What does it mean to tie in the total tender score?

When two or more companies take out exactly the same score in a public tender, we are basically facing a kind of business “photo”. It does not pass every day, but it can happen, especially if the technical and economic offers of the competitors are almost traced. And of course, this puts a good mess to those who have to decide who takes the contract.

In the world of public tenders, everything must be super transparent and fair. But when there is a tie ... well, the rules can change according to the country or even the region. Each site has its own book of how to solve these draws.

For example, in Spain, the famous Royal Legislative Decree 3/2011 (yes, that legal tocho that everyone loves to read in their spare time) says in article 150 that, if there is a draw, it is thrown for the offer side with the best score in quality. That is, not everything is a price; Quality can give you that winning push.

And be careful, because almost always the specifications are already planned by certain mechanisms to break draws. They can ask that some criteria be reviewed, add some extra point according to other conditions, or, if the thing remains matched, until making a second round for companies to affine their offers more.

If you are a company and throw yourself to tender, you better be clear about how the draws are resolved where you are presented. These rules can make the difference between winning or staying with the desire. So, before sending your proposal, check the sheet well and ask if something does not fit you.

Do not underestimate the value of speaking with the contracting body. If you are not sure how they plan to solve a tie, ask. Better what to get an unpleasant surprise.

Anyway, drawing in a tender means that two or more offers are matched at points. Who wins? It depends on the country, the rules of the contest and what the specifications say. If you are serious, learn the tiebreaker criteria well and keep the channels open with whom it organizes the cotarro. It is not magic, it is a strategy (and a little luck, we do not fool ourselves).