Standard Selection Questionnaire Guide for Suppliers
The Standard Selection Questionnaire, or SQ, is the gateway stage of many public sector tenders. It is where a buyer decides whether you are eligible and capable before your full bid is evaluated. Get it wrong and you are excluded; get it right and your standing documents do most of the work.
The SQ is also a useful checklist of the policies you need to hold. Every question that asks you to confirm a policy is, in effect, telling you which document to have ready.
This guide walks through the structure of the SQ and the policies it requires you to hold.
The SQ and the Procurement Act 2023
Under the Procurement Act 2023, which applies to procurements advertised on or after 24 February 2025, the standard SQ is being replaced by proportionate "conditions of participation". In practice the SQ is still widely used, particularly for procurements under the previous regime during the transition and by some contracting authorities and frameworks. The standard SQ template remains a clear guide to the assurances buyers seek either way.
The Three Parts of the SQ
Part 1: Supplier Information
Basic details about your organisation: identity, contacts, structure, and whether you are bidding alone, as a consortium or relying on other organisations' capacity.
Part 2: Exclusion Grounds
Declarations confirming none of the mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds apply to your organisation or its key people, covering matters such as criminal convictions, tax compliance and professional misconduct. Answer these accurately, because a false declaration is itself grounds for exclusion.
Part 3: Selection Questions
The substantive part, covering financial standing, technical and professional ability, insurance, and compliance with policies. This is where the buyer checks you hold the documents the contract requires.
Policies the SQ Expects You to Hold
| Area | Document you should hold |
|---|---|
| Health and safety | Health and safety policy and risk assessments |
| Equality and diversity | Equality, diversity and inclusion policy |
| Environmental management | Environmental or sustainability policy |
| Data protection | Data protection policy reflecting UK GDPR |
| Modern slavery | Modern slavery policy or statement |
| Quality | Quality policy or ISO 9001 certification |
| Insurance | Employers', public and where relevant professional indemnity cover |
Common Mistakes
- Leaving mandatory exclusion declarations incomplete or inconsistent.
- Confirming a policy you do not actually hold in writing.
- Insurance levels below the buyer's stated minimum.
- Health and safety answers that do not match the risk of the work.
- Treating the SQ as a formality rather than a scored gateway.
How Policy Pros Can Help
We make sure the policies the SQ asks you to confirm actually exist and stand up to scrutiny. Our tender and proposal support service builds and maintains the document set, so every selection question is backed by a real document.
For the policies the SQ checks most often, our health and safety policies and IT security policies services cover the areas buyers scrutinise.
To see how the SQ fits the wider process, read our guide to documents needed for public sector tenders and our Procurement Act 2023 supplier guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Standard Selection Questionnaire?
The Standard Selection Questionnaire, or SQ, is the gateway stage of many public sector tenders. It checks whether a supplier is eligible and capable before the full bid is evaluated, covering supplier information, exclusion grounds, and selection questions on financial standing, technical ability, insurance and policies.
Is the SQ still used under the Procurement Act 2023?
Under the Procurement Act 2023 the standard SQ is being replaced by proportionate conditions of participation. In practice the SQ is still widely used, particularly for procurements run under the previous regime during the transition and by some authorities and frameworks, and it remains a clear guide to the assurances buyers seek.
What policies does the SQ require?
The selection questions commonly expect a health and safety policy, an equality, diversity and inclusion policy, an environmental or sustainability policy, a UK GDPR data protection policy, a modern slavery policy or statement, a quality policy or ISO 9001, and evidence of employers', public and where relevant professional indemnity insurance.
What are exclusion grounds in the SQ?
Part 2 of the SQ asks you to declare that none of the mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds apply to your organisation or its key people, covering matters such as relevant criminal convictions, tax compliance and professional misconduct. A false declaration is itself grounds for exclusion, so accuracy is essential.
