Comparison of Website Quotes

What's in the template

The file calculates which offer provides the best value for the price, rather than simply showing the cheapest one. It has five sheets:

• Instructions: The Steps and the Scoring Scale

• Criteria: three exclusion criteria and eight evaluation criteria with weightings, totaling 1,000 points, plus a description for each criterion explaining how to earn full points

• Rating: 0 to 5 points per agency and criterion, with columns for the rationale

• Costs for 3 years: Project costs plus hosting, licenses, and maintenance, multiplied by three

• Result: Exclusion, credit hours, costs, key figures, and rank—all calculated using formulas

The method is the simple benchmark method from the 2018 UfAB guidelines issued by the Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior: performance points divided by price. The example featuring three fictional agencies illustrates why the lowest-priced project bid may no longer be the most cost-effective after three years.

Here's how to use the template

Establish criteria and weightings before the first proposal arrives. Otherwise, you’ll end up evaluating the proposal you liked best anyway. Tailor the criteria to your project; the sum of the weightings should equal 1,000—the file will flag any deviation. Then evaluate each proposal individually—ideally, with each jury member doing so on their own—and discuss the results only afterward.

The file uses only standard formulas and no macros. It is free of charge, requires no registration, and does not constitute legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why spread the costs over three years?

Because quotes often differ in terms of hosting, licenses, and maintenance. The Federal Administration’s Cost-Benefit Analysis (WiBe 5.0) requires that development and operating costs be reported separately and that all alternatives be compared over the same time period. We recommend three years, but you can change the time period.

What is an exclusion criterion?

A condition without which an offer is out of the question—for example, that the domain and accounts remain with the company. Use only a few of these, and only for valid reasons.