How to do RFP scoring: Step-by-step Guide
- Robert
- Oct 10, 2019
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 12
Table of Contents:
Here is the podcast in case you don't have time to read the whole article:
RFP scoring can make or break your entire procurement process. This blog article walks you through everything you need to know about evaluating vendor proposals objectively and effectively. You'll discover the fundamentals of RFP scoring, learn about different evaluation methods, understand who should participate in the process and get a practical framework you can implement immediately.
What is RFP Scoring?
RFP scoring is the systematic evaluation and ranking of vendor proposals based on predetermined criteria and weightings. It's your method for turning subjective vendor comparisons into objective, data-driven decisions.
Think of it as creating a level playing field where every proposal gets judged by the same standards. Instead of relying on gut feelings or personal preferences (and we all have them), RFP scoring requires you to evaluate each vendor against specific, measurable criteria.
The process involves assigning numerical scores to different aspects of each proposal. Technical capabilities, pricing, experience, implementation timelines... all receive systematic evaluation. These scores are then weighted according to their importance to your organization and combined to produce an overall ranking.
RFP scoring objectives include:
Encouraging accurate comparison of suppliers
Enabling criteria to be weighted (because not all criteria are equally important)
Allowing criteria to be grouped into logical sections
Enabling multiple stakeholders to contribute their expertise
Supporting various parallel sets of weightings to reflect different stakeholder priorities
Allowing scores from multiple stakeholders to be averaged for consensus
Using a pre-designed RFP scorecard template can simplify the scoring process, ensuring consistency and accuracy while helping you compare suppliers based on standardized criteria.
What makes RFP scoring particularly valuable is transparency. When vendors ask why they weren't selected, you can provide concrete, defensible reasons based on your scoring methodology. This approach also helps internal stakeholders understand the decision-making process and reduces the likelihood of procurement decisions being questioned later.
Learn how to streamline your RFP process with this 20-Step RFP Process Guide.
Benefits of RFP scoring
Implementing a structured RFP scoring system transforms procurement from an art into a science. Here's why smart procurement teams won't return to unstructured evaluation methods:
Objective decision-making becomes the norm rather than the exception. Without scoring, evaluations often devolve into arguments about which vendor "feels right" or who gave the best presentation. Remember that vendor with the impressive demo? RFP scoring cuts through personal biases and preferences, ensuring decisions are based on facts rather than subjective impressions.
Improved vendor accountability emerges naturally from the process. When vendors know they'll be evaluated against specific criteria, they tend to invest more effort in addressing your actual requirements. You'll notice fewer generic proposals and more tailored responses that directly address your needs.
Legal protection provides a significant advantage that many organizations overlook. If a vendor challenges your selection decision, documented scoring provides a clear audit trail. This becomes particularly important for government contracts or highly regulated industries where procurement decisions face additional scrutiny.
Time savings compound over multiple procurement cycles. While initial setup requires effort, having a standardized scoring framework means future RFPs move much faster. Team members know exactly what to evaluate and how to score it, eliminating those lengthy discussions about evaluation criteria that seem to go nowhere.
Enhanced stakeholder buy-in results from the transparency of the process. When finance, IT, operations, and other departments can see exactly how decisions were made, they're more likely to support the chosen vendor. This reduces post-selection complaints and second-guessing that can derail implementation.
Consider this real-world example: A healthcare organization used RFP scoring to select an electronic health records system. The scoring revealed that while one vendor had the lowest price, their implementation timeline was 18 months longer than competitors. The weighted scoring helped them choose a vendor with better overall value, ultimately saving millions in operational costs.
Types of RFP scoring criteria
Understanding different scoring criteria types helps you build a comprehensive evaluation framework that captures all aspects of vendor performance.
Technical criteria evaluate whether vendors can actually deliver what you need. This includes system capabilities, integration requirements, security feature and scalability. Don't focus solely on current needs; consider how well each solution will adapt as your organization grows. Because you will grow.
Financial criteria extend beyond simply examining the price tag. Total cost of ownership, payment terms, cost predictability and value for money all factor into financial evaluation. A vendor offering the lowest upfront cost might end up being the most expensive over time due to hidden fees or poor performance. It's similar to purchasing an inexpensive vehicle that requires constant repairs.
Experience and qualifications measure the vendor's track record and expertise. Examine their experience with similar projects, client references, team qualifications, and industry certifications. A vendor might have excellent technology but lack the experience to implement it successfully in your environment.
Implementation and support criteria assess how well vendors will help you succeed after contract signing. This includes project management capabilities, training programs, ongoing support quality and service level agreements. The best solution available won't help if the vendor can't implement it properly.
Compliance and risk factors ensure vendors meet your regulatory and operational requirements. This covers data security standards, regulatory compliance, financial stability, and risk mitigation strategies. These criteria become especially critical in highly regulated industries like healthcare or finance.
Innovation and future readiness evaluate how well vendors keep pace with technological advancement. Consider their research and development investments, product roadmaps and ability to adapt to changing market conditions. You want a partner who'll grow with you, not hold you back.
RFP Scoring methods
Different scoring methods suit different types of procurements and organizational preferences. Here's how the most effective approaches work in practice:
Basic scoring gives each criterion a score, generally from 1 to 10, with each criterion carrying equal weight. While this approach seems fair on the surface, it's frequently not the best method when evaluating proposals. Why? Because not all criteria are equally important to your organization's success.
Combination scoring assigns each criterion its own scoring scale. One criterion might have a maximum score of 10, while another maxes out at 15. Although this method allows various criteria to be weighted differently, it can become confusing since they're measured on different scales.
Distinct weightings allow each criterion to be measured on the same scale while giving each one a weight by which the score is multiplied. This makes RFP scoring straightforward and ensures that the most important criteria receive proper consideration. It provides both clarity and flexibility.
Hierarchical structures become necessary when dealing with complex RFPs that need detailed evaluation methods. This approach groups criteria together, with each category and subcategory assigned a score and weight relevant to its importance. Think of it as organizing your evaluation criteria into a structured framework.
Lowest cost compliant works when technical aspects are critical. Proposals advance beyond the first evaluation stage only if they receive a minimum pass mark based on weighted technical scores. Any proposals that make it past this stage are then considered based on cost, with the lowest cost provider winning the contract.
Price/cost per point evaluates proposals first on technical requirements, then averages the technical scores to create a combined quality score. In the second stage, proposals are evaluated based on cost per quality point. Usually, the provider with the lowest cost per point receives the contract award.
Best value assigns weights to both technical and cost criteria. For instance, price might be 20% while technical capability receives 80%. This gives technical criteria considerably more weight than cost, which works best when dealing with complex products and services.
Pass/fail criteria work best for non-negotiable requirements. Either vendors meet your minimum standards or they don't. This approach streamlines evaluation by immediately eliminating unsuitable vendors. Common pass/fail criteria include security certifications, regulatory compliance or minimum experience thresholds.
The key is choosing methods that match your procurement complexity and organizational culture. Simple purchases might need only basic numerical scoring, while complex technology implementations often benefit from sophisticated weighted approaches.
Who should be involved in the RFP scoring process?
Getting the right people involved in RFP scoring can make the difference between a successful procurement and a costly mistake. Here's who should participate:
Procurement specialists serve as process leaders and ensure consistency across evaluations. They understand vendor management, contract terms, and risk assessment. However, they shouldn't score technical criteria they're not qualified to evaluate. Understanding your limitations is crucial.
Subject matter experts provide deep knowledge about specific requirements and technical feasibility. If you're purchasing software, include IT professionals who understand integration requirements. For consulting services, involve team members who'll work directly with the chosen vendor.
End users offer crucial perspectives on usability and practical implementation challenges. They can identify potential problems that technical experts might miss. A procurement system might meet all technical requirements but be completely unusable for the staff who'll interact with it daily.
Financial representatives evaluate cost structures, budget implications and financial risk factors. They can identify hidden costs, assess payment terms and ensure proposals align with budget constraints and financial policies.
Legal counsel reviews contract terms, compliance requirements and risk factors. Their involvement becomes especially important for complex procurements or when working with new vendors whose contracts might contain problematic terms.
Senior management provides strategic oversight and final approval authority. They ensure selected vendors align with organizational goals and have the authority to make trade-offs between competing priorities.
The evaluation team size should match the procurement's complexity and importance. A simple office supplies purchase might need only procurement and finance input, while selecting an enterprise software platform could require a team of 8-10 people representing different stakeholder groups.
Establish clear roles and responsibilities upfront. Who scores which criteria? Who resolves scoring disputes? How are final decisions made when scores are close? Answering these questions prevents confusion and delays during the evaluation process.
Step-by-Step Guide to RFP Scoring
Here's a practical framework you can implement immediately for your next RFP evaluation:
Develop your supplier evaluation criteria
Start by gathering all stakeholders and asking them to list requirements that matter most to them. Use questions like: What's your definition of success? How do you determine success? What categories should we judge solutions against? How important is each category? Is pricing a weighted factor? (Remember: it shouldn't be the only consideration.) Evaluation criteria typically fall into three main categories: technical capability, managerial capability and competitiveness and reasonableness of cost. Use stakeholder answers to prioritize needs across features and functionalities, implementation speed, customer service quality, pricing considerations and whether you want innovative or proven solutions.
Determine the importance of each evaluation criterion
Assign each category and question a weight based on its importance to your organization. You can assign "points" to each evaluation criterion to indicate how well each proposed solution meets your project's requirements. Whether you use a scale of 1 to 10 or rank proposals in order, assign a rough value under each evaluation criterion for every proposal you've received.
Create detailed scoring rubrics
Define exactly what constitutes each score level. Here's a practical scoring framework:
5 points: Meets all of your requirements
4 points: Meets almost all of your requirements
3 points: Meets many of your requirements, but requires some compromises
2 points: Meets some of your requirements
1 point: Does not meet your requirements
Establish the evaluation team
Select team members based on their expertise and stake in the outcome. Provide training on the scoring methodology and ensure everyone understands their role. Consider including an independent facilitator for high-stakes procurements to manage the process objectively.
Create your RFP scorecard
Keep things manageable by creating a shortlist of invited suppliers. Limit the number of suppliers to 5 and questions to 20 or fewer. It may seem like you're narrowing options, but this means each evaluator only has to judge about 100 individual responses. That's manageable.
Conduct individual evaluations first
Have each team member score proposals independently before group discussions. This prevents groupthink and ensures all perspectives are captured. Use standardized scoring sheets that include space for comments and justifications.
Facilitate group discussions and consensus building
Review scoring differences and discuss the reasoning behind individual scores. Focus on significant variances rather than minor differences. The goal isn't necessarily consensus on every score but understanding why scores differ and ensuring they're defensible.
Calculate weighted scores and rankings
Apply the predetermined weights to individual criterion scores to generate overall vendor rankings. Double-check calculations and ensure the methodology was applied consistently across all vendors.
Document the evaluation process thoroughly
Record scoring rationales, discussion highlights and final recommendations. This documentation serves as your audit trail and helps explain the decision to stakeholders and vendors. Include dissenting opinions if they exist.
Validate results and make final recommendations
Review the scoring results for reasonableness. Do the rankings align with your team's overall impressions? If not, investigate potential scoring errors or bias. Present clear recommendations to decision-makers with supporting evidence.
RFP scoring example
Let's walk through a simplified example to illustrate how RFP scoring works in practice.
Imagine you're selecting a customer relationship management (CRM) system for your sales team. Three vendors have submitted proposals: TechCorp, SalesMax and CloudCRM.
Your evaluation criteria and weights are:
Technical capability (40%): System features, integration capabilities, customization options
Cost (25%): Total cost of ownership including licensing, implementation and ongoing support
Vendor experience (20%): Track record with similar implementations, client references
Implementation timeline (10%): How quickly the system can be deployed
Support quality (5%): Available support channels, response times, training options
Using a 1-5 scoring scale, your evaluation team's consensus scores are:
Criterion | Weight | TechCorp | SalesMax | CloudCRM |
Technical capability | 40% | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Cost | 25% | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Vendor experience | 20% | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Implementation timeline | 10% | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Support quality | 5% | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Calculating weighted scores:
TechCorp: (4×0.40) + (3×0.25) + (5×0.20) + (2×0.10) + (4×0.05) = 3.55
SalesMax: (3×0.40) + (5×0.25) + (3×0.20) + (4×0.10) + (3×0.05) = 3.40
CloudCRM: (5×0.40) + (2×0.25) + (4×0.20) + (3×0.10) + (5×0.05) = 3.85
CloudCRM wins with the highest weighted score, despite having the highest cost. The scoring revealed that their superior technical capabilities and support quality outweighed the price premium when considered against your organization's priorities.
This example shows how scoring can surface insights that might not be obvious from casual proposal review. Without weighting, TechCorp and CloudCRM would have tied with identical average scores of 3.6. The weighting system properly reflected your organization's priority on technical capability over cost.
Common RFP scoring mistakes
Even experienced procurement professionals fall into these traps. Here's what to watch out for:
Changing criteria mid-evaluation destroys the integrity of your scoring process. Once you've issued the RFP, stick with your original criteria and weights. If you discover missing criteria during evaluation, note them for future procurements but don't retrofit them into the current process. It's equivalent to changing the rules of a game after it's already started.
Allowing personal relationships to influence scores undermines objectivity. Yes, you might have worked successfully with one vendor before, but that doesn't automatically mean they deserve higher scores. Evaluate each proposal based on its merits, not your history with the vendor.
Inadequate documentation creates problems when vendors request feedback or challenge your decision. Record why you assigned specific scores, especially for borderline cases. Comments like "seemed weak on technical details" aren't helpful six months later when you're trying to remember your reasoning.
Overcomplicating the scoring system can paralyze your evaluation team. While precision is valuable, a scoring system with 20 criteria and sub-criteria might be excessive for many procurements. Keep it as simple as possible while still capturing the important factors.
Failing to calibrate scorers leads to inconsistent evaluations. One team member's "3" might be another's "4" for the same proposal quality. Spend time aligning on scoring standards before evaluation begins.
Ignoring pass/fail requirements can waste significant time. If regulatory compliance is non-negotiable, check for it first. Don't spend hours scoring a vendor who can't meet your basic requirements.
Letting presentation skills overshadow proposal quality is a subtle but dangerous bias. Some vendors are simply better at presentations than others. Score based on what's in their written proposal and how well they answered your questions, not how polished their PowerPoint slides appeared.
Rushing the process leads to poor decisions that affect you for years. RFP scoring takes time, especially for complex procurements. Build adequate time into your procurement schedule to do it properly.
Not considering exponential scaling when total scores don't differentiate suppliers enough. When you have a large number of criteria and closely-spaced scores, the unders and overs cancel each other out, leaving you with very similar totals. Consider using an exponential scale for scoring in these situations. Write RFP questions that elicit responses you can meaningfully score, assign exponential weights (like 5, 10, 25, 50, and use exponential scoring scales (0, 10, 100, 1000). If grand totals don't match your instinct, adjust the weights and calculate again.
How Prokuria Simplifies RFP Scoring with Ready-to-Use Templates
RFP scoring doesn't have to be a time-consuming, error-prone manual process. If you want to streamline your approach, consider investing in RFP software. This eliminates complicated weighted-decision template matrices, macros, complex formulas and miscalculations that can derail your process.
Prokuria's ready-to-use templates eliminate the guesswork from RFP scoring setup. Instead of starting from scratch, you get proven scoring frameworks with pre-defined criteria and weights that reflect industry best practices. The platform's automated calculations remove human error, while collaborative features allow multiple evaluators to score simultaneously with built-in documentation trails.
The advantage of using a platform like Prokuria isn't just efficiency; it's consistency. Every procurement follows the same rigorous process, creating organizational knowledge that improves over time.
Ultimately, successful RFP scoring comes down to determining which method best suits your project's complexity. By defining criteria ahead of time and giving each criterion a score and weight, you maximize your chances of selecting the best supplier for your organization.
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