Understanding Government Contract Source Selection

Evaluating Proposals

Once the offerors have submitted their proposals, and the contracting officer (CO) has determined if the proposals are acceptable for evaluation, the evaluators read and assess the proposals in accordance with the RFP’s evaluation criteria and the agency’s procedures, which are sometimes documented in a source selection plan or a source selection evaluation guide.

It’s important to note that although the evaluators score the proposals, that score does not make the source selection decision. Scores must not be used as the primary justification for contract award. Rather, the evaluators’ written narratives, which identify the ...