Best Value

Best value is a procurement evaluation methodology where the government selects the proposal that offers the greatest overall value, considering both technical merit and price. Unlike Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA), best value allows a higher-priced proposal to win if its technical superiority justifies the additional cost.

Best value tradeoff procurements typically evaluate proposals across multiple factors such as technical approach, past performance, management capability, and price. The RFP defines the relative importance of these factors and whether technical merit is significantly more important than, approximately equal to, or less important than price.

Best value evaluation favors companies with strong technical capabilities, proven past performance, and innovative solutions. It rewards proposals that go beyond minimum requirements to demonstrate exceptional understanding and superior approaches. The Source Selection Authority makes the final tradeoff decision, documented in a Source Selection Decision Document (SSDD).