Competitive Dialogue – experiences with the award criteria

Abstract

The Competitive Dialogue (CD) is a procurement procedure that was introduced in Norway in 2007. The procedure enables the client to have a dialogue phase with pre-qualified contractors before awarding the contract. When the dialogue phase is over, the client evaluates the tenders based on pre-defined and project-specific most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) award criteria. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience from the use of the award criteria in a project that has used the CD procedure. In addition to an initial literature study and a document study, 14 in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out. This research investigates the infrastructure project E6 Helgeland South with NPRA as a client. The case study indicates that the client finds it demanding to determine suitable award criteria at an early stage. There are uncertainties regarding the weighting of the award criteria and the evaluation process. Both the client and the contractor request more focus on the award criteria at an early phase of the project to align them with the project goal and purpose. This study helps to better understand the influence of the award criteria in the CD procedure.