Mandatory technical compliance
Specifications, certifications, samples, tests, and submission requirements can all be proven by the deadline.
METHODOLOGY Two workflows, not one generic score
Goods and services require different evidence, economics, and delivery controls.
CanadaBuysGuide first classifies what the buyer is purchasing, then applies a separate 100-point model. Both paths separate facts, assumptions, estimates, and professional judgment, while critical failures can override the total score.
GOODS TENDER MODEL
Physical supply is won—and lost—through compliance, sourcing, cost, logistics, and capital.
This model applies when the evaluated outcome is primarily a product, material, piece of equipment, or physical supply.
20 pts
Supplier and product evidence
The exact compliant product, committed source, written lead time, quality evidence, and backup plan are documented.
Landed economics
Product, freight, duty, tax, foreign exchange, financing, handling, warranty, last mile, and contingency support the margin.
Logistics and delivery
Production, inspection, transit, customs, warehousing, packaging, and delivery milestones are credible and owned.
Working-capital exposure
Deposits, inventory, freight, tax, payment terms, and collection timing can be funded safely.
Market and price position
The compliant offer is benchmarked against incumbents, domestic alternatives, and probable evaluated pricing.
Category and contract fit
The supplier understands the category, buyer environment, service levels, returns, invoicing, and administration.
Strategic value
The contract can create repeat revenue, references, supplier leverage, distribution rights, or market access.
SERVICES TENDER MODEL
Service delivery depends on credentials, methodology, people, references, and labour economics.
This model applies when the evaluated outcome is primarily professional work, operational support, managed services, implementation, training, or another people-led deliverable.
Mandatory eligibility and credentials
Licences, clearances, insurance, certifications, languages, locations, and named-resource requirements can be proven.
Scope understanding and methodology
The work plan, deliverables, assumptions, dependencies, schedule, governance, and acceptance process are credible.
Relevant experience and references
Comparable projects, measurable outcomes, reference contacts, and evidence map directly to the evaluation criteria.
Team capacity and availability
Proposed personnel are qualified, available, backed up, and realistically allocated across commitments.
Pricing and labour economics
Hours, rates, utilization, management time, travel, subcontractors, tools, rework, overhead, escalation, and contingency are modelled.
Delivery governance and quality
Onboarding, communication, QA, reporting, security, escalation, continuity, and acceptance are controlled.
Evaluation competitiveness
The methodology, team, experience, speed, risk control, or outcomes create a clear evidence-backed advantage.
Strategic value
The engagement can create recurring work, a strong reference, reusable IP, partner access, or a stronger service position.
EVIDENCE GRADING
A more precise score than yes, maybe, or no.
Each response earns a percentage of that criterion’s actual weight. High-weight gaps therefore reduce the score more than low-impact uncertainties.
PURSUE
Proceed only when no critical criterion is failed or materially unresolved.
WATCH
Resolve the highest-value gaps before committing full bid resources.
DROP
Protect time, cash, capacity, and reputation unless material facts change.
GOODS KILL SWITCHES
Supply risks that cannot be averaged away.
✓ A mandatory technical requirement, certification, sample, or test cannot be proven.
✓ The exact product or committed supplier is not confirmed.
✓ A material landed-cost assumption could erase margin.
✓ The delivery plan depends on an unowned or unrealistic handoff.
✓ The working-capital requirement threatens core operations.
SERVICES KILL SWITCHES
Delivery risks that cannot be averaged away.
✓ A required licence, clearance, insurance level, certification, language, or location condition cannot be proven.
✓ A mandatory named resource is unavailable or does not meet the required qualifications.
✓ The proposed team does not have credible capacity for the delivery period.
✓ The pricing model omits material labour, management, travel, subcontractor, or rework cost.
✓ The delivery method cannot satisfy required governance, security, quality, or acceptance obligations.
MIXED CONTRACTS
Score the dominant scope, then test the secondary workflow.
For a contract combining goods and services, first use the model representing most of the evaluated value and operational exposure. Then separately test the secondary component. A strong product score does not validate installation, training, maintenance, or managed-service capacity—and a strong service team does not validate product compliance, inventory, or logistics.
The public scorecard is a screening tool. Final approval requires the complete solicitation, amendments, compliance matrix, supporting evidence, commercial model, delivery plan, and specialist review where required.