What is QCBS?
Quality and Cost Based Selection
QCBS (Quality and Cost Based Selection) is an evaluation method where the winner is chosen on a combined score of technical quality and price.
What is QCBS?
Quality and Cost Based Selection is a way of choosing a bidder that weighs both quality and price. Each bid gets a technical score and a financial score, and the bidder with the highest combined score wins.
It is widely used for consultancy services, and sometimes for technology projects and other procurement where quality matters a lot. Technical to financial weights of 70:30 or 80:20 are common, but the tender sets them.
How the score is worked out
Technical proposals are scored against criteria such as experience, methodology and key staff. Bidders below the minimum technical score are rejected, and their financial bids are not opened.
A common method gives the lowest price full financial marks and others marks in proportion. The exact formula is in the tender.
- Technical score (T): marks out of 100, sometimes normalised against the highest technical score
- Financial score (F): lowest price ÷ your price × 100
- Combined score: T × technical weight + F × financial weight
Tips for bidders
Invest in the technical proposal. In a 70:30 tender, a few extra technical marks can outweigh a higher price.
Read the scoring table closely and give evidence for every point. Pricing very low rarely makes up for a weak proposal.
Common questions
Common questions about QCBS in government tenders.
In L1 selection, the lowest-priced qualified bid wins. In QCBS, the highest combined score for quality and price wins.
It is the qualifying mark, set in the tender, that a technical proposal must reach before its financial bid is opened.
Yes. If another bidder’s technical score is high enough, its combined score can beat the lowest-priced bid.
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