Abstract

The article discusses the concept of selecting the most economically advantageous offer on the basis of objective criteria. A comparative analysis of EU and national legislation has been carried out, pointing to differences between the previous ‘lowest price’ approach and the current ‘best value for money’ approach. The article stresses the importance of maintaining the balance between the criteria used in the evaluation of offers, and establishing the correct appropriate relationship between them. This requires the proper weighting of each of the chosen criteria, taking into account the expected benefits of its application. The author also discusses the issues of cost criteria and examples of non-price criteria for the evaluation of offers (based on quality, environment and social aspects) as well as practical guidelines on their selection principles.