LPTA (Lowest Price Technically Acceptable)

Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) is a procurement evaluation method where the contract is awarded to the offeror with the lowest price whose proposal meets all mandatory technical requirements. There is no tradeoff between technical merit and price — once a proposal is deemed technically acceptable, only price matters.

LPTA is appropriate for well-defined requirements where technical differentiation provides minimal value to the government. Examples include commodity purchases, routine services, and situations where requirements are clearly specified and well-understood.

For vendors, LPTA procurements require a different strategy than best value. The focus shifts to meeting every technical requirement at the minimum acceptable level while aggressively optimizing price. Gold-plating the technical solution provides no benefit and adds unnecessary cost. The key is to be technically compliant at the lowest possible price point.