Mind Your PQQs
The Shared Support Services Programme Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) was the first step towards selecting the private sector partner with whom Buckinghamshire will form the Joint Venture Company.
The participating authorities recently invited bids to become their private sector partner, and there were no shortage of replies.
The PQQ is the method used to select the bidders that will proceed to the competitive dialogue stage. It is comprises questions designed to establish the bidding companies' experience in providing the services required by the participating authorities, track record of working on joint ventures, of working in the public sector, and general capability and capacity.
The different question sections of the PQQ have been scored so that bidders can be ranked on completion of the questionnaires, with only the highest scoring responses resulting in an invitation to participate in the dialogue phase.
Structure of the PQQ
The first section of the PQQ contains standard generic PQQ questions regarding business activities and resource levels, quality assurance, race relations, disability discrimination act compliance, health and safety, and sustainability. This first section is designed to ensure the applicants have the capacity to provide the scope of services required, leaving a more manageable set of potential applications.
The second part of the PQQ is focused on questions specific to the functions that the Joint Venture Company will be providing, with a category of questions on each of the in-scope services; Finance, HR, ICT and Property Services/Facilities Management.
These questions are designed to ensure that the bidding companies are proficient in the intricacies of providing the services
Scoring the PQQ
A range of experts from across the partner organisations will mark the PQQ responses according to a weighting framework. The various questions and sectionsof the PQQ carry different weighting values as devised by the Programme Board.
This is so that a bidder is considered, not just according to their score, but according to the answers that the board consider most important. This will ensure that the companies selected to proceed to the dialogue phase are secure, experienced, capable and ready to provide support services to Buckinghamshire Authorities.
After the PQQ
When the Programme Procurement Lead, the Programme Board and Professional groups have marked the responses, the bidders will be ranked, and the highest scoring bidders will be invited to proceed to the next phase of the procurement process; the invitation to submit a detailed proposal.
Look out for information on what's involved in the Competitive Dialogue Phase in the near future.