Guides
How public sector bidding actually works
Written for firms who want to win public sector work and have not been told how the process really operates. No jargon for its own sake, every figure sourced and dated.
Procurement rules and thresholds change. Every guide carries the date it was last checked, and where a figure comes from an official source we link to it so you can confirm it yourself.
A guide in six parts
Social value in public sector tendersWhat social value is, why almost every public tender now asks about it, and a guide in six parts to the rules, the scoring, worked examples, building a record, writing the answer and where to find out more.
Start the social value guide →The guides
Start wherever your question is
Where do I start?How to bid for UK public sector contractsThe whole process end to end: where opportunities are published, how buyers choose, what you need ready before you write anything, and the mistakes that lose bids before they are read.Read the guide →What are the current thresholds?UK procurement thresholds 2026The figures that decide which rules apply, current from 1 January 2026, and the two things almost everyone gets wrong about them: they include VAT, and being under one does not mean there is no competition.Read the guide →What is a framework, and is it worth joining?What is a framework agreement?What a framework actually gives you, why a place on one is not a contract, what open frameworks changed under the Procurement Act 2023, and how to judge whether an application is worth the effort.Read the guide →Should we bid for this?Deciding whether to bidA short, honest qualification process. Most wasted bid effort goes into opportunities that were never winnable, and the tender documents usually say so on the first read.Read the guide →How do I actually write the answers?How to write a tender response that scoresA tender answer is marked against a published scheme by someone with limited time. How to structure an answer so the evidence is where the marks are, and what to stop writing.Read the guide →How do I get in earlier?Finding contracts before they are re-tenderedAward notices publish contract end dates. That makes most re-tenders visible months ahead, which is the only point at which a supplier who is not the incumbent can still influence anything.Read the guide →Is it worth bidding at all?Are public sector tenders rigged?Some tenders are written around a supplier the buyer already has; most are not. The warning signs that a tender is a formality, what the law requires of buyers, and what our award data shows about incumbents and small firms.Read the guide →Can a small firm with no track record win?Winning your first public sector contractThousands of firms win their first public contract every year. Where they start, how to answer experience questions without public sector references, and what to have ready before the first bid.Read the guide →Where are tenders published?Where to find UK public sector tendersThe four free national portals, where the bidding actually happens, the small contracts that are never advertised, and when free alerts are enough.Read the guide →Who won it, and can I work for them?How to find out who won a public contractEvery award is published with the winner, the value and usually the end date. How to read award notices, and how to use them to find the larger suppliers that might want you as a subcontractor.Read the guide →What paperwork do I need?What you need before you bidThe registration, insurance, accounts, policies and certificates public buyers ask for, which ones the law says they cannot demand up front, and which only apply to large contracts.Read the guide →Why did we lose?Getting feedback when you lose a tenderWhat the assessment summary must tell you, including how the winner scored, the standstill period, whether you can have a debrief, and what Freedom of Information will and will not get you.Read the guide →Can I use ChatGPT for a tender?Using AI to write tender responsesGovernment policy does not ban suppliers using AI in bids, but buyers may ask whether you did. Where AI genuinely helps, where it loses marks, and the confidentiality trap.Read the guide →What do I write for social value?Social value for small businessesWhy tenders ask about social value, how much it is worth in central government contracts now and from January 2027, and how a small firm can make commitments it can actually keep.Read the guide →What does that term mean?Tender jargon explainedPlain-English meanings for the terms in UK tender documents, from assessment summary to transparency notice, using the Procurement Act 2023's own definitions where it has them.Read the guide →What changed in 2025?The Procurement Act 2023 explained for suppliersWhat the Procurement Act 2023 changed for suppliers: one platform and share codes, open and competitive flexible procedures, minimum time limits, assessment summaries, exclusions and the debarment list, and what is published after award.Read the guide →What is a competitive flexible procedure?The competitive flexible procedure explainedThe tender a buyer designs itself under the Procurement Act 2023: what it may and may not include, what it replaced, the time limits, and how to bid when there are shortlists, negotiation or several rounds.Read the guide →How do I write a method statement for a tender?Writing a method statement that scoresHow to read the published criteria, structure a method statement, mirror the specification, and what separates a 5 from a 3, including construction and CDM 2015.Read the guide →How do I price a tender?How to price a public sector tenderHow price is scored, with a worked example, what the Procurement Act 2023 says about weightings and abnormally low prices, and the costs that catch small firms out: VAT, TUPE, pensions, wages and inflation.Read the guide →What are win themes in a tender?Win themes in tenders: how to find and use themHow to find two to four reasons this buyer should choose you, prove them and thread them through every answer, with a worked example for a small firm bidding for a council contract.Read the guide →How do I write a mobilisation plan for a tender?Writing the mobilisation plan in a tenderWhat evaluators look for in a mobilisation or transition plan, how standstill and TUPE fit the timeline, and an eight-week example a small firm can deliver.Read the guide →Do I need Cyber Essentials to bid for a public contract?Cyber Essentials in public sector tendersWhen buyers must ask for Cyber Essentials under PPN 014, Cyber Essentials or Plus, current IASME prices, the Danzell question set, 12-month renewal and how to evidence it.Read the guide →Do I need security clearance to bid for a government contract?Security vetting for public contracts: SC, DV and BS 7858Which contracts ask for SC, DV, BS 7858, DBS, BPSS or Facility Security Clearance, who carries out each, what you can and cannot buy, how long it takes, what it costs, and how to answer when your team is not yet cleared.Read the guide →Do I need ISO 27001 to bid for public contracts?ISO 27001 in public sector tendersWhat buyers check on an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate, why its scope matters, how it differs from Cyber Essentials, and what to say if you are not certified.Read the guide →What insurance do I need for a public contract?Insurance levels for public sector contractsThe insurance covers public tenders ask for, the £5 million employers' liability minimum, why cover need not be in place before award, and how to answer the question.Read the guide →Should I bid for more than one lot?Lots in public tenders and which to bid forWhat lots are, the buyer's duty to consider them under the Procurement Act 2023, caps on how many lots you can bid for or win, how each lot is scored, and a worked example of choosing lots.Read the guide →What is TUPE, and does it apply when I win a contract?What is TUPE? TUPE when a public contract changes handsWhen TUPE applies to a change of supplier, the 28-day employee information rule, pensions and Fair Deal, what you can and cannot change, and how to price TUPE risk into a bid, with a cleaning example.Read the guide →What is BPSS clearance?What is BPSS? The BPSS check explainedBPSS, the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, explained: the four checks, BPSS v DBS, whether you can get it yourself, how long it takes and lasts, the BPSS form, what it costs and how to answer it in a tender.Read the guide →Is there a free method statement template?Free method statement templates (Word)Two free Word templates: a site work method statement (a step-by-step safe system of work with hazards, controls and a signed briefing record) and a tender method statement for public sector quality questions. No sign-up.Read the guide →How do I get public sector cleaning contracts?How to win public sector cleaning contractsThe public sector cleaning market today from live award data, who buys, where tenders appear, what buyers ask for, and the two things that sink cleaning bids: TUPE and labour costs.Read the guide →What are the SME targets?Government SME spend targets explainedEvery central government department now has a published target for spending with small and medium-sized firms. The rule, every department's target and its own latest result, who is checking, and what it means if you are a small firm.Read the guide →Who gives small firms the most work?Councils and small businessesCouncils give small and medium-sized firms more contracts than any other public buyer, with no target telling them to. The figures, the councils doing best, and how to win council work.Read the guide →Is there a local spend target?Local spend targets across the UKThere is no UK-wide target for spending locally. What exists in England, Scotland's Community Wealth Building Act 2026, Wales's new reporting duty and Northern Ireland, and what it means when you bid.Read the guide →Which departments want small firms?Selling to the departments with the highest SME targetsThe government departments that have promised the most spend with small firms, how much of their work SMEs already win, and how to get in front of them: action plans, pipelines, market engagement and frameworks.Read the guide →Do I need a carbon reduction plan to bid?Carbon reduction plans for public contractsWhen central government (PPN 006) and the NHS ask for a carbon reduction plan, what it must contain, how it is checked pass or fail, the NHS changes from April 2027, and how to write one yourself with the free template.Read the guide →
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