Any criteria to be applied should allow objective comparison of tenders, be published in advance in the procurement documents and not discriminate/favour potential contractors.
In setting out the award criteria in the specification, it is important to conceptualise these by including an overview of the contractual conditions the contracting authority will be including in the final contract. It is important to be as specific as possible when setting out what benefits you expect to achieve or requirements you intend to impose on the contract so as to limit the uncertainty for suppliers. Below are some best practice examples:
‘A requirement of the contract will be that the contractor undertakes with the authority a series of community engagement events to ensure that progress of the contract is visible to the local community.’
