Reading the evaluation criteria first is the single highest-leverage step in any pursuit: they tell you where the points are, so you can invest effort where it's scored. A response that answers every requirement but ignores the weighting loses to one aligned to the criteria.
Flodoc extracts the evaluation criteria and their weights from an uploaded RFP and tracks coverage of each one, so the team can see at a glance where points are still unaddressed.
Mandatory (pass/fail) vs. scored criteria
Not every criterion earns points. Many solicitations separate mandatory requirements - the pass/fail gates a submission must clear just to be considered - from scored criteria that determine the ranking. Mandatory items are things like meeting the deadline, holding a required license or certification, staying within the page limit, and including every required form. Miss one and the response can be found non-responsive and set aside before it is ever scored, no matter how strong the rest of it is. Scored criteria, by contrast, are where evaluators assign points or ratings to separate the qualified firms from one another. Read a request for proposal for both: satisfy every pass/fail gate first, then compete on the scored factors.
Common scoring methods
Owners score submissions in a few common ways, and the solicitation should state which one applies. Knowing the method tells you how much a given section can actually move your total.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Point scores | Each criterion is worth a maximum number of points, and evaluators assign a value up to that maximum. The points sum to a total that ranks firms. |
| Weighted percentages | Each criterion carries a weight, evaluators rate performance on it, and the weighted ratings combine into an overall score. Heavier weights matter more to the outcome. |
| Adjectival ratings | Evaluators assign a descriptive rating - such as outstanding, acceptable, or marginal - to each factor instead of a number, and the pattern of ratings drives the ranking. |
Best value vs. lowest price technically acceptable
When price is part of the evaluation, how it is weighed matters as much as the number itself. A best-value approach lets the owner trade off price against non-price factors, so a higher-priced submission can still win if its qualifications and approach are strong enough to justify the difference. A lowest-price-technically-acceptable approach flips that logic: any submission that clears the stated minimum is treated as acceptable, and among those, the lowest price wins. In best value, investing in a stronger technical response can pay off; in lowest-price-technically-acceptable, the goal is to meet every requirement cleanly and then compete on price. The solicitation tells you which basis of award applies.
Typical AEC evaluation factors
Qualifications-based pursuits in architecture and engineering tend to score a recurring set of factors. Exact labels and weights vary by owner and project, but most published criteria draw from this list:
- Firm qualifications - the general competence, disciplines, and standing of the firm.
- Specialized experience - directly relevant projects of similar type, scale, and complexity.
- Capacity - the availability and workload of the team to deliver on schedule.
- Past performance - references and results on prior comparable work.
- Locality - familiarity with the region, its conditions, and local agencies, where the solicitation values it.
These map closely to how a statement of qualifications is structured, which is why qualifications packages are read against the criteria factor by factor under qualifications-based selection.
Aligning your response to the criteria
Once you know the factors and their order of importance, structure the response to follow them. Lead with the factor that carries the most weight, use the owner's own terms as section headings so evaluators can find each answer quickly, and put the strongest evidence - the most relevant projects and the people who did the work - against the factors that score highest. When the criteria list an order of importance, treat that order as the outline rather than defaulting to your firm's usual template. For a fuller walkthrough, see how to write an SOQ that wins. Flodoc extracts each criterion and tracks coverage so the team can see where the highest-weighted factors are still thin.
Evaluation criteria vs. a compliance matrix
Evaluation criteria and a compliance matrix are related but not the same. Evaluation criteria are the scored factors the owner publishes to rank submissions. A compliance matrix is a working tool the responding team builds to confirm every requirement and instruction in the solicitation has been addressed, and where. The criteria tell you where the points are; the compliance matrix makes sure you left nothing unanswered, including the mandatory pass/fail items that are not scored at all. Strong pursuits use both - one to aim effort, the other to catch gaps.