Tender for a contract

You can find out about private sector contracts in a number of ways:

• building contacts with potential customers
• checking advertisements in local and national newspapers
• looking at advertisements in trade and professional magazines covering your area of business
• researching contracts outside your sector for potential secondary contracts - eg if a new office block is built, it will need desks, carpets, signage, stationery, cleaning and laundry
• following up press and other reports - a company may be expanding or sub-contracting part of a big order
• networking and picking up information from other businesses

You can identify public sector contracts by:

• Browsing online procurement portals - such as eTendersNI for opportunities in Northern Ireland, and eTenders.ie for opportunities in the Republic of Ireland. Read more about tender for public sector contracts in Great Britain and Ireland and tender for contracts in the Northern Ireland public sector.
• Reading procurement pipeline information - some public sector organisations publish pipeline information relating to upcoming tendering opportunities.
• Contact Innovate UK EDGE.

If you are interested in high value public sector contracts available in other European Union (EU) countries, you can search on the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) website. This is the online version of the Official Journal of the European Union. It advertises all contracts worth over specified EU procurement thresholds.

Preparing tenders can help you to win big orders but it can be time-consuming, cost money and tie up valuable resources. If you don't get the contract, the money and time spent are usually lost - so consider the key points below before setting out to tender.

Key points to consider before tendering

Before you submit a tender, take time to check that your business is well-placed to deliver on the contract:

• Get hold of the bid documents and analyse them.
• Make sure you can match the technical, skill and experience requirements.
• Do you meet the necessary requirements - eg environmental and diversity?
• How much will it cost to prepare your bid?
• Would the work fit in with your strategy and positioning of your business?
• Estimate the costs of fulfilling the contract and whether or not you'd make enough money to justify it.
• Assess how the contract would affect your other work, staffing and ability to take on other new business.

You also need to consider how important the customer is to your business. Is this a good potential client or one you don't want to offend by not tendering? Consider how it would look from the client's point of view.

Search for public sector contracts in Northern Ireland on eTendersNI.

For a private sector tender, see if you can arrange a meeting or a call with the potential client to understand their requirements before you start work on the tender. Always raise questions by phone or email if the tender documents are unclear. This includes anything from deadlines to payment methods.

Make sure the client is serious and that you're not there just to make up the numbers or to test the market. Sometimes customers may just be fishing for ideas they'll then use for themselves. To prevent this, ask customers to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you present your tender. But don't forget many clients genuinely want you to make a creative contribution and provide ideas.

If you're selling to the public sector, the tender documents will contain instructions to tenderers. Read the instructions thoroughly, and if you are unsure about the detail within the specification, then raise a query online through the tendering portal. The buyer will respond as soon as possible.

Before you start writing, make sure you’ve read the specification carefully and answered every section of the bid in full.

Write your summary last, but place it at the beginning of your tender. It should clearly explain how your bid meets the client’s needs.

Crucial rules for your tender documentation

Focus on the client

Talk about their needs and how you’ll solve their problems. When you write about your business, do it to show you have the skills, experience and structure to deliver what they’re asking for.

Offer useful ideas

Suggest alternative approaches, highlight ways to reduce future maintenance issues, and address any staffing concerns the client might have.

Cover all qualification requirements

If the client has provided a qualification document, make sure you respond to every point.

Emphasise value for money

Most contracts aren’t awarded on price alone. Highlight what sets you apart: business benefits, service improvements, risk reduction, low maintenance, quality, reliability, customer satisfaction, and lifetime cost savings.

Break down your costs

Analyse all pricing factors, including fixed costs like staff time that could be used elsewhere.

Protect sensitive information

Consider marking parts of your tender as commercially sensitive under the Freedom of Information Act. You might also want to include a non-disclosure agreement.

Show strong contract management

Demonstrate that you have the resources to deliver the work efficiently, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing needs.

Address potential risks

Explain how you’ll manage financial, commercial and legal risks that could affect contract delivery.

Highlight your team’s strengths

Include CVs or tailored bios that showcase relevant experience, qualifications and success with similar projects.

Once you have decided to bid, you'll need to decide how you'll manage the bid:

• Who gathers information and does research?
• Who co-ordinates all the material you need?
• Who writes the drafts?
• Who checks them?
• How will the rest of your firm's work get done?

A good starting point is to make a list of all the questions you would ask if a company was submitting a tender to provide a product or service to you.

Clients will expect you to:

• state the purpose and origin of the bid
• summarise your work as a contractor, past experience and credentials for this job
• say how you'll carry out the work, and how and when you will meet the client's needs
• explain the benefits and value for money of your bid
• detail when and how goods and services are to be delivered, and provide a timetable
• demonstrate your team's skills, experience of similar work and their responsibilities if you win the contract
• explain how you will manage the project
• give details of your pricing and any aftercare arrangements within the price
• be practical and identify potential problems, but do not make promises that are clearly impossible for you to deliver

Include a covering letter that responds to the bid invitation, summarises your main message and explains how the documents are organised.

You should also be aware that information from your tender may be disclosed in the future under the Freedom of Information Act. This gives anyone, including your competitors, the general right to see information held by public authorities - including the information in your tender.

You should clearly indicate which information is commercially confidential. If the information is particularly sensitive, you might want to ask for a non-disclosure agreement.

If the tender is for a public sector contract, then follow the instructions given in the tendering documents carefully. The documents will be clear on what the client needs and the criteria for evaluating the tenders.

Use the award criteria headings to structure your bid, and do not assume the evaluation panel have any prior knowledge about your organisation.

Ensure that you answer all parts of the tender and upload all the required supporting documents. Check your pricing schedule to ensure that you have included all the requested items. Failure to provide a complete pricing schedule could lead to your tender being excluded.

It is well worth spending some time looking at the presentation of your tender. Here are some tips on editing and supplying your tender:

• Keep sentences and paragraphs short, punchy and business-like.
• Use bullet points and headings to break up text.
• Decide on a typeface, layout and type size - not too small - and stick to them.
• Make sure everything is consistent. Are CVs all presented in the same way?
• Be careful when cutting and pasting text to make sure the format stays the same.
• Make sure you have developed a logical argument.
• Read everything again. Then get a colleague to read it - checking for meaning, typing mistakes and omissions.
• Use appendices for supporting additional information.
• Produce a front cover with the project title, date, name of the organisation requesting the tender and that of your own firm.
• Number paragraphs and provide a contents page so material can be easily found.
• Consider getting it printed and bound professionally - if the client has asked for hard copies rather than submission via email.

Above all, make sure the tender is delivered on time - it is unlikely that organisations will consider your tender if it arrives after the closing date. You may want to deliver it yourself, by hand, to ensure it arrives safely, or by courier for secure delivery. Alternatively, contact the organisation to check they have received it.

If the tender is for a public sector contract, then you will be uploading and submitting the tender online. Leave plenty of time to ensure your bid is fully submitted before the deadline. Most tendering portals have a telephone helpdesk to contact if there are any problems.

Check you have provided enough detail for each of the award criteria, and there are no spelling mistakes. If you are using the eTendersNI portal, then you can edit and re-submit the tender as many times as required, up to the tender deadline.

There are a number of ways that small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) can successfully tender for public sector contracts in the UK. Follow these tips to help your business win government contracts.

1. Start small to build a strong foundation

Start with low value procurements to build up a government customer base. Look for opportunities under £100,000 where the government has removed Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs). Building up your base this way is a great foundation for competing for bigger sales in the future.

2. Spot opportunities early

Keep an eye out for potential opportunities before they formally go to market so you can be prepared. Attend information days and sign up for email alerts.  See finding out about private and public contracts.

3. Play to your strengths

Public sector buyers often see SMEs as flexible, responsive, and cost-effective. Use the pre-market engagement to show this by reacting quickly to questions, offering options and evidence of where you've responded to change in the past. Show you are cheaper than bigger players. Prove you offer good value.

4. Pass the test: write winning bid documents

Think of your bid as an exam, answering every question clearly and directly. Highlight your strengths, tailor your responses, and avoid generic language. If it’s your first time bidding, consider seeking advice or using templates to guide your structure.

5. Provide evidence that builds trust

If you say your offering will do something, prove it. Add visuals such as diagrams, graphs, or illustrations, where they assist in conveying more involved ideas. For example, include a screen shot of how it works or other tangible evidence.

See prepare your business to tender for contracts for further advice on getting ready to bid successfully.