How the estimator weights each input
Project need is dominated by the health-and-safety risk band and the condition grade. Imminent-risk plus a grade D element pushes need close to the ceiling. Low or moderate risk with a borderline grade caps it.
Value for money is the contribution offered, plus a project-value efficiency factor. Bids inside the £200,000 to £3,500,000 sweet spot score full marks on efficiency. Sub-£200k projects look thin against fixed overhead. Bids near the £4M cap attract higher scrutiny on cost-per-element benchmarks.
Project planning is mostly evidence quality. A full FRICS condition pack with annotated photographic evidence and a programme of works carries this. Partial evidence caps the score. Capacity-to-deliver gets a small bonus for MATs of three or more academies and for sixth-form colleges with a standing estates function.
Honest caveats
The DfE does not publish the per-bid moderation panel scores. The published rubric weights, the headline funded rate, and the regional and project-type outcome data are the calibration. This estimator is therefore a reading aid, not a forecast. Where the estimator's indicative tier disagrees with a consultant quote, the consultant is closer to the moderation panel than this site is.