Consider two fictional plans, not real suppliers. Plan A scores 84 but refuses a buyer-controlled holdout: it fails the independent-acceptance gate and cannot be preferred on its total. Plan B scores 74 with all pilot gates resolved and 90% evidence coverage: it is a conditional candidate for a bounded pilot, with remediation tied to its weakest criteria.
A separate arithmetic example: a 20-weight criterion rated 3 contributes 15 points; a 15-weight criterion rated 2 contributes 7.5. The supplier does not receive full weight merely for providing a document. Evidence must support the rating, and unknowns must not be disguised as compliant.