Typical Information Gathering Forms
Depending on the value and nature of the supplies, service or work under consideration a potential contractor or supplier to Arun District Council may be required to complete one or more of the following forms.
PRE-QUALIFICATION
There are now two alternative versions of the preliminary or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). The potential value of the contract over its entire duration dictate which PQQ should be used.
For lower value contracts, typically below approximately £173,934 in total (the EU Procurement Directive threshold) the Sub OJEU Pan Sussex PQQ is used. All the local authorities across East and West Sussex have collaborated in establishing one common form. In addition to standardising this form so that the same questions are asked in the same format, the form has been designed to be simpler and quicker to complete with fewer questions that may not be relevant to lower value contracts.
For contracts above the EU thresholds where the EU Procurement Directives apply and where tenders are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) the OJEU PQQ is used.
These forms are the basic background information gathering documents used in procurement projects. They ask for a variety of information about your organisation and are used to assess your suitability to be considered for the contract in question, and the degree of risk that the Council faces in considering entering into a contract with you.
Topics covered, among others, include contact details, financial background, insurance details, quality management and customer service, relevant experience, and trade references. Certain sections will ask for supporting documentation such as certificates or recent accounts and annual reports and it is critical that these are submitted.
Generally speaking, in a two stage tender process these forms will be used to assess your inclusion on a short-list to be invited to tender.
In a one stage process these forms will be included as part of the whole tender package, and form part of the contractor selection process.
Please note that these questionnaires are used to, as far as possible, objectively differentiate between competing contractors/bids. Questions should be answered as fully as possible, and requested documentation should be sent in with your completed questionnaire. Your responses will be scored with higher scores being awarded for the more complete and relevant answers. Failure to answer questions or enclose requested documents will result in lower scores that may mean your organisation scores lower overall and may not be shortlisted or considered further for the particular contract.