Documents and notices
Pre-qualification questionnaire(PQQ)
Definition
The predecessor to the selection questionnaire, used before 2015 to pre-qualify suppliers in restricted procurements. The term is still widely used colloquially to refer to any pre-qualification stage.
The PQQ was officially replaced by the standardised selection questionnaire (SQ) in 2015, following the Lord Young review which found that inconsistent PQQ formats were a major barrier for SMEs accessing public contracts. Despite this, the term PQQ remains common in everyday procurement conversation.
Before the reform, every buyer could design their own PQQ with whatever questions they chose. This meant SMEs might face dozens of different PQQ formats, each requiring bespoke responses — a significant time and cost burden. The standardised SQ addressed this by mandating a common format.
If you encounter the term PQQ today, it almost always refers to the selection questionnaire stage of a restricted procedure. Some buyers and many bid professionals still use the terms interchangeably.
Why it matters for bidders
Understanding the history helps you navigate conversations with buyers and bid consultants who may use either term. Functionally, the PQQ and SQ serve the same purpose — pre-qualifying you before the full tender stage.
How Skim helps
Skim handles both terminology seamlessly, tracking pre-qualification requirements under either label and mapping them to the standardised SQ format used in modern procurements.
Related terms
Selection questionnaire(SQ)
A standardised pre-qualification document used in restricted procedures to assess whether suppliers meet the minimum requirements to be invited to tender, covering financial standing, technical capability, and relevant experience.
Restricted procedure
A two-stage procurement process where suppliers first complete a selection questionnaire to be shortlisted, and only shortlisted candidates are invited to submit a full tender.