To win tenders regulated by the UK Procurement Act, businesses must be registered on the Central Digital Platform (CDP), via the Supplier Information and Registration System Interface (SIRSI). Registration will allow suppliers to view opportunities, submit bids, and receive contract awards.

Supplier Registration

Registering your details on SIRSI enters your company into the government’s database, allowing you view and bid on tenders, have your eligibility reviewed, and receive contract awards.

Registration questions should be viewed as a pre-qualification questionnaire for all your tenders moving forward, as it requires much of the same information as Part 1 and Part 2 of the current Selection Questionnaire (SQ). You will need to allocate time for the creation of an informative profile before bidding for tenders, as it will be used as part of your bid assessments.

Registering on SIRSI will give your business a multi-user account, allowing you to have an administrator, editors and viewers.

Supplier Information

Adding your company’s information to SIRSI will be time-consuming, and we recommend sourcing key information first, to make the process more efficient.

The sections you will have to complete within SIRSI are:

  1. Basic Information
    This includes supplier type, registered and postal address, VAT number, website address, e-mail address, organisation type and if the company is registered with the Companies House
  2. Connected Persons
    Individuals or entities with significant involvement in your business, such as directors, partners, or major shareholders, are ‘Connected Persons’.
    When registering on the SIRSI, you will have to provide detailed information about each connected person, ensuring transparency and compliance with the Act.
  3. Qualifications
    This information will be used to assess your capacity and expertise to deliver goods, works, or services.
    There are no standard qualifications required here, and it is expected that you will detail any qualification relevant to the opportunities you will be bidding for. This section could be filled with industry qualifications or evidence from other relevant projects.
  4. Trade Assurances
    This section allows you to give extra confidence to buyers, by showcasing the standards your business has reached and maintained.
    Examples of trade assurances are:

    • Red Tractor Assurance
    • British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standards
    • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification
    • Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification
    • ISO 9001
    • ISO 14001
  5. Exclusions
    To ensure fair and transparent procurement processes, buyers must assess suppliers for any potential grounds for exclusion. Suppliers are required to provide details of circumstances affecting their business or connected persons which may prevent them participating in procurements.

    • Mandatory Exclusions: Covers a wide range of convictions, including bribery, fraud, terrorism, and money laundering.
    • Discretionary exclusions: Include circumstances such as bankruptcy, professional misconduct, improper behavior during a procurement, or convictions held by connected persons.
  6. Financial Information
    You will need to upload accounts or statements for your 2 most recent financial years.
    If you do not have 2 years, you can upload your most recent financial year. You will need to enter the financial year end date for the information you upload.

Sharing Your Information with Buyers

You will have to provide buyers with access to your Supplier information when bidding for tenders. Buyers will request access to this information in one of the following two methods:

  1. Share code: You can generate a unique profile code, giving buyers access to your Supplier information on SIRSI.
  2. Information Download: You will be able to download your Supplier information as a .zip file and upload it along with your bid.

Updating Your Supplier Information

If your supplier information changes, you can update it and create a new share code and file to share the new information.

You are not expected to update this information for each bid. Your profile should be considered universal, only requiring updates should you have supplementary information, or your circumstances change.

Tender specific information, such as contract references, insurance levels, and mandatory accreditations, should be included with your bids, not your Supplier information.