Urgent bid support · situation 17 of 17
A selection questionnaire or PQQ is due in two weeks
A selection questionnaire is mostly a test of whether you can evidence compliance, not whether you can write well. Most of it is pass or fail, so the work is gathering and checking certificates, policies, insurance, financial accounts and references, and then writing the small number of scored method questions properly. Two weeks is enough for both if the documents exist. We respond the same day.
The honest bit
The thing that sinks an SQ is rarely the writing. It is a certificate that is out of date, an insurance level a pound under the minimum, or a financial ratio the accounts do not meet. We check those first, in the first hours, because finding a fail on day twelve is not a recoverable position.
What we need to start today
- The SQ or PQQ and the instructions for completion
- Your latest accounts, insurance certificates and accreditation certificates
- Policies the questionnaire asks for: health and safety, equality, modern slavery, data protection
- Two or three references with contact details and permission to be named
- The portal login and the submission time
When we will tell you not to bid
These are the things that make the situation undeliverable rather than merely tight. If any of them apply we will say so on the first call, before you spend anything.
- A mandatory accreditation not held and not obtainable in the time
- Financial accounts that do not meet the stated thresholds
- A required reference that cannot be obtained
- Policies that do not exist and cannot be properly written in the time
Questions people ask at this point
How long does a PQQ or SQ take to complete?
It depends on the evidence, not the writing. A repeat bidder with current documents can be quick. A first-time bidder gathering certificates, policies and references needs the longer part of a fortnight.
What is the difference between an SQ and a PQQ?
Under the Procurement Act 2023, the selection stage is run through a Selection Questionnaire (SQ) in most cases. PQQ was the older term used under previous regulations. In practice the content is the same.
Can you check compliance before we start?
Yes, and we do this first. A fail that surfaces on day twelve cannot be fixed.
Tell us the deadline and we will tell you if it is doable
We respond the same day. Send the documents and the deadline and you will get a straight answer on whether it is deliverable, including if the answer is no. A bid you were never going to win costs more than the fee it would have earned.
Send us the deadline
SQ or PQQ due in two weeks. Tell us the closing date and what you have, and we will come back the same day with whether it is deliverable.
Other situations we pick up
- A tender is due this week and nothing is written
- A private sector RFP has landed with a short deadline
- Your bid writer has dropped out mid-submission
- A framework application closes this week and you have not started
- You need to get onto a Dynamic Purchasing System quickly
- An ITT has arrived and you have no bid team