PQQ

Tools and Templates for this section are available for download and use.

Introduction

Some categories and sub-categories have potential supply markets with very large numbers of suppliers. In these instances it will not be sensible to invite tender submissions from all suppliers who would like to participate.

The method by which the suppliers who are to be invited to tender are selected is via the use of a Pre Qualification Questionnaire.

It is recommended that the PQQ process is conducted electronically to aid with the evaluation process in a collaborative environment (which may be virtual) without there being a need for review of physical documentation.

Description

The purpose of using a PQQ process is to enable the Authority to create a short list of potential providers by obtaining sufficient information to evaluate the suitability of potential suppliers in terms of

• technical knowledge and experience,
• capability/capacity, 
• organisational and financial standing

The PQQ will be available to every supplier responding to the OJEU Notice. The questionnaire responses will be evaluated using a scoring weighting agreed in advance. Inability to achieve a specific rating against any of the key criteria will result in exclusion from the evaluation (PQQ evaluation methodology MS Word, 123KB). The OJEU notice will have indicated the estimated numbers of suppliers to be invited to tender, and suppliers will be ranked and selected to meet that estimate. Clearly tolerances may need to be applied depending on the spread of the results of the evaluation.

The evaluation process may include the results of supplier site visits (supplier site visit report), although these do not have to be carried out at this stage. However, if site visits are planned as part of this supplier selection process they should, if possible, be scheduled in at this stage to ensure that full information is used in the evaluation.

The criteria and weightings will be established by the project team and will be informed by the output from the sourcing strategy (category sourcing strategy).

The PQQ will typically cover the following areas

• background corporate information
• financial history and current position
• contractual performance and renewal history
• statements of compliance
• reference customer details
• particular questions relating to the specific product/service required

In addition there will be a list of documents and supporting material to be submitted with the PQQ response e.g. quality certification, annual accounts, health and safety and environmental policies etc.

The PQQ will also contain an outline timetable for the process which will need to comply with the timescales in the regulations (PDF, 180KB).

Output

The output from the PQQ stage is a short list of suppliers to be taken forward to the Invitation to Tender (Invitation to Tender) phase. The output will be contained in a PQQ Evaluation Report (PQQ Evaluation Report) which will summarise the process, outcomes and conclusions.

There will also be additional information to take through to the Invitation to Tender phase with additional knowledge of the suppliers and supply markets.

Successful (Successful supplier letter) and unsuccessful (unsuccessful supplier letter) suppliers will need to be notified of the outcome of the PQQ phase. It may also be appropriate to hold a debriefing (PQQ debriefing guidance) session with the suppliers.

This section assumes that users have a good working knowledge of the application of European directives to UK Public Sector procurement. If you are in any doubt at all on OJEU compliance, additional information is available via the links on the right hand side of this page, and you should also contact a local procurement or legal expert or the OGC service desk for further advice.