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Bid Express® Knowledge Center

RFP scoring and evaluation

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The Bid Express Evaluation function lets evaluators from your agency score RFP responses according to the criteria and weight that you determine.  

If your agency chooses to evaluate responses outside of Bid Express, you do not need to enable the evaluation function. You can still enter a basic score for each response post-bid opening from the Responses component.    

To use the Bid Express scoring and evaluation functions, click to expand the following sections and learn more.

Basic scoring

If your agency has a scoring system outside of Bid Express, you do not need to enable the evaluation function. Instead, you'll enter a basic score for each response in the Responses section post-deadline.

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To enter a basic score for your responses:

  1. Navigate to your closed solicitation. Find the Responses section.
  2. Click to expand the Actions menu of the response you want to score using the three dots to the right of the response.
  3. Click Edit score.
  4. In the Edit score pop-up modal, enter a numerical value into the score field.
  5. Click Submit.

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Repeat this process as needed until all responses have been scored. Once a score has been entered, you can edit it by clicking on the score number or by following the same steps given above.

Evaluate RFP responses

Once the deadline for the RFP closes and responses have been opened, evaluators can begin scoring and evaluating the responses.

Good to know

  • Evaluation can not begin unless a deadline has been set.
  • The evaluation deadline can be extended (to allow for more time) or reduced (if scoring is completed early) as long as the Deadline has not already been reached.
  • Evaluators and component weights can be added before the RFP is advertised; post-advertising, they can be added or changed without issuing an addendum up until the evaluation deadline.
  • Scoring criteria can be edited until that component has been scored. Once a score has been entered, you must remove the evaluator(s) that scored a response from the RFP in order to edit the scoring criteria again.
  • If no criteria or scores are defined or if there was no weight specified for the component, you will see only the Notes field.
  • The Scoring Report will not be available until the evaluation deadline has passed.

To begin scoring:

  1. From the Responses section, select a submitted response.
  2. Find the component that you want to score. After reviewing the component, click Evaluate.
  3. From the Evaluate Component window that appears, select a score. Enter any comments into the Notes field.
    • Note: Components that are not weighted will only allow for comments.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Repeat as needed for all components you want to evaluate.

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To check whether each component has been scored, click Check Evaluation at the top of the RFP. If an area of the response has not yet been scored, the Check Evaluation option will automatically scroll to the relevant component, which is marked in red. Components without weights do not have to be evaluated.

Once you have evaluated all necessary components, use the navigation trail at the top of the page to return to the Responses section. Repeat this process for each response.

Scoring report

After advertisement and prior to the evaluation deadline, agencies will have access to the same solicitation reports and exports available in a non-RFP solicitation.

After the solicitation and evaluation deadlines have passed, an additional report called Scoring Report will be available under the Actions menu of the closed RFP.

Access the scoring report

  1. Navigate to your closed RFP.
  2. Click Actions to expand the export and report selection menu.
  3. Select Scoring Report.
  4. The scoring report will open within Bid Express. To obtain the scoring report outside of the service, click either:
    • Export Responses - MS Excel | Download the report as a .xlsx file.
    • Print Responses | Download the report as a PDF file.

If you don't see the scoring report, check the scoring deadline from the Evaluation section of your solicitation. Click Edit to change the deadline's date and time to close sooner.

What's included in the scoring report

The scoring report, in all viewable or exportable formats, displays:

  • Solicitation Information (as shown in General Info)
  • Bidders - the respondents on the solicitation
  • Evaluation Totals
  • Component Evaluation Scores
  • Incomplete Evaluations

Like the Bid Tabulations report, the scoring report can be shared with vendors by clicking Post to Vendors from the top of the report.