Documents and notices
Selection questionnaire(SQ)
Written by Justin Cesman, CEO of Skim. Last reviewed:
- Definition
- A selection questionnaire (SQ) is the standardised pre-qualification document under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 that assesses whether a supplier meets the minimum standards to be invited to tender, covering exclusion grounds, financial standing and technical capability. For procurements started on or after 24 February 2025 the SQ is replaced by the Procurement Specific Questionnaire.
Key takeaways
- The selection questionnaire (SQ) is the pre-qualification document under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015); it replaced the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) in 2016 under PPN 8/16.
- The SQ tests minimum standards only — exclusion grounds, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability — not the quality of your solution; that comes at the tender stage.
- For procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, the Procurement Act 2023 replaces the SQ with the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ), and renames "selection criteria" as "conditions of participation".
- Under the Act, conditions of participation must relate only to a supplier's legal and financial capacity or technical ability, and be proportionate to the nature, complexity and cost of the contract (section 22).
- The SQ is a gate, not a formality: a weak SQ ends the bid before evaluators ever read your proposal, regardless of how strong the solution is.
How it works
The selection questionnaire is a pre-qualification document, not the tender itself. Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 it follows the standard format set by Procurement Policy Note 8/16, with mandatory and optional sections a buyer can tailor to the contract. It runs at the selection stage of a restricted procedure — and any procedure with a separate shortlisting step — to filter the field down to suppliers who clear the minimum bar before the main competition begins.
A standard SQ has three parts. Part 1 captures basic company information. Part 2 covers the grounds for mandatory and discretionary exclusion — criminal convictions, fraud, tax evasion, bankruptcy, professional misconduct — where a single failure can disqualify a supplier outright. Part 3 covers the selection criteria proper: economic and financial standing (turnover, insurance, credit rating) and technical and professional ability (relevant experience, qualifications, capacity), usually evidenced by three contract examples of comparable scale.
The lineage runs PQQ then SQ then PSQ. The SQ replaced the pre-qualification questionnaire in 2016 to standardise selection and align it with the European Single Procurement Document. For procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, the Procurement Act 2023 replaces the SQ with the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) — a standardised questionnaire on the central digital platform that confirms core supplier information, exclusions and debarment information, and conditions of participation in one place, with core details reusable across procurements.
Proportionality is the SME's main lever in both regimes. Buyers must not set requirements higher than the contract needs — a turnover threshold, for example, is generally capped at two times the contract value — and disproportionate criteria can be challenged. Under the Procurement Act 2023, conditions of participation may be assessed at any point in an open procedure or a competitive flexible procedure, giving suppliers more time to assemble the evidence that proves they qualify.
Selection questionnaire (SQ) vs Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)
| Feature | Selection questionnaire (SQ) | Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal regime | Public Contracts Regulations 2015 | Procurement Act 2023 (in force 24 Feb 2025) |
| Applies to procurements | Started before 24 February 2025 | Started on or after 24 February 2025 |
| Replaced | The pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ), 2016 | The selection questionnaire (SQ) |
| Term for the test | Selection criteria | Conditions of participation |
| Core supplier data | Re-entered per procurement | Held centrally, reusable across procurements |
| What it assesses | Exclusion grounds, financial standing, technical ability | Core information, exclusions and debarment, conditions of participation |
Under the Procurement Act 2023
Reviewed
The selection questionnaire is a Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) instrument and now applies only to procurements started before 24 February 2025. For procurements started on or after that date, the Procurement Act 2023 governs: it replaces the standardised SQ with the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and, in statute, renames "selection criteria" as "conditions of participation". Under section 22 of the Act, a contracting authority may set conditions of participation only where they are a proportionate means of ensuring a supplier has the legal and financial capacity or the technical ability to perform the contract, having regard to its nature, complexity and cost. The Act is less prescriptive than PCR 2015 — it does not mandate a single procurement document — but the PSQ provides a standardised route on the central digital platform. Treat the SQ as the legacy, pre-Act form and the PSQ plus conditions of participation as the current position.
Sources: Procurement Act 2023, section 22 (legislation.gov.uk) · GOV.UK — Guidance: Conditions of participation · GOV.UK — PPN 8/16: Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) template
Why it matters for bidders
The selection questionnaire is a gate, not a formality. A weak SQ means you never reach the tender stage, regardless of how good the solution is — and a single mishandled exclusion answer can disqualify you outright. The deeper signal sits in the evidence buyers ask for: the contract examples and turnover thresholds in an SQ, read against published award notices, reveal the scale of incumbent a buyer actually trusts and whether a requirement is genuinely proportionate or quietly stacked against smaller suppliers. Teams who have won £3bn+ in UK and EU public contracts treat the pre-qualification stage as where bids are quietly lost, not won — they check proportionality, line up references early, and challenge criteria that overreach before the deadline rather than after the rejection.
How Skim helps
Skim's Bid Analysis agent reads the selection questionnaire or Procurement Specific Questionnaire against your company profile and past submissions, flagging where your financial standing, insurance and contract references clear the stated bar and where the evidence needs strengthening before the deadline — and its Buyer Intelligence agent benchmarks the stated thresholds against the buyer's award history so you can spot, and challenge, criteria that are disproportionate for the contract on offer.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a selection questionnaire (SQ)?
- A selection questionnaire (SQ) is the standardised pre-qualification document under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. It assesses whether a supplier meets minimum standards — exclusion grounds, economic and financial standing, and technical ability — before being invited to tender. It is a pass or fail gate, not a scored quality assessment.
- Has the selection questionnaire been replaced under the Procurement Act 2023?
- Yes. For procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, the Procurement Act 2023 replaces the standardised selection questionnaire with the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). In statute, the test that the SQ assessed — "selection criteria" — is renamed "conditions of participation" under section 22 of the Act.
- What is the difference between a selection questionnaire and a Procurement Specific Questionnaire?
- The SQ is the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 document for procurements started before 24 February 2025. The PSQ is its Procurement Act 2023 successor, used from that date. The PSQ holds core supplier information centrally for reuse across procurements and assesses conditions of participation rather than the older selection criteria.
- What are conditions of participation under the Procurement Act 2023?
- Conditions of participation are the Procurement Act 2023 term for what the selection questionnaire called selection criteria. Under section 22, a buyer may set them only where they are a proportionate means of ensuring a supplier has the legal and financial capacity or technical ability to perform the contract, judged against its nature, complexity and cost.
- Did the SQ replace the PQQ?
- Yes. The selection questionnaire replaced the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) in 2016 under Procurement Policy Note 8/16, standardising the pre-qualification stage and aligning it with the European Single Procurement Document. The full evolution runs PQQ, then SQ, then the Procurement Specific Questionnaire under the Procurement Act 2023.
- Can SMEs challenge selection questionnaire requirements?
- Yes. Both regimes require pre-qualification requirements to be proportionate to the contract, so buyers should not set thresholds higher than necessary. Turnover requirements, for example, are generally capped at around twice the contract value. Suppliers can challenge criteria that appear disproportionate before the submission deadline.
Sources
Related terms
Restricted procedure
The restricted procedure is a two-stage UK procurement process under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in which suppliers first complete a selection questionnaire and the buyer shortlists at least five qualifying candidates, who alone are then invited to submit a full tender.
Pre-qualification questionnaire(PQQ)
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.
Invitation to tender(ITT)
An invitation to tender (ITT) is the formal document package a public sector buyer issues to invite suppliers to submit a tender for a specific contract. An ITT sets out the specification, evaluation criteria and weightings, terms and conditions, pricing schedule, and submission instructions and deadline.
Consortium bid
A consortium bid is a single tender submitted jointly by two or more suppliers who combine their capabilities, experience, and resources to compete for a public contract none could win or deliver alone. The group nominates a lead member, and a single legal entity must hold the resulting contract.