By Joanna Frost
1st Nov 2016
A recent procurement case highlighted the need to ensure transparency in the evaluation of tenders. Including that anyone involved is fully prepared for their role in the process and given enough time to prepare and carry out the evaluation.
The case in question involved a procurement by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities using the Competitive Dialogue process. In the final scores, there was just 1.06% between the winning bidder and Energy Solutions EU Limited. Energy Solutions challenged the process under the Regulations. The challenge was around evaluation; whether scores had been awarded lawfully or not and whether there had been a Manifest Error in the way that the scores were awarded.
The Judge found the following important aspects of the evaluation process were lacking in transparency:
As you can see from this case, getting the evaluation of tenders right is crucial to a successful outcome for the procurement project. To find out more about how award criteria could be developed and how an evaluation process should be conducted download A Guide to Evaluating Tenders from the Further Education Library of Procurement.