As a result of a recent "Understanding Public Procurement" workshop I have decided to post this presentation - as it was obvious that some if not all of the attendees did not understand the basic principles of public procurement.
There were a number of complaints about (procurement proceedures) - hopefully this presentation goes some way towards explaining the policies and proceedures which involved in the public procurement process.
What is a PQQ - Pre Qualification Questionnaire A (PQQ) is normally issued by the contracting authority when they require contractors to supply goods / products or services - It is one of the main documents that must be completed correctly and must be returned to the contracting authority by the specified date if the contractor wishes to be included in the tendering process and hope to win the contract. This form is normally completed and certified as being accurate by one of the company's directors (preferably the Finance Director or, in the case of a partnership, a senior or controlling partner.) The form normally requests generic company information, project specific prequalification detail will be requested separately at the appropriate time. It is anticipated that for certain tender exercises a director of the company may be required to confirm the accuracy of the information at the given time. The completion of a PQQ form does not commit the contract provider in any way nor is it intended to circumvent any legal requirements under EC Procurement Directives or UK Competition rules. The contracting authority is at liberty to confirm any details entered on to the form and may request an audit of the details giving reasonable notice. The completed document may be provided either in hard copy or electronic format. All requests for clarification or further information in respect of a PQQ should be addressed to the named contact point. No approach of any kind in connection with this PQQ should be made to any other person within, or associated with the contracting authority. PQQ Evaluation This document represents a standard PQQ and our objective to assist small firms in completing the document correctly - We will provide (1 hour) of free advice to all firms on request. In addition to this document, we provide a training programme for firms who wish to fully understand and successfully take part in tendering and procurement both in the private and public sector. We provide an assessment of how the PQQ may be evaluated and the weighting factors attached to each section as part of the (1 hour) support END
Conclusion: Politicians still think that buying cheap is efficiency, in their collaborative procurement agenda. We have to know the priorities otherwise the procurers and suppliers cannot understand the job they have to do, Procurement is at the heart of policy, finance and delivery. OGC Buying Solutions had more than 300 initiatives, there was a lot of information pushed out from the centre, and it was not always easy to grasp, procurement is about value and not about price.