9 Changes to the standard Selection Questionnaire for bidders to know – PPN 03/23

If you’ve filled out a standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) in April, you may have noticed a few changes. These are the result of the government’s latest Public Procurement Note, PPN 03/23, which replaces PPN 08/16 as the latest guidance on the SQ.

What’s changed?

There are some changes which give greater clarity to contracting authorities, for example:

They can now make changes to the wording of questions, as long as they don’t change the meaning
They can now ‘rely on another organisation’ to meet the criteria, as long as they are satisfied the organisation can do this (self-certification)
They can now seek information from groups of suppliers as long as they are clear about what they are looking for and how they will use it

There have also been some amendments sections of the SQ.

Financial

You will notice some changes to the financial questions, which include a new requirement to confirm that you have a positive cash flow.

Health & Safety

A new health & safety section has been included in the SQ. Construction companies will need to take a step up from an SSIP accreditation to PAS91 or Common Assessment Standard, which equate to CHAS Advanced and CHAS Elite.

Supply chain Questions

If you are using subcontractors, you will need to include information about how you manage your supply chain on contracts over £5m, although this may also be asked on tenders for lower values. You will also be asked questions about prompt payment of suppliers.

Data Protection

There is also a new section on data protection, with ISO27001 or Cyber Essentials Plus being the required standard. These questions look at all aspects of security, from firewalls and penetration testing to access control.

Modern Slavery

If your company has a total turnover in excess of £36m then you will be required to fill in the Modern Slavery component of the SQ which includes some new questions for procurements that are considered high-risk.

Carbon Reduction

Where a contract is over £5m you will be required to complete a new section based around carbon reduction. The minimum you will be asked to provide is your Carbon Reduction Plan, and confirmation of your Net Zero target including date and current emissions for Scopes 1-3.

The revised SQ must be used for all new procurements subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 starting on or after 1st April 2023. If you need any help with tackling aspects of the new SQ, please get in touch to see how AM Bid can help.