QuickTenders Resource
Understanding Match Score
What the number beside each match means, why 100 can mean "two factors matched", and how Match Score differs from Tender Fit.
~2 min read · Updated 16 September 2026
A Match Score is the number QuickTenders gives an open tender to say how closely it fits your Company Profile. It is calculated only from the factors the tender actually specifies, which is why it must be read together with how many factors that was.
How it is calculated
Eight weighted factors — province, category, CIDB grade, CIDB value limit, B-BBEE level, turnover, certifications and closing buffer — are compared between the tender and your profile. Each factor the tender specifies goes into the denominator; each one you meet earns its weight. Two bonuses (category interest, services match) are added, with a hard cap. A score of 70 or more is a match.
A factor the tender says nothing about is excluded, not scored zero. So:
- A tender that specifies only a province and a category, both matching yours, scores 100 — on two factors.
- A tender that specifies a CIDB grade you do not hold scores lower even if everything else matches — that factor is in the denominator and unmet.
Every match shows the count of factors it was checked on. A 100 checked on two factors is a weaker signal than an 85 checked on six.
Match Score versus Tender Fit
| Match Score | Tender Fit | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Every open tender, continuously | When you apply to one tender |
| Question | Is this my kind of work? | Can I meet this tender's requirements? |
| Reads | Profile factors above | The tender's compulsory requirements and criteria against your profile and documents |
| Result | A number, a ranking | A verdict (good fit, borderline, poor fit) with a score and reasons |
| Effect | Orders your matches | A warning you can proceed past; your decision is recorded |
A high Match Score with a poor Tender Fit is normal: the work is yours, but this tender asks for something — a grade, a document, a briefing you missed — that you cannot currently show.
Related
- How to improve tender matching
- Match Score and Tender Fit in Platform Terms