In April I posted a blog about the ban on PQQs and restrictions that have been put in place for the use of supplier questionnaires. This made it clear that when a contracting authority is deviating from the rules and the guidance issued, they would be expected to self report to the Crown Commercial Service.
These self reporting requirements are now coming into force on 1st of September 2015, so as a reminder this blog will highlight what are considered to be deviations and how you can report this.
So when are you deviating and how do you self report?
Deviations
A contracting authority is deviating when:
- they are not using the standard supplier questionnaire to assess the qualifications and suitability of a supplier
- they use the questionnaire, but reword questions
- they use the questionnaire, but add their own questions
- There are some allowances for certain type of project-related questions in section 8 of the guidance.
How to report
When a contracting authority is deviating they need to send a report to the Mystery Shopper service run by the Crown Commercial Service with their justification, I would recommend the following steps:
- The report should outline a summary of the procurement details; contracting authority, title, description and any relevant reference numbers
- The deviations should be outlined in the report
- The justification should clearly state the reason for deviating
- The report should be sent by email to the Crown Commercial Service on mysteryshopper@crowncommercial.gov.uk
It is also worth mentioning that the guidance outlined that further advice on the reporting requirement would be issued, however at the time of writing the Crown Commercial Service have not yet finalised the process for reporting deviations and have estimated that this will not be finalised for at least another month.
I will update this blog as soon as I am made aware of any new guidance.
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