Section M

Section M, "Evaluation factors for award," sits in Part IV of the uniform contract format alongside Section L (FAR 15.204-1; 15.109-4 in the FAR overhaul text). It lists the evaluation factors and subfactors, says how they rank against each other and against price, and names the source selection approach.

FAR 15.304 requires price or cost to be evaluated in every source selection, requires past performance in most competitive buys above the simplified acquisition threshold, and requires the solicitation to state the relative importance of all factors. Agencies must then evaluate proposals solely on the factors stated (FAR 15.305(a); 15.202(a)(1) in the overhaul text).

Section M is your scoring sheet. Use its factor names in your headings, answer each factor where Section L tells you to, and make your strengths easy to find and easy to quote. Evaluators record strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies against these factors, and the record supports the award decision.

The basis for award changes how you write. Under a best value tradeoff, benefits above the minimum can be worth a higher price, so you prove the value of each strength. Under LPTA, anything above "acceptable" earns nothing, so you meet every requirement clearly and keep the price low.

Teams lose points by organizing around their own story instead of the factors, by burying strengths in long paragraphs, and by not checking a draft against Section M before submission. On state and local RFPs the same content appears as "evaluation criteria," often with a points table.