What Is a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire?
If you are part of the construction industry in the UK, you will often find yourself involved in the tendering process. Especially common in the public sector, this typically involves a buyer laying out the specifications for a particular project and inviting third-party contractors to bid for the work. While there is a popularly held myth that these contracts simply go to the lowest bidder, there is much more to the process than that, and one of the key components is the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
In this article, we will talk about what a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire involves, why it is so important to the bidding process, and what you can do to improve your chances of success.
What Is a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire?
A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (usually abbreviated to PQQ) is a document that contractors are required to provide at the outset of the tendering process. Its purpose is to make sure that your company passes the minimum requirements for bidding on a project before being invited to tender. This ensures that your time and that of the buyer are not wasted on applying for a contract for which you are ineligible.
What Is Included in a PQQ?
While the specific questions asked in a PQQ may vary from one buyer to another, most of them tend to request the following information:
Company information: this includes the type of organisation you are, your contact details, VAT, and company registration numbers.
Grounds for mandatory rejection: you are expected to answer “yes” or “no” to a series of statements regarding your eligibility. Typically, these relate to conspiracy, corruption, fraud, and bribery.
Grounds for discretionary rejection: this is another series of “yes” or “no” statements where you confirm that your business has never been convicted of criminal offences.
Economic and financial standing: this looks at three key areas to determine your company’s financial standing – annual turnover, financial ratios, and insurance.
Technical and professional ability: you will be asked to demonstrate that your company is able to meet the requirements of the tender. This is normally in the form of related case studies showing a successful outcome on a similar project.
Staff and subcontractor’s information: you will be expected to provide up-to-date CVs and qualification documents for your key staff and subcontractors to demonstrate they are suitably experienced and qualified for the job.
Accreditations and qualifications: many buyers insist on relevant accreditations, certifications, and memberships to demonstrate that you meet the requirements of the contract. This includes ISO certifications (usually 9001, 14001, and 18001), CSCS, CPCS, BIM, SSIP, IOSH, CHAS, SafeContractor, and ConstructionLine, among others.
Health and safety: you will need to demonstrate your compliance with the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974, including relevant risk assessments and details of staff training.
Quality assurance: you are expected to detail your approach to performance management, including training, best practices, inspections, audits, and how you deal with underperforming staff.
Environmental management policy: this section covers everything from reducing waste and encouraging recycling to reducing your carbon footprint and more.
Equal opportunities policy: you will be expected to include your company’s equality and diversity policy to demonstrate you are complying with the Equality Act 2010.
Making the PQQ Process Easier
This all sounds like a lot – and it is! However, there are ways to streamline the process without reducing your chance of qualifying for the contract. Certain certifications and accreditations automatically qualify you for certain parts of the questionnaire. For instance, a CHAS or SafeContractor accreditation will exempt you from parts of the Health and Safety section, while an ISO 9001 will satisfy the requirements of the Quality Assurance section, and so on.
Client Feedback
Get in touch
If you are bidding on a tendered contract and need help with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, Dromore Safety Services Ltd can help. Call the team on 07717 210 323 to discuss your requirements and let us put together a plan of action for you.
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