How to respond to selection criteria
Selection criteria are where a tender is won or lost — they are what the evaluation panel actually scores. Strong responses are specific, evidenced and structured. This guide explains how criteria and weightings work, how to use the STAR method, and the mistakes that cost businesses marks.
6 min read
Key takeaways
- Selection criteria are scored against an explicit marking guide — address every part of each one.
- Weightings tell you where to invest depth: put your strongest, most quantified evidence into the heaviest criteria.
- The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) keeps experience answers concrete and scoreable.
- Stay within the word limit and back every claim with real evidence — never inflate or invent.
What are selection criteria?
Selection criteria are the specific things an agency asks you to demonstrate — relevant experience, capability, methodology, capacity, value for money. Your written response to each is scored by an evaluation panel, usually against a marking guide. Unlike a sales pitch, a tender response is marked point by point, so the goal is to make it easy for the panel to award you marks.
How weightings work
Most tenders weight their criteria — for example experience 30%, methodology 25%, capacity 20%, value for money 25%. Weightings are your map: a 30% criterion warrants more depth, more proof and your best examples, while a lightly weighted one needs a tight, complete answer and no more. Read each criterion and split it into every part it asks for; an unaddressed part is marks left on the table.
Use the STAR method
For experience and capability criteria, STAR keeps your answer specific and easy to score:
- Situation — the client, contract and scale (e.g. "daily cleaning across 18 NSW Department of Education sites").
- Task — what was required of you under that contract.
- Action — what you specifically did, and your approach.
- Result — the measurable outcome: percentages, dollar values, timeframes, audit scores.
A short worked example
Weak: "We are highly experienced and committed to quality cleaning services."
Strong: "Since 2021 we have delivered daily cleaning across 18 regional government office sites under a single $480,000-per-year contract. We hold an average monthly quality-audit score of 96% and cut cleaning-related complaints by 40% in the first year." The second answer names the contract, its scale and quantified results — exactly what a panel can score.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few patterns consistently lose marks:
- Generic claims with no evidence ("we are passionate and reliable").
- Ignoring part of a multi-part criterion.
- Unsourced comparatives ("well below industry average") with nothing to back them.
- Going over the word limit, so content is ignored or penalised.
- Repeating the same example across criteria instead of tailoring each.
Mind the word limit
Word limits are a hard maximum. Aim for around 90% of the limit, lead with your strongest material, and cut anything that does not earn marks. If you are running out of room, drop adjectives before you drop evidence.
Draft criteria responses from your evidence
BidShortlist breaks the tender into every selection criterion and drafts a structured, evidence-backed response to each — then scores it the way a government panel would. Your first bid is free.
Get my free draftFirst bid free • No credit card • A fraction of a $1,500–$15,000 bid writer