PPN 03/24 and the Standard Selection Questionnaire: the official guidance, explained

The key facts

• PPN 03/24 was issued in March 2024 and updates and replaces PPN 03/23, providing revised statutory guidance and standard selection questions.
• It applies to contracting authorities in England, and those in Wales and Northern Ireland exercising wholly or mainly reserved functions, for above threshold procurements under Part 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
• The revised questions were to be in use at the latest three months after publication, though they could be used immediately.
• It replaces the European Single Procurement Document with the Single Procurement Document, as set out in regulation 59 of PCR 2015 following EU Exit. The SPD is the Selection Questionnaire template at Annex C.
• Changes made in response to feedback include updated payment questions, updated steel questions, clarity on considering bids from Russian and Belarusian suppliers, and removal of references to PAS91, which the BSI has withdrawn.
• The SQ has three parts: Part 1 general information, Part 2 self-declarations against the exclusion grounds, and Part 3 economic and financial standing plus technical and professional ability.
• For works contracts, including mixed contracts, contracting authorities should use the Common Assessment Standard in place of the standard SQ template.
• No pre-qualification stage may be included in any procurement below the relevant threshold for supplies and services.

What this PPN is and who it applies to

PPN 03/24 updates the Standard Selection Questionnaire and the statutory guidance that accompanies it. Regulation 107 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 provides for statutory guidance on the selection stage of a procurement, and this note is the vehicle for it. It updates and replaces PPN 03/23.

It applies to all contracting authorities in England, and to contracting authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland that exercise wholly or mainly reserved functions, in each case when undertaking above threshold procurements within Part 2 of PCR 2015. Organisations were asked to circulate it to those with a purchasing role.

On timing, the revised standard selection questions and other changes were to be in use at the latest three months after the publication date, but could be used immediately. That window existed to allow the revised questionnaire to be incorporated into procurement processes and for e-procurement tools to be amended, which is a recurring theme in this note.

The material sits across four annexes: Annex A holds the guidance on the selection stage process, Annex B the standard selection questions, Annex C the selection questionnaire template, and Annex D the exclusion grounds.

What changed in this update

Four substantive changes were made in response to feedback on PPN 03/23 and subsequent policy changes: updated payment related questions, updated steel related questions, clarity for contracting authorities on considering bids from Russian and Belarusian suppliers as set out in Procurement Policy Note 01/22, and the removal of references to PAS91, which has been withdrawn by the BSI.

The note also replaces the European Single Procurement Document with the Single Procurement Document, as set out in regulation 59 of PCR 2015 following EU Exit. The SPD is the Selection Questionnaire template at Annex C, so the change is one of naming and legal reference rather than a new document to learn.

A quieter change concerns format. To support the move to e-procurement platforms, the format of the template was revised. The note observes that while a template is helpful for some authorities, the growing need is for a format that can easily be adapted for use on e-platforms, which is why this PPN provides both a list of standard selection questions and a template.

On the Russia and Belarus point, the note carries the position through into the selection stage: it is possible to decline to consider such bids in certain circumstances, where the supplier or any supply chain member relied on for delivery is neither registered in the UK or in a country with which the UK has a relevant international agreement giving reciprocal access to public procurement, nor has significant business operations in such a country.

How the three parts of the SQ work

Part 1 covers basic information about the potential supplier, including contact details, professional body memberships, details of parent companies and group bidding arrangements. Part 2 constitutes self-declarations of whether any of the exclusion grounds apply. Part 3 asks for evidence and self-declarations of economic and financial standing, and self-declarations on technical and professional ability.

Parts 1 and 2 must be asked, and declarations received, for all types of procurement procedure including the open procedure. They must be completed by every organisation forming part of the potential supplier's bidding group or consortium, and by any subcontractor the supplier relies on to meet the selection criteria. Where a supplier relies on another member of its corporate group or a subcontractor, that entity is treated as part of the group and must complete Parts 1 and 2, and the procurement documents must make this clear.

Self-declarations on mandatory exclusion grounds must be made on behalf of all relevant persons and entities in accordance with regulation 57(2). The guidance identifies two categories: members of the administrative, management or supervisory board, typically directors and executive board members; and entities or persons with powers of representation, decision or control, which can include those with a 25 per cent or more shareholding, those with less holding relevant powers, ultimate and intermediate parent companies, directors of an immediate parent company, and holders of mortgages or liens. Suppliers do not have to list who they consider relevant, but must be satisfied the declaration covers them all.

Where an exclusion ground applies, other than non-payment of taxes, the supplier is asked to explain how the measures they have taken demonstrate their reliability. This is self-cleaning, and the guidance gives examples including paying compensation, actively collaborating with investigating authorities and taking measures to prevent recurrence.

Evidence, deviations and proportionality

The evidence model is deliberately light at the front end. A bidder is not required to produce supporting documentary evidence or certificates until specifically requested, and generally only the winning supplier, plus any organisations relied on to meet the selection criteria, should be required to submit them. You must request that evidence from the successful supplier before awarding the contract as part of due diligence, and if it cannot be provided, the contract should not be awarded. You may then amend the award decision in favour of the second-placed supplier who has not been excluded and who submitted a satisfactory bid, or terminate the process, taking legal advice where appropriate.

Earlier evidence is permitted where it is needed to ensure proper conduct of the procedure. The guidance flags three likely cases: economic and financial standing where a full assessment requires evidence; competitive dialogue and competitive procedure with negotiation, where taking a supplier through the process only to reject them at the end may be disproportionate; and the open procedure, where short timescales make parallel review sensible. Any such approach should be set out clearly in the procurement documents.

Deviation rules are strict at the top and reportable below. No deletions or additions can be made to the questions marked mandatory in Parts 1 and 2. You should not deviate from the Part 3 questions for supplies and services procurements, but if you do you must report it to the Cabinet Office domestic policy queries inbox. Reportable deviations are changes to the wording of standard questions and instructions, and additional questions that are not specific to the individual procurement. You do not need to report project-specific questions developed in line with the guidance, amendments for e-procurement compatibility, or standard questions you have decided to omit. Reporting is once, for information rather than approval, and must include reasons, confirmation of approval by the Head of Procurement or equivalent, and a copy showing the deviations.

Proportionality runs through the whole document. Selection criteria and the scoring system are for the authority to set, must be relevant and proportionate to the contract, must appear in the procurement documents, and must comply with transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment including in relation to SMEs. You may not include a pre-qualification stage in any procurement below the relevant supplies and services threshold, though you may ask relevant and proportionate suitability questions as part of a one-stage process.

Applying it in practice

Get the works position right first, because it is the most commonly missed. For works contracts, including mixed contracts that include supplies and services, contracting authorities should use the Common Assessment Standard in place of the standard SQ template, while still ensuring the questions used are relevant and proportionate, that equivalent standards are permissible and that the playing field is level for all types of supplier.

Set economic and financial standing requirements deliberately. State minimum requirements and criteria clearly, describe the assessment methodology, and keep requirements proportionate. Central government authorities should determine the contract's categorisation using the Contract Tiering Tool before commencing, since that drives the level of standing required and any need for specialist financial assessment. The Financial Viability and Risk Assessment tool may supplement the SQ. Where a supplier does not meet the minimum itself, it may rely on a group or parent company or a consortium member willing to provide appropriate security such as a parent company guarantee. Note that small companies only need to file abbreviated accounts.

Keep past performance requests proportionate. The selection questions ask for three examples. Supplies and services contracts must have been performed in the past three years and works contracts in the past five, with older examples only where necessary to ensure adequate competition. Named customer contacts should be prepared to provide written confirmation, references should be factual, and documentary evidence should be sought from the winning supplier. For newly formed consortia or a special purpose vehicle, up to three separate examples from principal members can be used.

Layer in the policy-specific questions where they apply. Modern slavery statement questions apply to commercial organisations with turnover of at least 36 million pounds under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, with failure to publish likely to give rise to a discretionary exclusion ground. Payment questions apply under PPN 10/23 for central government contracts above 5 million pounds per annum. Carbon Reduction Plan questions under PPN 06/21 apply at the same value. Steel questions at 7.3 and 7.9 apply to relevant steel procurements under PPN 04/23. Modern slavery risk assessment under PPN 02/23 can require Part 1 and Part 2 declarations from supply chain members in high risk procurements. Apprenticeships and skills can be supported on central government contracts with a full life value of 10 million pounds and above and a duration of 12 months and above.

How eSourcing Data helps

The note itself acknowledges that the future of the SQ is on e-procurement platforms rather than in a document. eSourcing Data implements the standard selection questions as structured fields, so Parts 1 and 2 can be collected from every consortium member and relied-on subcontractor without chasing separate files, and so responses can be reused across procurements rather than retyped by suppliers each time.

Because the deviation rules are precise, the system of record matters. eSourcing Data can hold your standard question set, flag where wording has been changed or non project-specific questions added, and capture the Head of Procurement approval and the explanation needed for the one-off report to the Cabinet Office. It also keeps a clear line between reportable deviations and the amendments the guidance says you do not need to report.

For evidence handling, the platform supports the model the guidance prefers: light-touch self-declaration at bid stage, then targeted evidence requests to the winning supplier before award, with the request, the response and the outcome recorded. Scoring against published selection criteria, proportionality checks on economic and financial standing, and the additional policy questions on payment, carbon, steel and modern slavery can all be managed in the same workflow, so the selection stage produces a defensible audit trail rather than a folder of attachments.

What to do about it

1. 1Update your selection questionnaire and e-procurement templates to the revised standard selection questions, and confirm the change was made within the three month window.
2. 2Replace references to the European Single Procurement Document with the Single Procurement Document, using the template at Annex C.
3. 3Remove any remaining references to PAS91 and refresh your payment and steel questions to the current versions.
4. 4Switch to the Common Assessment Standard for works contracts and mixed contracts, checking questions remain relevant and proportionate.
5. 5Confirm Parts 1 and 2 are collected from every consortium member and every subcontractor relied on to meet the selection criteria.
6. 6Review whether any deviations from the standard questions are reportable, obtain Head of Procurement approval and report them once to the Cabinet Office inbox.
7. 7Check your below threshold processes contain no pre-qualification stage, and that any suitability questions used there are relevant and proportionate.