What Is a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)? The Ultimate Guide (2026)

What Does “Pre-Qualification Questionnaire” Actually Mean?

A PQQ is a formal questionnaire that asks a potential suppliers for details about:

• Company background and structure.
• Financial health and viability.
• Relevant industry experience and capacity.
• Legal, regulatory and compliance credentials.
• Insurance, certifications and quality systems.
• Health, safety, environmental and sustainability policies.

It is typically submitted before an Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Request for Proposal (RFP) and is used to assess whether a supplier should proceed to those later stages.

What Is the Purpose of a PQQ?

The core objectives of a PQQ are:

For Buyers (Organisations Issuing Tenders)

• Pre-screen suppliers to ensure only those that meet minimum requirements submit full proposals.
• Reduce risk by excluding firms that might lack financial stability, relevant technical skills or compliance credentials.
• Save time and resources by focusing tender evaluation on qualified candidates.

For Suppliers

• Showcase capability and compliance at an early stage.
• Build trust with prospective clients by responding clearly and professionally.
• Increase success rates in tendering by qualifying first.

What Typically Goes Into a PQQ

PQQs vary by industry and client, but most cover:

Essential Business Information

• Registration details, legal status and financial turnover.
• Ownership and operational footprint.

Compliance and Risk

• Health & Safety policies and certifications.
• Environmental and quality systems (ISO, ESG policies).
• Insurance cover levels and expiry dates.

Capability and Experience

• Similar contracts completed.
• References or case studies.
• Resources available to deliver work.

Some sectors use standardised frameworks for example, in UK construction PAS 91 (now largely replaced by the Common Assessment Standard) standardises core PQQ questions to reduce repetitive work for suppliers.

PQQ vs ITT (and Other Tender Documents)

A PQQ is not the full tender. It is essentially a filter stage that precedes:

• ITT (Invitation to Tender) — deeper evaluation including pricing, innovation, delivery plans, and project methodology.
• RFP (Request for Proposal) — broader evaluation including commercial and technical strategy.

By the time a supplier reaches ITT/RFP, the client already knows they are eligible, lowering risk and improving competition quality.

The PQQ Process: Step-by-Step

1. Issuance: Buyer publishes or issues the PQQ.
2. Supplier completion: Supplier provides detailed responses and supporting documents.
3. Review & evaluation: Buyer scores responses for compliance and suitability.
4. Shortlisting: Only successful suppliers proceed to the tender stage.
5. Invitation to tender issued: Qualified suppliers receive ITT or RFP.

Common Misconceptions

• “PQQs are only in construction.”
  NO, they appear in many sectors including professional services, manufacturing, healthcare and public procurement.
• “A PQQ guarantees the tender.”
  Passing a PQQ only qualifies you to submit a full tender, it doesn’t guarantee success.
• “Once you’ve done one PQQ, you’re done.”
  Buyers often update PQQs or ask project-specific follow-ups.

Tips for Suppliers to Win at PQQ Stage

• Be precise and consistent: Use clear, factual answers with supporting evidence.
• Reference real examples: Include project summaries and measurable results.
• Align responses to the scoring criteria: Where possible, quantify capabilities (e.g., turnover, workforce size, certifications).
• Keep documents up to date: Insurance covers, safety certificates and accreditations should be current.

Conclusion: Why the PQQ Still Matters

In modern procurement, whether in construction or broader industry, PQQs remain a core part of ensuring quality, compliance and fairness. They help buyers manage risk and help suppliers demonstrate capability early making the tendering process more efficient, transparent, and competitive.

How can we help?

To make managing pre-qualification questionnaires truly effective, Mobilize – your supply chain management platform from Liaison Systems takes the hard work out of PQQ administration. 

Mobilize offers a fully customisable PQQ workflow built around industry standards like PAS-91 and CAS, letting you tailor questions to your exact needs and reduce risk through centralised compliance tracking. Suppliers complete a single set of data that stays automatically up to date, while buyers gain live visibility, expiry alerts and powerful reporting all within one secure platform. With Mobilize, the pre-qualification stage becomes faster, more accurate and far easier to manage across your entire supply chain.

Mobilize goes beyond pre-qualification, supporting the full lifecycle from supplier onboarding and tender selection to tender evaluation, pre-construction questionnaires and ongoing project performance monitoring.