Technical Evaluation Criteria

Technical evaluation criteria are the measurable and verifiable factors a buyer uses to assess the goods, services, or works a supplier offers, together with the supplier's proposed approach to delivering them. They separate the technical assessment of a bid from its administrative, financial, and other evaluation components.

NATO states that these criteria are derived from the procurement objectives, the specifications or statement of work, and identified risks and mitigation measures. They also assess how well a supplier understands the requirement and, where relevant, its past performance. The same concept runs through Canadian federal procurement, where it shapes how bids are screened and scored (NATO Procurement Manual).

How NATO frames technical criteria

NATO's procurement manual describes evaluation criteria as specific areas of consideration that form part of the requirement specification and give the buyer a basis for comparing suppliers. Technical criteria look at the goods, services, or works offered and at how the supplier plans to provide them.

NATO procurement procedures require the solicitation to specify the methodology and criteria that will be used to evaluate bids or proposals (NATO procurement procedure). NATO solicitation examples use compliance matrices and weighted technical criteria covering matters such as previous relevant experience and proposed technical capabilities (NATO ACT solicitation example).

Mandatory, point-rated, and resource criteria in Canadian solicitations

In Canadian federal procurement, technical criteria commonly appear in three forms:

• Mandatory technical criteria: requirements a bid must meet to remain compliant.
• Point-rated technical criteria: requirements against which compliant bids earn points according to stated weightings or scoring methods.
• Resource criteria: the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills of proposed personnel, particularly in professional-services procurements.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) uses mandatory and point-rated criteria in professional-services solicitations and supply-arrangement requirements. Its guidance says point-rated criteria must clearly describe the requirement, identify any minimum total or per-criterion score, and be consistent with the statement of work and the search criteria used (PSPC assessor guidance).

For mandatory criteria, PSPC guidance requires consistency with the statement of work and states that they must not unfairly restrict competition (PSPC bid solicitation preparation guidance).

The Treasury Board limit on mandatory criteria

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Directive on the Management of Procurement identifies bid evaluation as part of the procurement process. It directs departments to limit mandatory technical criteria to essential requirements, so that bids are not unnecessarily disqualified (Directive on the Management of Procurement, 2024; 2023 edition).

This gives suppliers a clear reference point. A mandatory criterion should reflect something the work truly requires, and it should match the statement of work.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Technical criteria decide whether a bid is compliant and how it ranks. A bid team should:

• respond to every mandatory technical criterion in the required format;
• demonstrate compliance with the stated specifications, statement of work, or other technical requirements;
• provide evidence supporting claimed experience, qualifications, proposed methods, or capabilities;
• address point-rated criteria in enough detail to earn the available points; and
• follow the solicitation's evaluation methodology, weightings, and submission instructions.

Evaluators assess only the criteria and methodology stated in the solicitation, so a strong capability that is not tied to a stated criterion earns nothing. Read the criteria against the statement of work before drafting, and build each answer around the evidence the criterion asks for.