Subcontractor pre qualification questionnaire

Are you a subcontractor, or do you subcontract out part of the services or products that you provide to your clients?

If so, you need to grasp the concept of the subcontractor pre-qualification questionnaire, as it can be vitally important in securing you new business and a sustainable future for your company.

Do you subcontract out part of your production or services? When you’re completing pre-qualification questionnaires, there is often a section asking you to specify whether you will be subcontracting. If you plan to use subcontractors, you must say so here – otherwise you could be penalised later on in the contract.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with using a subcontractor, however the pre-qualification questionnaire will undoubtedly ask some questions about how you recruit, manage and quality assure the work of your subcontractors.

The contracting authority will want to know the answers to these questions, for example:

• What is your process for selecting subcontractors?
• What prerequisites do you require of them before taking them on?
• How do you check that what they claim is true?
• How do you ensure that they match your stated procedures and policies?
• How do you monitor the performance of your subcontractors?
• How do you measure the quality of the service your subcontractors provide?
• How do you collect Key Performance Indicator information for the subcontractors’ work?
• How do you penalise the subcontractors if their work is not up to standard?

In order to be prepared, it’s best to have these questions thought through and answered in advance. Of course, it’s already part of some ISO standards and schemes such as Investors in People to have controls in place over your subcontractor procedures, so make sure you quote this information in your pre-qualification questionnaire.

Subcontractors and pre-qualification questionnaires

If you are subcontracting to a main contractor and become aware that they are completing pre-qualification questionnaires, or as a matter of course in modern times which require much more control and measurement of the relationship between contractor and subcontractor, for pre-qualification questionnaires and elsewhere, then be prepared to answer questions asked by your main contractor and to show evidence that you fulfil their criteria. If you can help them win new business, you will by default be carried along with them into these new customer marketplaces.

If you work with subcontractors and need help completing these sections of pre-qualification questionnaires, talk to Executive Compass® about our experience in this area and how we can help you.