Article 31 — Award criteria

1. Proposals for actions shall be evaluated in the light of the objectives set for the relevant action, as referred to in Article 22, the expected results of the relevant action, and the quality and efficiency of its implementation. 2. In addition to the criteria set out in paragraph 1 of this Article, proposals for common procurement actions as referred to in Article 11 may be evaluated based on one or more of the following criteria: (a) the estimated value of the common procurement; (b) the action’s contribution to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the Ukrainian DTIB; (c) the action’s contribution to the acceleration of the procurement of, and the reduction of the production and delivery lead times for, defence products. 3. In addition to the criteria set out in paragraph 1 of this Article, proposals for industrial reinforcement actions as referred to in Article 12 may be evaluated based on one or more of the following criteria: (a) the reduction of production lead time and the increase in production capacity in Ukraine; (b) the contribution to ensuring timely availability and supply of defence products throughout Ukraine; (c) the contribution to cross-border defence industrial cooperation between Ukraine and the Union. 4. The work programmes referred to in Article 34 shall lay down further details concerning the application of the award criteria, including any weighting to be applied. The work programmes shall not set individual thresholds. 5. The evaluation committee may be assisted by independent external experts in accordance with Article 153(3) of the Financial Regulation. The work programmes may specify that those experts are required to hold a valid personal security clearance.