It's clearly a weapons program. But given that both submarines meet the requirements the RCN wants for combat capability then you need other factors to outscore the other guy. It's a tight race.
If the navy was more specific in its requirements then maybe there would more differential between bids based on platform performance. But I think broad requirements were better for this one. As well the service and support portion is a huge part of the bid. It may look only like "jobs" but it's more about capability sustainment and domestic sustainment to keep that combat capability operational.