Guidance to Get You Ahead

• Pay strict attention to the client's instructions about the information to be supplied. You will not pre-qualify unless you comply fully and exactly.

• Procurement rules normally state that pre-qualification can be achieved only on the basis of the information provided in the context of each individual contract. The best experts can fail to pre-qualify if they assume that the contracting authority must already know about the quality and breadth of their experience, without needing to have this substantiated in the expression of interest.

• Contracting authorities need to see evidence of achievements in the form of facts, client references, dates and contract values. Glossy phrases ('unique record of experience', 'unparalleled expertise' and the like) will not suffice.

• If the client asks for details of five comparable assignments you have undertaken, that is precisely the number you must provide, no more and no less. It doesn't matter that your experience may extend to 30 or more such contracts: listing them all will gain you nothing. The right course is to select the five that have most points of similarity with the contract for which you want to pre-qualify and describe them in a way that underlines their relevance and the results you achieved.

• In many instances, contractors' responses will be assessed through a scoring procedure to arrive at a shortlist drawn up on a quantitative basis. Expressions of interest may be marked against weighted criteria reflecting key aspects of professional status, technical suitability and financial standing: the contracting authority may rule that all contractors achieving or exceeding a defined proportion (normally 65 or 70 per cent) of the total available points will be eligible to be invited to submit a tender. Clients may also require contractors to reach at least a minimum score on each criterion as well as an overall quality threshold.

• While you are preparing your response, check through the background material provided by the client. Does it indicate, for instance, the conditions of contract that are to be used, or whether participation by consortia and joint ventures will be acceptable?

• It pays to think about what the phrase 'expression of interest' means. Interest is often the last thing expressed by many such documents, which merely replicate a tired formula instead of actually demonstrating keenness to work for the client and undertake the contract. What the client perceives is a contractor attempting to pre-qualify without being prepared to put much effort into the process - a waste of time for both parties. Express interest only when you have the evidence to justify the submission of a bid and you are serious about wanting to win the work.

• Remember, there are five key requirements for successful pre-qualification:

  • full compliance with the client's instructions;

  • strict attention to each detail of the specification;

  • data focused sharply on relevant areas of expertise and experience;

  • information presented in a way that is directly accessible;

  • the expression of real interest and enthusiasm.

• If you are a newly established firm without a large amount of business experience, you have to make the strongest case you can, presenting the facts of the situation honestly and not attempting to talk yourself up. Perhaps your work background shows evidence of specialist expertise, innovative approaches or challenging responsibilities. These should be emphasized in pre-qualification material, making it clear if the experience was gained in a personal capacity before you set up on your own.

• Failing to pre-qualify may leave you disappointed, even aggrieved; in many areas of public procurement there are formal mechanisms that enable you to receive an explanation of the reasons for not being selected. But when you are successful, it pays to ask the reason why - 'What has earned us our place on the list? How does the client perceive our strengths and capabilities?' and, most important of all, 'What type of approach does the client expect to see in our bid?' It would be a shame if in this case the client were the one to be disappointed.