Documents and notices
Pre-qualification questionnaire(PQQ)
Written by Justin Cesman, CEO of Skim. Last reviewed:
- Definition
- A pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) is the legacy document UK public sector buyers used to shortlist suppliers before inviting tenders, assessing financial standing, technical capability, and exclusion grounds. The standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) superseded it in 2016, though bidders still use the term PQQ colloquially.
Key takeaways
- The PQQ was the pre-2016 supplier shortlisting document; the standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) replaced it via Procurement Policy Note 8/16, effective 26 September 2016.
- The Lord Young reforms in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 abolished the pre-qualification stage entirely for below-threshold contracts, removing the PQQ barrier for low-value bids.
- Above threshold, the PQQ/SQ stage screens suppliers on financial standing, technical capability, and mandatory and discretionary exclusion grounds — it does not score solution quality.
- Under the Procurement Act 2023 (in force 24 February 2025) the SQ gives way to conditions of participation, gathered via the optional Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ).
- Bid professionals and buyers still say PQQ for any pre-qualification stage, so treat the three terms — PQQ, SQ, PSQ — as the same gate at different points in the law.
How it works
A pre-qualification questionnaire screened suppliers before the tender stage of a restricted procedure: buyers assessed financial standing, technical and professional capability, relevant experience, and grounds for exclusion, then invited only those who passed to bid. It was a gate, not a scoring exercise — passing earned you an invitation to tender, nothing more.
Before reform, every buyer wrote its own PQQ, so an SME might face dozens of incompatible formats, each demanding bespoke answers. The Lord Young reforms, enacted through the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, addressed this on two fronts. First, regulation 111 abolished the pre-qualification stage altogether for below-threshold contracts, so buyers could no longer pre-qualify suppliers before inviting low-value bids. Second, for above-threshold procurements, a standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) was mandated — the standard PQQ was withdrawn and replaced by the SQ template through Procurement Policy Note 8/16, which took effect on 26 September 2016. That common format is why the term PQQ began to fade from official documents while surviving in everyday procurement conversation.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, in force from 24 February 2025, the supplier-screening stage changed name and shape again. The Act does not mandate a standard questionnaire. Instead, buyers may set conditions of participation under section 22 — proportionate requirements on a supplier's legal and financial capacity or technical ability, judged against the nature, complexity, and cost of the contract. To collect this information consistently, the Government Commercial Function publishes an optional Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) template, which pulls core supplier data from the central digital platform alongside exclusion, debarment, and conditions-of-participation responses.
For a bidder, the practical takeaway is that the gate persists under all three labels. A weak pre-qualification response means you never reach the tender stage, however strong your eventual solution would have been. Which form you complete depends only on when the procurement started: a PQQ or SQ for older procedures, conditions of participation and a likely PSQ for anything begun on or after 24 February 2025.
PQQ vs SQ vs PSQ — the pre-qualification timeline
| Feature | PQQ | Selection questionnaire (SQ) | Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| In use | Pre-2016 (legacy) | 26 Sep 2016 – 23 Feb 2025 | From 24 Feb 2025 |
| Legal basis | Buyer discretion / pre-2015 rules | Public Contracts Regulations 2015 + PPN 8/16 | Procurement Act 2023 (conditions of participation, s.22) |
| Standard format? | No — each buyer wrote its own | Yes — mandated Cabinet Office template | No statutory form; PSQ is an optional template |
| What it screens | Finances, capability, exclusion grounds | Finances, capability, mandatory and discretionary exclusions | Conditions of participation, exclusions, debarment |
| Below-threshold use | Common before reform | Pre-qualification stage abolished for low-value contracts | Conditions of participation not used below threshold |
Under the Procurement Act 2023
Reviewed
The term PQQ now spans three regimes, and which applies depends on when the procurement started. Before the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, buyers ran bespoke PQQs. The PCR 2015 (the Lord Young reforms) abolished the pre-qualification stage for below-threshold contracts under regulation 111, and for above-threshold procurements the standard PQQ was replaced by the standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) through Procurement Policy Note 8/16, effective 26 September 2016. The Procurement Act 2023, in force from 24 February 2025, governs procurements commenced on or after that date; the PCR 2015 still governs those started before it. Under the Act there is no mandated questionnaire — buyers set proportionate conditions of participation under section 22, commonly collected via the optional Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) template published by the Government Commercial Function.
Sources: GOV.UK — PPN 8/16: Standard Selection Questionnaire template · GOV.UK — Procurement Act 2023 guidance: Conditions of Participation · Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (legislation.gov.uk)
Why it matters for bidders
Knowing that PQQ, selection questionnaire, and PSQ name the same gate at different points in the law lets you read a buyer's documents correctly and avoid completing the wrong template for the regime that applies. Functionally they all do one job: pre-qualify you before the full tender stage, where a weak response ends the bid regardless of your solution. The signal experienced bidders watch is proportionality. Buyers must set requirements no higher than the contract justifies, so disproportionate turnover thresholds, insurance levels, or reference demands can be challenged — and award data shows where a buyer has historically screened SMEs out, so you can judge whether a pre-qualification stage is winnable before you invest in it. That discipline, drawn from teams who have won £3bn+ in UK and EU public contracts, turns the gate from a guess into a calculated decision.
How Skim helps
Skim's Bid Analysis agent reads pre-qualification requirements under any label — PQQ, SQ, or the Procurement Act 2023 conditions of participation — against your company profile and past submissions, flagging where your evidence is strong and where it falls short before the deadline, while its Opportunity Discovery agent surfaces the opportunities worth qualifying for in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a PQQ the same as a selection questionnaire?
- Functionally yes. The selection questionnaire (SQ) replaced the standard pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) through Procurement Policy Note 8/16 on 26 September 2016, standardising a format that buyers had previously written individually. Both screen suppliers on finances, capability, and exclusion grounds before the tender stage, and many bid professionals still use the terms interchangeably.
- When was the PQQ abolished?
- The pre-qualification stage was abolished for below-threshold contracts by regulation 111 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, part of the Lord Young reforms. For above-threshold procurements the standard PQQ was not abolished but replaced: a standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) became mandatory under Procurement Policy Note 8/16 from 26 September 2016.
- Does the Procurement Act 2023 still use a selection questionnaire?
- No. The Procurement Act 2023, in force from 24 February 2025, does not mandate a selection questionnaire. Buyers instead set conditions of participation under section 22 — proportionate requirements on legal, financial, or technical capacity. Many use the optional Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) template to collect this information consistently.
- What is the difference between a PQQ and an ITT?
- A PQQ is the pre-qualification stage that shortlists suppliers on capability and exclusion grounds, with no scoring of the solution. An invitation to tender (ITT) is the stage that follows: only shortlisted suppliers receive it, and it asks for the priced, detailed bid that buyers actually evaluate to award the contract.
- Why do people still say PQQ if it has been replaced?
- Habit and continuity. The term PQQ was standard for years and remains the shorthand bid professionals and many buyers use for any pre-qualification stage, even though the formal documents are now the selection questionnaire under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or conditions of participation under the Procurement Act 2023.