Once the procurement has commenced either by issuing the standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) for the restricted, negotiated or competitive dialogue or by issuing an Invitation to Tender (ITT), care must be taken and a process put in place to ensure that all correspondence between the suppliers and the institution is carried out in a fair and transparent manner. For example, any question submitted by a supplier along with the answer provided by the institution must be anonomised and circulated to all of the suppliers involved in the process. All questions must be responded to at least six days prior to the date set for tender return.
The use of an electronic tendering system, for example, Intend, will facilitate the receipt and circulation of questions and answers. If you do not use an electronic system, clear instructions and contact details should be provided to the suppliers within the ITT documentation. Communications with all parties during the procurement activity should be coordinated by the Procurement Officer.
It is best practice to provide details of the deadline for the submission of questions and the date by which all questions will be answered within the ITT documentation. These dates should be prior to the closing date for expressions of interest or tenders and allow sufficient time for all suppliers to consider information which may be relevant to their proposals.
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