The importance of evidence in the tender process

“Evidence” is pivotal to the success of any PQQ and Tender; it adds value and promotes a sense of sustainability and organisation. This article will identify the types of evidence required when you write a PQQ and how the evaluator reviews the completed PQQ document focusing on the presence of evidence.

The following two examples highlight the different types of submission that an evaluator may receive during the PQQ process:
Company A; supporting documents that are clearly referenced and relevant to the questions providing a clear link to the required response.
Company B; limited supporting documents that are poorly referenced and difficult to determine which part of the PQQ they are relevant to.

The two examples listed above are common occurrences for the evaluator when reviewing PQQ submissions. Imagine yourself as the evaluator, which company would you promote to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage? The obvious answer is company A, they are able to demonstrate they are organised and have in place the correct supporting documents and references. The evaluator will enjoy reading a well written PQQ which is easy to follow, succinct and referenced correctly, enhancing your chances of progression. A PQQ which is difficult to follow where the evaluator needs to search or sometimes guess where the relevant information is located, will not encourage easy reading and may be eliminated from the process. Remember a PQQ is designed to reduce the number of interested parties, make sure you are not one of them!


Qualifications and accreditations
Attaching certificates and membership numbers of accreditations evidences your claims and removes any doubt from the evaluator’s mind. The types of attachments vary depending on the sector in which you operate, for a typical building company the evaluator would expect to see the following.

• Constructionline
• CHAS
• NFB National Federation of Builders
• Gas Safe Register
• NICEIC
•  

CV
CV’s provide evidence that the management team has the relevant qualifications and experience to carry out the contract. It is a great opportunity to link experience with the needs of the contract requirements demonstrating the skills of the management team. Make sure you include a photograph and that all the CV's are standardised with the company colours.
A professional organisational chart which illustrates the management hierarchy provides the evaluator with a point of reference from which to identify who will be responsible for the supervision of the contract.

Policies
The inclusion of up to date signed policies are often a pass/fail criteria at the PQQ stage and need to be included if asked for. The four main policies are;

• Environmental
• Quality
• Equality and Diversity
• Health and safety

However, we have identified up to 20 common policy documents. Make sure they are up to date and have a standardised format with your company name clearly included.
Certificate of incorporation
The certificate of incorporation is a legal document which evidences that the company is registered at Companies House and is in existence.

Evidence!!
This article has provided you, the applicant, with an insight into the mind of the evaluator and the ways in which evidence plays a pivotal role in the decision making process. The next article will provide you some more example of the types of evidence required when completing a PQQ submission.