Here is a practical step-by-step framework you can follow to make sure your non-price criteria are credible, consistent, and evidenced across your tender and digital footprint:
1. Identify your non-price claims
List the non-price claims you plan to make in your tender for example, Indigenous engagement, sustainability practices, stakeholder consultation, social value delivery, quality assurance, safety systems, or community partnerships.
2. Document your evidence
For each claim, identify specific evidence that supports it. This might include:
Policy documents or public statements (e.g. Indigenous engagement policies, sustainability policies)
Past project case studies, lessons learned reports or client endorsements
Community consultation records, stakeholder reports or partnership agreements
Internal procedures or management systems (e.g. risk management, quality assurance, conflict-of-interest protocols)
Training, certifications or staff credentials demonstrating methodological or technical proficiency
3. Align your capability statement
Make sure your capability statement references the same non-price claims, using similar language and context as your tender, and includes or refers to the documented evidence. This helps establish consistency and credibility.
4. Review your digital footprint
Check your website, LinkedIn profile, Google Business Profile, blog posts and any public-facing documents, to confirm that the non-price claims and their supporting evidence are visible and clearly referenced. If they aren’t, consider publishing case studies, capability write-ups or policy summaries to fill in the gaps.
5. Test for credibility
Put yourself in the shoes of an assessor or external reviewer. If you were doing a quick “credibility check,” could you easily find public-facing evidence of every non-price claim you made? If not, adjust your materials or publish supporting evidence so they can.
6. Update and maintain evidence over time
As your organisation completes new projects, community work, policy work or partnerships, make sure you’re updating your website and capability materials so they continue to reflect your evolving non-price performance. This keeps your credibility strong for future tenders.
Tendering is fundamentally about trust and capability.
Price will get you entry, but non-price criteria and the credibility of your claims are what build confidence and help you win. By carefully aligning your non-price claims, documenting and publishing your supporting evidence, and making sure everything is clearly visible and consistent across your tender, capability statement, and digital footprint, you’re putting yourself in the best possible position to be seen as reliable, capable, and ready to deliver.
If assessors can easily find and verify your evidence and if your public-facing materials back up your claims, then your non-price criteria aren’t just statements, they become strengths that differentiate you from the competition.
