With the revised procurement law Switzerland moved from the economically most favourable to the most advantageous bid. The aim is competition on quality rather than price alone. For suppliers, understanding the scoring logic allows more targeted bids.
Legal framework
Art. 29 PPA lists, besides price and quality, other possible award criteria such as suitability, deadlines, technical value, cost-effectiveness, life-cycle costs, sustainability or customer service. The authority publishes criteria and weighting in the tender or documents. For largely standardised services the award may be based solely on the lowest total price.
Turning price into points
To make price and quality comparable, the authority converts price into points. Linear methods are common: the cheapest bid gets full points, more expensive bids lose points in proportion to the difference, down to a set limit beyond which no points are awarded. How steep this curve is strongly affects the outcome: with a flat curve quality weighs more, with a steep one price dominates even if the weighting looks balanced on paper.
What it means for the bid
Knowing the price scoring method and weighting lets you estimate how many quality points a higher price may cost. If the method is not disclosed, ask in the Q&A round. Abnormally low prices do not automatically lead to exclusion but trigger enquiries; a price that cannot be explained does more harm than good.
Making quality demonstrable
Quality criteria are usually assessed through concepts, references and key staff. Points come from what can be measured against the criterion, not from general self-description. A response structure that answers criterion by criterion is therefore the biggest lever, see our article on writing a public tender bid.