Pre-qualification criteria

Under existing social value frameworks there is limited scope to explicitly exclude certain suppliers, however public sector bodies can take some action to restrict who has access to tendering exercises to further ensure the delivery of social value.

As such, normal procurement criteria can be utilised to set out discretionary exclusion grounds and/or get a broader understanding of the suitability of potential suppliers.

Case Study: The adoption of Unite’s Construction Charter

A good example of implementing pre-qualification criteria is the adoption by a number of councils of Unite’s Construction Charter into their procurement procedures. This charter lays out 11 requirements for both contractors and their supply chains, such as developing and implementing skills and training opportunities, mandating direct employment of workers and ensuring access to trade union representation.