The process of assessing the capability of a contractor before inviting them to bid for a scope of work. A comprehensive pre-qualification process should include:
- How potential contractors are identified and selected for further evaluation;
- The use of third-party registrar services to capture contractor information / expressions of interest;
- Evaluation criteria, covering at a minimum:
- Technical capability;
- QA/QC;
- HSE;
- Financial stability and insolvency risk;
- Anti-bribery & corruption (including sanctions, debarments and recent litigation); and
- Accreditation and certification where required.
- A tiered approach, including simplified assessment for local / low-risk contractors;
- A process for assessing potential contractors against criteria. This may include the use of third-party audit for contractors being considered for high-risk / high-value packages;
- Classification of contractors by HSE category and by their capacity to perform specific scopes of work;
- A process to assure that a contractor must be prequalified before being invited to bid on a package.