Evaluation and scoring
Most economically advantageous tender(MEAT)
Definition
The evaluation principle requiring public buyers to award contracts based on the best combination of quality and price (or cost), not simply the lowest price.
MEAT is the default award criterion in UK and EU public procurement. It means the buyer must consider the overall value of a tender, not just the price. In practice, this translates into a weighted evaluation where quality criteria (technical approach, methodology, staff, social value) and price are each given a percentage weight.
Common weightings range from 60/40 (quality/price) to 80/20 for complex services. Some contracts weight quality at 100% with price assessed only on a pass/fail affordability basis. The weighting tells you how to calibrate your bid — a 70/30 quality-to-price split means a technically strong bid can win even at a higher price.
Understanding MEAT is essential for pricing strategy. In a quality-heavy evaluation, bidding at the lowest price sacrifices margin without gaining a significant advantage — the evaluation model rewards quality investment more than cost cutting. The reverse is true for price-heavy evaluations.
Why it matters for bidders
MEAT evaluation means price alone does not determine who wins. SMEs can compete against larger, cheaper suppliers by demonstrating superior quality, innovation, and social value. Understanding the quality-to-price weighting is the single most important factor in crafting a winning bid strategy.
How Skim helps
Skim's Bid Analysis agent identifies the MEAT evaluation model for each opportunity, showing you the quality-to-price weighting so you can calibrate your bid strategy — invest in quality narrative when it is weighted highly, or sharpen pricing when it matters more.
Related terms
Evaluation criteria
The specific factors and their weightings used by a buyer to assess and score tender responses, typically covering technical quality, methodology, staff, price, and social value.
Quality score
The score awarded to the non-price elements of a tender response, assessed against published evaluation criteria and typically representing 60–80% of the total evaluation in quality-led procurements.
Social value
The wider economic, social, and environmental benefits that a supplier's delivery of a public contract generates beyond the direct goods or services purchased, now a mandatory evaluation criterion in most UK central government procurements.
Invitation to tender(ITT)
A formal document issued by a buyer inviting suppliers to submit a tender for a specific contract, containing the specification, evaluation criteria, terms and conditions, and submission requirements.