Behind the Score: Understanding the People Who Evaluate Your Tender
Behind every council or government tender is a small group of people with a big decision to make.
A tender submission is never about you. It's about the people reading it, and the organisation that needs to see you can solve their problem.
Evaluators are people too
We have to remember this in our responses. Evaluators are trained to read tenders against a scoring system that helps them decide fairly. But they're also people, with a job to do, deadlines to meet and a stack of responses to get through. Remembering that changes how you respond. You're speaking to a person, persuading them of your value, so make your response clear and honest.
A tender should do more than answer their questions; it should build a picture of why your company is deserving of the work and will be a great supplier.
A tender that is easy to read, builds confidence, answers their questions and respects their time will be win-ready over one that hasn't put in the effort to do so.
Who are the evaluators?
Council tender evaluation panels in NZ usually have 3–5 people and are set up to be objective, skilled and available for the whole process. A typical panel may include:
Procurement/commercial lead – someone trained in council/Government procurement rules, evaluation methodology, scoring, and conflict-of-interest management.
Business owner / service manager – the person or team who will manage the contract and who understands the operational need (e.g. project manager, facilities manager).
Technical specialist(s) – subject-matter experts relevant to the work (e.g. engineer, architect, ICT specialist, environmental scientist).
Financial/commercial analyst – to assess pricing models, costings, financial stability and lifecycle costs.
Cultural / community representative (where relevant) – for projects with significant Māori, iwi, or community impact.
Independent/external evaluator (sometimes) – for large or high-risk tenders, councils may bring in an external certified tender evaluator or probity advisor to strengthen robustness and defensibility.
Panel members are tasked with robust evaluation, debriefs and reference checks. With larger projects, such as transport infrastructure, a certified tender evaluator will also be on the team.
Each person reads your tender through a different lens
The procurement lead is asking, "Is this response compliant, and can I defend the score?" The service manager is asking, "Will this solve my problem, and will this supplier be easy to work with?" The technical specialist wants to know if the approach is sound. The analyst is checking that the price is realistic and the supplier will still be standing at the end of the contract. Where there's a community or cultural voice on the panel, they're asking how you'll work with the people affected.
Different questions, but one thread runs through all of them: can we trust this supplier to solve our problem?
That's the mindset you're writing for. Evaluators aren't reading to be impressed. They're reading to reduce risk and to find someone they can confidently put in front of their manager, their council and their community.
Writing to earn confidence
A tender that earns trust:
Shows you understand the problem before it describes your solution.
Answers the question that was asked, in the order it was asked.
Backs claims with evidence they can check.
Is honest about assumptions and limits, because a supplier who flags risks early is easier to trust than one who promises everything.
Is easy to read and score, because a tired evaluator will always favour the response that makes their job easier.
Evaluators aren't trying to catch you out. They're trying to feel confident in a decision that carries real consequences for their organisation and often the community.
The final read: show you care and are low risk
You've put time and energy into your tender and answered every question. Before you submit, take one more read and ask yourself: does this show that we care about this project, and that we'll be a great work partner?
Managing risk is a big part of an evaluator's job. They'll score your answers, but they also read between the lines. Showing enthusiasm and openness, alongside clear evidence, helps them feel confident that choosing you is a safe decision.
