation reports; and
• consensus scoring.

These records show that the plan is one part of a documented evaluation trail, from criteria through to the final report.

What a TBEP means for a supplier

Suppliers do not write the plan, but the criteria it applies are the criteria in the solicitation, so a bid should be built around them. A published Canadian RFP, RFP 23-0188, states that repeating the solicitation language is not sufficient. Bidders must address each technical criterion clearly and with enough depth for evaluators to score it.

Mandatory criteria carry the greatest risk. In the DND example, failing a mandatory technical criterion ends the evaluation of that bid. Check every mandatory criterion before submission, then use the point-rated criteria to show the strength of your approach. When a TBEP is published with the solicitation, as in the galley example, read it closely, because it shows how evaluators will score your response.