Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ): what it asks and how to answer it

Since the Procurement Act 2023 started on 24 February 2025, you'll often see a Procurement Specific Questionnaire, or PSQ, in the tender documents. It does much of the job the old Standard Selection Questionnaire did, but it's usually shorter, because your basic company details now sit on the Central Digital Platform. What's left is the information the buyer needs for this particular contract. Here's what it usually asks and how to answer it.

Why the PSQ exists

Under the old rules, buyers had to use the Single Procurement Document, which in practice meant the Standard Selection Questionnaire. GOV.UK's guidance on conditions of participation says the Act doesn't prescribe a form, but buyers can use templates as long as they follow the Act's rules.

The same guidance says regulation 6 requires buyers to get your confirmation that you've submitted up-to-date core supplier information on the Central Digital Platform and shared it with them. Anything else the buyer needs to check you can do the work has to be collected some other way, usually in the tender documents. That's what the PSQ is for.

Part A: your Central Digital Platform details

The first part usually confirms your platform record. In a PSQ that the Legal Aid Agency published on GOV.UK, Part A asks for:

• your supplier name and your platform unique identifier
• your share code, so the buyer can see your core supplier information
• whether you're on the debarment list
• confirmation that you've shared that information
• a correspondence address

Before you start, check your record is up to date. GOV.UK's supplier walkthrough says that if your information changes, you update it and create a new share code. See how to register on the Central Digital Platform and get your share code.

Part B: the conditions of participation

The second part covers the tests for this contract, called conditions of participation. In the Legal Aid Agency example, Part B asks about financial standing (with a financial assessment form), insurance and a modern slavery statement. Other buyers ask about things like health and safety, accreditations, a Carbon Reduction Plan or experience on similar work.

Section 22 of the Act sets limits that help small businesses:

• Proportionate. Conditions must be a proportionate way of checking your legal and financial capacity or your technical ability, given the nature, complexity and cost of the contract.
• No audited accounts unless the law requires them. A buyer can't ask for audited accounts if you're not required by law to have your accounts audited.
• Insurance at award, not before. A buyer can't require insurance for performing the contract to be in place before the contract is awarded. That's why the Legal Aid Agency example asks whether you already have the cover, or can commit to getting it before award.
• Equivalents count. A buyer can't require particular qualifications without allowing for equivalents.
• No 'must have worked for us'. A buyer can't require you to have been awarded a contract by a particular buyer.

How a PSQ is marked

The conditions are usually pass or fail. GOV.UK's guidance says that if a supplier fails to meet one condition, even if it meets all the others, it can't be awarded the contract. One missed answer can end a bid, however good the rest is. Our guide to why tender bids get rejected covers the common slips.

How to answer a PSQ well

1. Read every pass or fail question first. If you can't meet one, decide early whether to bid. Use our bid or no bid checklist.
2. Refresh your share code. If anything on your platform record has changed, update it and create a new code.
3. Answer exactly what's asked. Give the figure, date or document the question asks for, and nothing that's out of date.
4. Keep a ready folder. Insurance schedules, policies, accreditation certificates and your latest accounts. Our guides cover SSIP and PAS 91 questionnaires, which some construction buyers still use.
5. Check you've uploaded the right version before the deadline.

Questions

Is the PSQ the same as the old SQ?

No. The Act doesn't prescribe a form like the old Standard Selection Questionnaire. Your basic details sit on the Central Digital Platform, and the PSQ covers what this buyer needs for this contract.

Do I need a share code to answer a PSQ?

Usually, yes. Buyers must get your confirmation that your core supplier information on the Central Digital Platform is up to date and shared with them. A share code is the usual way to share it.

Can a buyer ask for audited accounts in a PSQ?

Only if you're required by law to have your accounts audited. Section 22 of the Procurement Act 2023 stops buyers asking otherwise.

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Sources

• GOV.UK: The Procurement Act 2023, a short guide for suppliers (read 31 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Conditions of Participation (read 31 October 2026) (paragraphs 8, 12, 38 and 39)
• Procurement Act 2023, section 22 (read 31 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Legal Aid Agency, Procurement Specific Questionnaire guidance (PDF) (read 31 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Suppliers' detailed walkthrough: completing and updating supplier information (read 31 October 2026)

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal advice. Check the notice and tender documents for each contract.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.