Evaluation criteria to award contracts in the Colombian  public procurement system

This chapter examines the use of available tender procedures and evaluation criteria to award contracts in the Colombian public procurement system. These issues entail the distribution of public resources to private entities, and are important not only because decisions that are made during this process can be harmful for the integrity of the procurement process but also because they can lead to waste of public funds if they are not carried out in a transparent and equitable manner. The focus of this chapter is therefore on the criteria for selecting procurement methods and the criteria for awarding a certain bid a contract. There is special focus on direct awarding and the mechanism that is in place to support secondary objectives.