As general rule, the contract is awarded to the most economically advantageous tender, as identified on the basis of the best price-quality ratio, or the price or cost using a cost-effectiveness approach. The award criteria and their weighting have to be set out in the tender notice or in the procurement documents.
The lowest price criterion may be used only in the cases listed in paragraph 4 of section 95 of Codice dei Contratti Pubblici.
The contracting authority has to request clarification from a bidder if his bid appears to be abnormally low. If this clarification does not lead to a satisfactory result, i.e. an economic explanation for the offered low price, the contracting authority can exclude the bid, following section 97 of Codice dei Contratti Pubblici.