Why evaluators mark you down: lessons from European tenders

They cannot find the evidence

Evaluators work through large piles of responses against a scoring grid, usually with limited time. If the proof that you meet a requirement is buried in paragraph six of a long answer, or in an appendix that is not referenced, they may not find it. If they cannot find it, they cannot score it.

Make the evidence easy to locate. Open with the direct answer, follow with the proof, and reference any supporting material precisely. Assume the reader is tired and has twenty more responses to read.

The answer does not address the question

This is the most common failure we see. A bidder has a strong, well-written passage prepared from a previous tender and fits it into the new question, even though it answers something slightly different. It reads well and scores poorly.

Read the question and the scoring criteria together. Note exactly what is being asked, including how it will be scored and any word or page limits. Then structure your answer to mirror it, so that the evaluator can tick things off in the order they appear on the grid.

The claim is generic

Statements such as "we have extensive experience" or "we are committed to quality" earn little. Anyone could write them, so evaluators give them little weight.

Replace them with specifics: what you did, for whom, what was the result, and how you know. Where you cannot name a client, describe the situation and the outcome. Where you do not have the evidence, say so honestly and explain how you would manage the gap. Evaluators generally respond better to candour than to confident vagueness.

Write to the scoring method

Every tender tells you how it will be scored, whether through weightings, a points scale or sub-criteria. Treat that as your brief. Spend your effort where the marks are, not where your team happens to be most comfortable writing.

• Map each question to its criteria and weighting before drafting
• Answer first, then evidence, then detail
• Use the buyer's own terminology
• Prove every statement with a fact, figure or reference
• Have someone outside the bid team read it against the grid

Review it as an evaluator would

Before submission, have a person who did not write the response score it against the published criteria. Where they struggle to find the evidence, so will the real evaluator. It takes a few hours and is usually the cheapest improvement available.