2-22.3 Selecting Suppliers After the evaluation team has reviewed and analyzed the supplier-specific information, the best qualified suppliers are placed on the prequalified list. Some suppliers are considerably more qualified than others, so the purchase/SCM team should prequalify the best suppliers available. During this phase of the prequalification process, the contracting officer must ensure that: The inclusion or exclusion of a particular supplier is based strictly on business reasons. Enough suppliers are placed on the list to ensure adequate competition for subsequent purchases. Any sensitive business information provided by a supplier is sufficiently protected from disclosure.