Post by Patrick Torsney on May 4, 2012 11:14:18 GMT
If you have already decided not to go ahead with the 2012 Tender and have no intentions of remaining in contracting after the current contract, then there seems little point
However, if you intend to go ahead or are currently unsure whether you will go ahead, I would strongly urge you to complete the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) and at least stay in the game
Completing the PQQ does not in any way commit you to continuing and making an actual bid for work in the later Invitation To Tender stage. It does, however, ensure that all your options remain open and this is important strategically
We know very little as yet about the content of the ITT, how work will be allocated, what the requirements eg for Supervision Standards will be etc., barring the LSC saying that the vast majority of suppliers will receive the NMS allocations they bid for. This may mean that in categories like Housing and Debt you are able to bid for sufficient work to make the contract viable. What would be different, of course, is the nature of work that you would be doing within that category - more focussed on certain types of cases clients
The LSC says the PQQ is expected just over two weeks away on 21st May. You would need to complete, submit and pass this initial qualifying test in order to proceed
The next key stage will be in September 2012 when, assuming you pass the PQQ stage, you would need to decide whether to submit an ITT. It is during this intervening period that more of the actual detail of what the 2013 contract will look like will actually come out and so, by September you would have a much clearer idea and information upon which to make the decision as to whether you wish to proceed and bid for work or not
Hello I'm probably posting this in the wrong bit, but I've not noticed anywhere more relevant. We've had our PQQ okayed and are now sorting out the SQM - large amounts of confusion have arisen as a result! We have the SQM from when we delivered WB, Housing and Debt but due to a little error with my adding up when the last contract was awarded we only got WB and housing and our consortium partner got debt; we have been delivering from each others offices and all has been good. However, I now need to complete the SQM form, it is our intention to bid for housing/debt contract for 2013 and I don't know what to do about SQM for debt??? The SQM application for asks for areas of work covered - can we include debt or not? Can we get the SQM again based on previous work or current non-laf work?? If not, how do we go about getting it. And what about support staff it mentions? does that mean our administrators? Feeling very confused already...........................
Post by Patrick Torsney on Aug 7, 2012 7:07:48 GMT
Hi Badger, the SQM became an organisation wide standard some time ago and is no longer subject specific. What this means is that it covers all the specialist work you perform under contract, whatever the category of law
When completing the form, my reading is that you would put down the areas of work you are currently contracted in - this is what they are auditing after all. You could also add a sentence that you intend to bid for Housing & Debt for the 2013 Contract if you really wanted to but I don't believe this is necessary - no harm, however
The key thing about the SQM now is that all the subject specific (and contract) references are gone so it is a broad quality assurance standard. Once you pass it would mean that your Housing & Debt contract from April 2013 would be covered for the three years until your next audit
Well you might think that Patrick...I've been booking an SQM audit for September as we obtained a family licensed work contract in April and so need to pass the audit by the end of September. We currently do housing, employment, benefits and immigration as well as family, so I included all of these in the booking form sent to the SQM partnership. The auditor contacted me to say she would want to see housing, immigration and family files only (presumably on the basis that the other two areas are going out of scope). I asked for clarification, and then after some to-ing and fro-ing she came back to say "I have heard from SQMDP and they recommend including all areas you currently offer via “legal aid” because once successfully audited, accreditation lasts for 3 years and if more tenders do come up in that 3 years you are covered." If the SQM is not category specific ( which is what I understood) do you think this is correct? The implication appears to be that if some benefits or employment work came back into scope within the 3 years we would have to be reaudited if we wanted to tender for it?
