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Pass 91

PAS 91 Consultant, PAS 91 Certification, PAS 91 Training

PAS 91 Consultant, PAS 91 Certification, PAS 91 Training

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Overview

What is this PAS about?

It provides a standard list of the questions that are typically asked of suppliers at the prequalification stage of construction tendering. 

Who is this PAS for?

It is for use in the construction sector, specifically:

  • Suppliers
  • Buyers
  • Buyers’ agents

Why should you use this PAS?

The PAS reduces the administrative burden for both suppliers and buyers. Its use will benefit suppliers because:

  • Less time is taken interpreting and answering questions
  • Better responses to the ‘core’ questions can be developed
  • They can have greater confidence that questionnaires are completed correctly
  • They can bid for more work

The PAS’s use will also benefit buyers and their agents because:

  • Less time is taken creating questionnaires
  • Higher quality responses are received
  • More suppliers are likely to bid, creating more competition
  • It may contribute to an organization’s Corporate Responsibility policy by reducing the burden on their suppliers
  • It helps occasional buyers follow good practice straight away

The PAS is also in line with public sector policy as it helps small and medium sized suppliers to bid.

What’s changed since the last update?

This amendment is solely to ensure that the PAS aligns with new legislation, in particular changes to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The amendments also address requirements of the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD). 

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PAS 91 is a standardised pre-qualification questionnaire which has been developed to reduce the need for suppliers to complete a variety of different pre-qualification questionnaires for different, and in some cases, the same clients.

Developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI), the question set has been commissioned by Government and is a recommended common minimum standard for construction procurement.

Updates to PAS 91 have been introduced in 2013 through consultation with professional bodies and trade associations such as the National Federation of Builders (NFB), Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group (SEC) and Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP).

With all public sector buyers needing to pre-qualify construction suppliers; inefficient buying practices can amount to huge amounts of wasted time and money for buyers and suppliers alike.

By delivering a standardised PQQ format, PAS 91 aims to:

  • Help suppliers understand what information is required from them at pre-qualification stage
  • Increase consistency between various pre-qualification questionnaires and databases
  • Help buyers identify suitably qualified contractors

2017 Amendment to PAS 91 Questionnaire

At the end of 2017, the BSI published the long-awaited amendment to the PAS 91 Questionnaire. The amendments include minor changes to the text of some questions and the inclusion of new questions covering mandatory reasons for exclusion and legislation relating to the Immigration Act and the Minimum Wage Act.

As the leading provider of Dynamic PQQ verification services to the Construction industry, we are committed to continuing to champion the standard and in June 2018, we updated our question set to align with the latest amendment.

Buyer benefits

With all public sector buyers needing to pre-qualify construction suppliers, inefficient buying practices can amount to huge amounts of wasted time and money for buyers and suppliers alike.

By delivering a standardised PQQ format, PAS 91:

  • Helps buyers identify suitably qualified contractors with less time and resources
  • Is one of government’s common minimum standards for construction procurement
  • Helps buyers achieve more sustainable procurement
  • Gives buyers more time to focus on the project-specific areas of the pre-qualification process
  • Encourages more suppliers (particularly SMEs) to apply for work by simplifying the tendering process
  • Reduction in the need for unproductive and repetitive conclusion of a diversity of pre-qualification process.
  • The consistency between various pre-qualification databases increases.
  • The suppliers who are suitably qualified and experienced make it possible for the identification.
  • In the pre-qualification and contract award stages of the procurement process, it helps to enable implement a strong process.
  • In a supply chain, that is the chain which illustrates the buyer-client-supplier relationship, each supplier will also be a buyer. Supply Chains can also work in parallel with one another.

Supplier benefits

Completing pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) for multiple clients can be time-consuming and costly.

Different clients’ PQQs will usually contain some similar questions, presented in a different format.

PAS 91 has been developed to address this problem, providing a standard pre-qualification question set.

The benefits are as follows:

  • One standard question set across different clients, ensuring you understand what information will be required from you at pre-qualification stage.
  • You can develop standard responses to the ‘core’ questions which can be used time again in response to any Buyer using PAS 91
  • Exemptions from sections if you hold industry recognized accreditations
  • A less time consuming and costly pre-qualification process, allowing you to participate in more opportunities and potentially win more work

Looking for PAS 91 Certification, PAS 91 Consultancy, PAS 91 training and located in Dubai, Abudhabi, Sharjah, Ras-al-khaimah, Fujairah, Um Al Quwain ,Abha, Al-hasa, Al-Khobar, Baha, Dammam, Dhahran, Hail, Jeddah, Jizan, Jouf, Jubail, Najran, Qassem, Qatif, Riyadh, Tabouk, Taif, Yanbu, Kurdistan, Basra Iraq  Contact us .

Need support with your next PAS 91?

At DASH  Consultancy servcies , we have over 20 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. We offer four bid writing services that can help you win more work, including support with a PAS 91. Whether you’ve never tendered before or need your bid response proofread before you submit it – we can help via:

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the right tender for your business, send it our way. One of our Bid Writers will write and submit the bid on your behalf. They’ll also provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. This will tell you if they will need anything from you and what you can expect from them.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This programme works with you to ensure you have everything you need to tender successfully. This includes an organisation-wide bid library and subscription to one tender portal.

Tender Improvement

Our Tender Improvement programme can help if you’ve already been tendering for contracts but aren’t seeing results. During the course of the programme, our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll then provide feedback and guidance on how to improve, increasing your chances of success.

Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can assist you if you need someone to complete a final proofread of your response. Our Bid Writers will look over your response, making sure you’ve answered all the requirements from the specification. They’ll also notify you of any spelling or grammatical mistakes before you submit.

Are you looking for more construction opportunities for your business?

Contact dash@dashinspectorate.com or  call whats app  00971508692438

What is PAS 91 and how does it relate to the construction industry?

  What is PAS 91?

PAS 91 stands for Publicly Available Specification for prequalification questionnaires in construction-related procurement. It was commissioned by the Government and developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BSI). Following its launch in October 2010, it was seen as a positive step towards addressing the issue that many businesses face when completing Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ’s). It has undergone two revisions, one in 2013 and more recently in December 2017.

What are the aims of PAS 91?

PAS 91 provides a standard set of questions that can be asked by construction clients, buyers of potential contractors and suppliers as part of the pre-qualification process for construction projects.
The document aims to reduce the time and cost associated with completing PQQ’s, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.

It does this by helping to streamline the tendering process for suppliers by:

• reducing the need for completing multiple prequalification processes;
• reducing the time taken to interpret and answer questions so better responses can be given;
• increasing the confidence that the form is completed correctly;
• allowing more time so more bids can be tendered;
• increasing the likelihood that the prequalification process is participated in;
• freeing up resources that could be used in a potentially more profitable activity;
• allowing SME’s to compete for business with large organisations without the resource/cost burden of the procurement process.

When bidding for a construction project, at any one time, there may be multiple suppliers throughout the supply chain. They all want to show that their skills, knowledge and experience would deem them suitable to deliver the project. The presence of different types of questionnaires, written in many different formats, can lead to unnecessary time, money and effort being spent by the buyer when trying to read, compare and evaluate the contents.

The use of PAS 91 may benefit buyers and their agents by:

• reducing the time spent creating pre-qualification questionnaires;
• improving the quality of the responses received;
• increasing more competition due to the likelihood of more suppliers bidding;
• increasing the number of buyers following good practice (although there are no official means of getting certified, buyers can demonstrate that they follow minimum government standards for construction procurement).

The universal use of PAS 91 could also help to raise the overall standard of communication, understanding and supplier capability across the construction sector.

What is the structure of PAS 91?

There are three parts to PAS 91. One section is made up of mandatory questions that must be asked by the buyer that cover commercial aspects of the company. They include information such as company structure, contact details, financial and health and safety information. There are specific questions to answer depending on whether you are a contractor, designer or service provider. To remain compliant, these questions must use the same wording and appear in the same order.

The next section contains optional questions relating to certain areas of the company, such as Environmental Management, Quality Management, Policies on Equal Opportunities and Diversity and Policy on Building Information Modelling (BIM).

The third section contains a framework for asking a set of additional project-specific questions that establish professional or technical ability. These questions should be chosen carefully to reduce any unnecessary documentation and only request information that is relevant and proportionate to the contract.

How does Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) relate to PAS 91?

Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) was founded in 2009 to help SME’s by developing transparent, simple and strategic procurement. Supported by the HSE, SSIP aims to streamline prequalification and encourage straightforward mutual recognition between its Member Schemes. Many suppliers, contractors and designers are registered with an SSIP Member and below are just some of the well-known members and supporters that are accepted:

• CHAS (Construction Health and Safety)
• Acclaim
• Constructionline
• APS (Association for Project Safety)
• SMAS (Safety Management Advisory Service)

These assessment providers can also benefit from the use of PAS 91. It can reduce the time spent on having to develop and refine their own questions and will release more time, so they can focus on developing and selling added value services.

Is PAS 91 a requirement of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015?

When considering CDM15, the guidance does not make the use of PAS 91 compulsory. As the SSIP core criteria for assessments are aligned to this government-backed construction pre-qualification document, it ensures that there is consistency within supply chain management.

Since the implementation of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, PAS 91 has been amended to ensure that it is aligned with the new legislation. It also now addresses the requirements of the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD).
PAS 91:2013 +A1:2017 is the latest version and is more closely aligned with the standard Selection Questionnaire and ESPD. Before this version was published, contracting authorities were required to carry out a ‘pick and mix’ style process, selecting sections from the standard Selection Questionnaire and PAS 91:2013 in an attempt to produce a standard selection/pre-qualification document for procuring works.

The update to PAS 91:2013 has resulted in questions about supplier identity and financial information being amended. These changes now reflect the approach of Part 1 of the Selection Questionnaire, and there are additional tables included in the document for public sector purchasers to use. They list the mandatory and discretionary grounds for exclusion set out in the 2015 Public Contracts Regulations with suppliers required to self-declare.

Has PAS 91 fulfilled its aim?

The overall aim of implementing PAS 91 was to address the problems faced by small and medium-sized businesses when it came to completing a variety of different PQQ’s for different clients. As discussed, the framework set out in PAS 91 allows buyers to use a standardised questionnaire that is familiar to contractors, designers and service providers alike. The latest revision of PAS 91 has brought it in line with the recently updated Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and this ensures that any health and safety issues are considered during the development of the construction project.

 
Contact dash@dashinspectorate.com or  call whats app  00971508692438

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