Selection questionnaire (SQ)

A selection questionnaire, or SQ, is the set of questions a public buyer uses to check that a supplier is eligible and able to do the work. It looks at you as a business, not at your answer to this particular contract.

What it asks

• Who you are: company details, ownership and any connected businesses.
• Grounds for exclusion: questions on matters such as certain criminal convictions, unpaid taxes and past contract failures.
• Economic and financial standing: accounts, turnover or other evidence that you can carry the contract.
• Technical ability: past contracts, references, certificates and insurance.

Under the Procurement Act 2023

In UK contracts run under the Procurement Act 2023, the standard questions are split. Your core business details are held once on the Central Digital Platform and shared with buyers, and the contract-specific questions come in a Procurement Specific Questionnaire, often called the PSQ. The idea is the same: prove you can be trusted with the work before your bid is scored.

Getting it right

Most selection questions are pass or fail, and a fail ends the bid however good the rest of it is. Keep your certificates, policies and accounts up to date and in one place, so each new questionnaire is quick to fill in.

With Bid Manager, Jonty keeps your certificates, policies and past bids in your Vault, so it can check them against what each buyer asks for.