What is a PQQ?

PQQ Pre Qualification Questionnaire

PQQ is the acronym for the now defunct Pre Qualification Questionnaire used in public procurement processes to qualify suppliers.

​The SQ is the acronym for the Standard Selection Questionnaire that replaced the PQQ in 2016. 

Why do buyers and suppliers still refer to the method of qualifying suppliers (during a public procurement process) as the PQQ? ​

What is the Standard Selection Questionnaire?

In my blog 'Tender Process Acronyms Explained' I touched on the Standard Selection Questionnaire and how it had replaced the PQQ. Twelve months on and the PQQ is still alive and kicking in the tendering world but why is this?

The SQ provides the deal breakers, the pass / fail questions the buyer uses to determine if the bid will progress to the next stage of the tender process.

In the case of the 'Open' procedure (both the SQ and the Invitation to Tender (ITT)/Request For Proposal (RFP) are sent to bidders at the same time), if the bid is rejected (based on the information contained within the SQ), the subsequent tender response and pricing will not be scored and the bidder will have no further involvement in the tender process.​

So what has changed? 
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Very little. The SQ has simplified the qualification stage for suppliers. Part 1 and Part 2 of the SQ cannot be amended by the buyer. The only exception is when questions are deemed irrelevant to the procurement exercise.

Part 3 of the SQ allows the buyer to ask their own questions, so long as they directly relate to the subject matter of the tender. Which was the case with the PQQ. 

The SQ still requires suppliers to answer Mandatory and Discretionary Exclusion questions, confirm their financial standing and provide references to evidence their previous experience. 

So why the resistance to change?
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Usually a resistance to change indicates a fear of the unknown, a lack of competence to learn new ways of working or a lack of training.

A buyer who has a tendency to copy and paste previous tenders can often create a situation where PQQ and SQ is used in the same procurement document, leading to total confusion.  

What ever the reason, the continued use of the PQQ acronym is causing unnecessary confusion for bidders. ​

About the author
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Naomi Clews

Naomi Clews, management consultant and owner of boutique procurement advisory firm Naomi Clews Consultancy Limited has 18 years public procurement process knowledge, experience and skills. Find out more here. ​ ​