MAT (Most Advantageous Tender)

The tender that offers the best overall value when evaluated against all published award criteria, not necessarily the lowest price bid.

How it works

MAT represents the winning tender in any competitive procurement process. Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, contracting authorities must award contracts based on either lowest price or most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria. The MAT is whichever bid scores highest when evaluated against the published methodology.

For price-only evaluations, the MAT is simply the lowest compliant bid. For MEAT evaluations, the MAT emerges from scoring multiple criteria including price, quality, technical merit, environmental considerations, or social value - each weighted according to the published evaluation model.

Evaluation process

The MAT determination follows a structured assessment: - Technical evaluation against pass/fail requirements - Quality scoring using published criteria and weightings - Price evaluation (often as a percentage of total score) - Combined scoring to identify the highest-ranked compliant tender - Moderation and verification of scores

All evaluation criteria and weightings must be published in tender documents. The scoring methodology cannot be changed during evaluation, ensuring transparency and fairness.

Why it matters

Identifying the MAT concludes the competitive evaluation phase and triggers the standstill period under Regulation 87. This 10-day period allows unsuccessful bidders to challenge the award decision before contract signature.

The MAT concept reinforces that public procurement seeks best value for taxpayers, not necessarily cheapest price. It enables authorities to balance cost against quality, innovation, and policy objectives whilst maintaining objective, defensible award decisions.