Technical Evaluation Criteria

Technical evaluation criteria are the scored sub-categories and their weightings published in a consulting Request for Proposals, telling bidders exactly how their technical proposals will be assessed and allowing evaluation panels to score submissions objectively against a common standard.

What are Technical Evaluation Criteria?

Every rfp for a competitive consulting assignment under World Bank, ADB, AfDB, and similar institutions must publish the technical evaluation criteria before proposals are submitted. This transparency is central to the integrity of the process: bidders know the scoring framework in advance and can build their technical-proposal against it, and evaluators are bound to score against the same published rubric rather than applying subjective preferences.

Criteria typically fall into three to five categories. Firm-level experience covers the relevance of the firm's portfolio to the sector and type of assignment specified in the tor. Methodology assesses the proposed approach, understanding of the problem, work plan, and quality of any innovative elements. Key expert qualifications evaluate each named expert's academic background, years of experience, and specific assignment relevance. Some RFPs add a transfer of knowledge or training component, or weight the presence of local consultants. Each category carries a maximum point score, and the categories add to 100. The minimum-qualifying-score is stated as an absolute number on the 100-point scale, typically 70 or 75, below which the technical proposal fails and the firm is excluded from financial comparison.

Why Technical Evaluation Criteria matter for bidders

Reading the evaluation criteria before writing a word of the proposal is the single highest-leverage step a bidding firm can take. Proportional effort should go into the highest-weighted sections: if methodology carries 40 points and firm experience carries 20, the methodology section deserves roughly twice the drafting and review time. Generic corporate capability statements score poorly against criteria that ask for specific evidence. Evaluators are usually instructed to score only what is explicitly stated in the proposal and mapped to the criterion, not to infer capabilities from elsewhere in the document. Submitting CVs that do not explicitly address the stated expert criteria, or a work plan that does not connect to the TOR tasks, are the most common sources of below-threshold technical scores.

FAQ

Are technical evaluation criteria the same across all development banks?

The structure is similar, but weightings differ by assignment and institution. The ADB, World Bank, and AfDB all use methodology, experience, and key experts as the core categories, but the exact sub-criteria and point allocations vary and must be read from each individual RFP.

Can bidders challenge the evaluation criteria?

Bidders may seek clarification on criteria during the clarification period before the proposal deadline. Challenges to the criteria themselves after proposals are submitted are not typically accepted, though procurement complaints may be filed if criteria are discriminatory or undisclosed.

What is the consequence of not meeting all stated criteria?

If a criterion is marked mandatory (such as a minimum years of experience for a key expert), failing it on any required expert usually renders the technical proposal non-compliant, regardless of the total score.