As a bid writing company, we offer professional bid writing services with over a 75% win rate. Our mission goes beyond just writing or responding to tenders; we provide a full bid management solution focused on winning contracts. We specialise in winning tenders and frameworks in the public sector, including central and local government, education, housing, councils, the NHS, and emergency services. Get a free bid and tender writing quote today!
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Bid Writing Services
As bid writing consultants, we partner with our clients to provide consistent, high-quality bid writing services delivered by our in-house bid team. Our bid writing partnerships provide our clients a consistent team, who know about their business - but who are available on an adhoc basis!
Our core clients are small and medium-sized businesses that require reliable, professional bid writing support. We not only provide bid and tender writing capacity but of course - the key is helping them improve success rates and win valuable contracts!
We don’t just write bids - we work with you to refine your tendering process, ensuring continuous improvement. From the initial call through to contract award, we provide expert guidance to make each bid stronger while reducing your workload. Post-submission, we help analyse feedback to improve future responses.
How Our Bid Writing Services Help You Win More Contracts
Our services are designed to make the tendering process more efficient and successful. We help businesses:
Develop high-scoring, quality and social value responses tailored to each tender
Ensure full compliance with buyer requirements - this includes bid no bid advice
Apply lessons learned from each tender submission
Reduce internal workload, allowing teams to focus on core business operations
We have been developing our bid writing solutions for over 15 years! Our focus is minimising client disruption - but it is still very much a partnership approach. The first bid is always the toughest - often with a lot to learn in little time, but we have mastered this through continually wanting to improve the service. Each bid should become easier as we jointly develop a working partnership.
Some of our clients have been with us a long time! We work hard to retain them and we believe the key is having a high performing, happy bid team. We directly employ our team to ensure consistency. The last thing you want is to invest your time sharing your approach and key information - to only then have to repeat it for each bid!
Comprehensive Bid Writing Support
Our service really is fully outsourced. We provide guidance and strategy - but we find a lot more clients simply want us to get the work done! And that's what we do! We offer a full range of bid and tender writing services to suit different business needs, including:
Providing outsourced bid writing – Ideal for businesses without in-house bid teams. This includes creating a plan - making the use of frameworks, monitoring tenders, completing mini competitions. We just don't price!
Bid management – Overseeing the entire bid process, from planning to submission. This is part of our standard bid writing/ management quotes.
Bid reviews – This gives you access to our expertise but with less capacity required (therefore cheaper!).
Bid writing courses – Training your team in effective tender writing strategies, as well as understanding procurement.
Tender portal management – Managing opportunity tracking and submissions
Bid and Tender writing services – This is very much our core business.
Bid administration – Handling document formatting, compliance checks, and submission requirements. This includes portal management during live tenders but also afterwards.
Bid research – Gathering intelligence on opportunities, competitors, and buyer priorities. It's not just collating it though - it's then ensuring it makes an impact!
Bid strategy – Developing structured approaches to tendering for long-term success. Many of our clients provide an excellent service or product and have an excellent businesses. However, work with us to help them create a plan to win more work in the UK public sector.
Take a look at our bid writing services section, which provides further details and testimonials, as well as a hub of information on bid and tender writing.
Professional Tender Writers with a Wealth of Experience
At Thornton & Lowe we are proud to have a wealth of experience working in all the main industry sectors from construction right through to healthcare. Our directly employed team of professional tender writers work closely with you throughout the tender or ITT process, ensuring we maximise your chances of success. Our proven bid management system has been designed to minimise disruption to our clients.
We directly employ (PAYE) a team of nearly 40 bid staff, which means our clients know we will be there for them. You work with the same bid writer, and supporting team, on each tender or framework, which allows our knowledge of your business to grow quickly. We become part of your team and success!
Get a Bid Writing Quote Today! 01204 238046 - hello@thorntonandlowe.com
Having extra capacity and expertise to support your business to respond to tenders - is where Thornton & Lowe steps in. We offer a same-day tender writing quote, ensuring you have rapid access to our expertise when it’s needed most. Along with our prompt service, we provide complimentary guidance on each opportunity to make sure every bid aligns perfectly with your goals and creates value for both parties.
For businesses who have some in-house bid writing capacity, they may choose to produce a draft tender response themselves. They share this with us and request we complete a 'bid review', providing guidance and suggestions on how to improve the quality scores and ensure compliance. Or they may ask we review the response and make improvements, returning an updated and improved response, ready to be submitted. If you have completed and require a bid writing expert's external view point, share your draft and we will provide a fixed fee quote.
Bid Review - Read, Review and Comment:
In this lighter touch bid review service we look at compliance, response structure, unique selling points and added value. We review the draft documents and provide comments and guidance on how our clients can improve their proposal or tender response. We provide feedback in the comments function within Microsoft word, alongside a brief report of key recommendations. During a video call (teams / zoom) we then take your team through the key changes and provide a rationale for our suggestions. This can also acts as brief bid writing training or refresher session for your team.
Bid Review and Improve:
This requires more time, as we take your draft as our starting point. Taking ownership and managing the bid to completion, is all part of our bid review and improve service. We collect further information, complete research, check for any updated clarification questions via the portal, and re-write and develop the quality responses, and supporting evidence.
Bid Strategy, Review and Improve:
This is the same as the ‘bid review and improve’ above, but with the addition of our involvement at the start of the process. We agree with you the storyboard, structures and win themes of the bid prior to the development of the draft. This means when we get sent the draft (which will be closer to the deadline) there should be less development work required, as we are working from an agreed starting point.
Experts in Bid & Tender Writing
Tender Writing Testimonials
What is Bid Writing?
DIY Bid Writing vs Professional Tender Writing: Which is Right for You?
And more bid and tender writing google reviews below:
"I was looking for assistance in compiling bids for the various tenders my company was tendering for and that's when I came across Thornton &Lowe Ltd. The service I received from Thornton & Lowe, especially from Katie, Cathrine and Maria was nothing but exceptional, their knowledge and skill for compiling and providing excellent bids for those tendering submissions have been first-class. It's fair to say that my company has been successful in a number of the bids submitted. I would strongly recommend the services offered by Thornton & Lowe if you are looking for a successful bid writing organisation." - Nichol Associates
"We engaged with Thornton and Lowe whilst looking for a company who could provide us with expertise and support in managing and the writing of a bids and Tenders. We have found working with the team at Thornton & Lowe to be 1st Class - they are organised, have great attention to detail, and have created some superb looking packs for us. I would highly recommend Thornton & Lowe to any company looking for support and guidance in bid writing." - TieTaUK Ltd
We are extremely happy with the service and Thornton & Lowe’s support has allowed us to grow considerably over the last 4 years, with goals to double in size during the course of 2023/2024 through a number of important NHS tenders” - Sales Director, Newcross Healthcare
"I would like to take the time thank you and your team for all the support with the Tender Bid. You have some talented people working for you and they are credit to your business."Martin Tweddle, General Manager, DSD Construction
Looking for more detail on our tender writing services? Speak to us or check out our case studies. One example below:
Digital and Technology Services Case Study
Client: DMS Group
"We found Thornton & Lowe initially through a referral from Brother UK, we arranged an initial meeting with Dave Thornton, their Director. From the initial call, Thornton & Lowe took the time to speak at length about the options and services available from them, tailoring a package for us that would scale with our demand for bid writing. They provided not only bid writing services but also guidance with creating our own bid library of stock responses, how to bid more effectively and save money by doing so! Thornton & Lowe also ensured that our policies and documentation were all present and correct, giving the best possible impression for the buyer."
What were you looking for in a solution?
"We were looking to improve our success rates and wanted to bid more intelligently for opportunities, along with putting a process in place for both DMS and Thornton and Lowe to follow. We had a huge amount of knowledge but knew that we needed some assistance with articulating this into a strong business case, also ensuring that all criteria was satisfied in terms of compliance.
The processes that DMS and Thornton & Lowe put into place were robust and we continue to use them to this day. Since their implementation, our success rate has increased significantly and our team now has a number of successful bids completed with a total value of £1-2 million."
What made our solution stand out from the others that you researched?
"Thornton & Lowe always went the extra mile for us, whether it was working late on a tight deadline or the fact we have a dedicated account manager in Adam. Since Thornton & Lowe has taken over the management of our bids, the level of communication and awareness of upcoming bids has helped us not only plan our pipeline, but tender a lot more effectively."
The National Careers Service defines a Bid Writer’s role as preparing ‘documents used to pitch for contracts to provide services, or to apply for project funding’.
We see Bid Writing as a key role within the sales and marketing function for any business involved in formal tenders or contract opportunities. Due to the procurement rules of the Public Sector, many Bid Writers as often tasked with responding to purely these detailed and often lengthy Government tender opportunities.
For some organisations, a Bid Writer sits within a larger Bid Team, which may also include Bid Coordinators, Senior Bid Writers, Bid Managers, Work Winning Managers, Capture Managers and Bid Directors. However, for some and often smaller businesses, the bid writing and management of the tender response process belongs to the Senior Management Team or is dispersed across regional sales staff.
Bid Writing is a key skill in an emerging market due to the increasing requirements for value for money, accountability and transparency in the Public Sector. This more formal approach to engaging with suppliers is also becoming more frequent within larger private sector organisations, further increasing the demand for a talented Bid Writers or the need for external bid support consultancy or outsourced bid writing.
We have been offering outsourced Bid Writing and Bid Management Solutions since 2009. Ensuring our SME clients have access to a consistent, high performing and reliable Bid Team, but on an adhoc basis. For those clients who have an in-house Bid Team we are often asked to provide training to improve their performance and win rates.
Writing a winning bid takes time, knowledge, and a clear understanding of what evaluators are looking for. Some businesses manage this in-house, while others rely on professional tender writers to increase their success rates.
The table below compares the two approaches to help you decide which best suits your business.
Factor
DIY Bid Writing
Professional Tender Writing
Experience & Expertise
Limited knowledge of procurement rules and evaluation criteria.
Strong understanding of scoring, compliance, and bid structure.
Time Commitment
Takes longer due to limited experience and resources.
Managed efficiently, freeing up internal teams.
Win Rate
Lower success rates due to weaker responses.
Higher success rates with structured, well-evidenced bids.
Compliance & Accuracy
Risk of missing key requirements, leading to disqualification.
Ensures full compliance, reducing the chance of rejection.
Response Quality
May lack structure, clear messaging, and persuasive writing.
Well-written, clearly presented, and tailored to score highly.
Use of Evidence
Often missing strong case studies, statistics, or proof of success.
Includes case studies, metrics, and testimonials to strengthen bids.
Bid Strategy & Planning
Often rushed, reactive approach.
Planned, structured approach to improving tender success.
Consistency Across Bids
Can vary between submissions.
Follows a structured method for strong, reliable responses.
Cost vs Return
Lower upfront cost but may lead to wasted time and missed opportunities.
Investment in expertise can lead to more contract wins.
Stress & Workload
Can be overwhelming, especially for small teams.
Outsourcing reduces pressure and allows focus on core business.
Choosing the Right Approach
If your business regularly bids for contracts, professional support can help improve success rates, efficiency, and bid quality. For one-off tenders, an internal team may manage, but careful planning is needed.
Need help? Talk to our expert bid writers for tailored advice. 01204 238046 or email - hello@thorntonandlowe.com
In most cases, no. Tender writing and bid writing are often used interchangeably. At Thornton & Lowe, the majority of the projects we support involve responding to formal tenders. While bidding covers the entire process - from strategy and pricing to submission - tender writing is focused on developing the response itself. Both skills are essential, but the main difference is that tender writing is a specific part of the broader bidding process.
Outsourcing your bid writing to tendering experts can help your business and team:
Win more tenders. As professional bid writers we work on hundreds of tenders each year. We have completed thousands of successful bids and received feedback from the buyer nearly each time! Over the last 15 years, this means across every 'buyer type' we know what is important to them and what is required to maximise quality scores
Save time. Our bid writing processes ensure we minimise the disruption to your already busy team. We will of course need to understand your solution and collect key facts, figures and your approach, but we do so efficiently. We have worked with the same clients for many years, which means over time we can produce far more, with less from you
Find all key tender opportunities and frameworks. Via our search and selection service, we not only make sure you do not miss any key opportunities in your sector, but we also advice on which tenders are likely to be a 'better-fit' for your business. This increases win rates and your bidding return on investment.
Professional tender writers are consultants and advisers to help your business win more contracts. This do this by writing compelling, compliant, practical and high-scoring tender submissions. Their expertise ensures that responses stand out to evaluators, demonstrate value for money, and align with buyer requirements.
Unlike general business writers, professional tender writers have a deep understanding of procurement processes, evaluation criteria, and industry-specific compliance standards. Their role goes beyond writing – they strategically position businesses for success by:
1. Understanding Tender Requirements
Professional tender writers carefully analyse specifications, scoring criteria, and buyer priorities to ensure every response meets expectations. They break down complex procurement documents, identify key themes, and develop a clear response plan.
2. Crafting High-Scoring Tender Responses
Their expertise lies in writing persuasive, structured responses that clearly demonstrate how a business meets or exceeds the buyer’s needs. They focus on: ✔ Clarity & Compliance – Answering every question fully while following procurement rules. ✔ Evidence-Based Writing – Backing claims with case studies, metrics, and testimonials. ✔ Social Value & Innovation – Addressing added value, sustainability, and efficiency gains.
3. Managing Bid Timelines & Submissions
Tender deadlines are strict. Professional writers coordinate input from stakeholders, structure responses effectively, and manage submission logistics to ensure everything is delivered on time.
4. Improving Success Rates
They don’t just write tenders - they continuously refine strategies to improve bid quality and win rates. This includes: ✔ Reviewing unsuccessful tenders and analysing feedback. ✔ Identifying areas for improvement in messaging, compliance, and evidence. ✔ Supporting businesses in building a bid library for future submissions.
5. Supporting Bid Strategy & Competitor Analysis
A professional tender writer understands market trends, procurement shifts, and competitor positioning. They help businesses: ✔ Identify opportunities for growth through public and private sector contracts. ✔ Align bids with best practice methodologies and procurement expectations. ✔ Benchmark against competitors to highlight unique strengths.
Why Use a Professional Tender Writer?
Winning tenders is highly competitive, and even small mistakes can lead to disqualification. A professional tender writer ensures: Responses are structured, well-evidenced, and compelling.
Technical content is clear, compliant, and easy to evaluate.
The business is positioned as the best supplier for the contract.
By working with professional tender writers, like Thornton & Lowe, businesses can win more contracts, reduce internal workload, and continuously improve bid performance.
Our Bid Success Programme (BSP) was developed 10 years ago as a solution to the common challenges of using outsourced or freelance bid writing services.
Our Bid Partners have over 15% higher win rate, when compared to ‘adhoc’ clients.
We become your Bid Writing Services Team, which means we can move away from purely fire-fighting when a live tender arrives. We can plan, develop a pipeline, improve systems, monitor your return on investment, and have time to really understand and get ‘under the skin’ of your business.
We provide a single point of contact, supported by a consistent team, ensuring high quality and consistent responses, continuous improvement and continuity for your bids.
We can also monitor tenders for you, provide bid administration support and guide your sales and marketing efforts, prior to a live tender, to maximise your win rates.
Our Bid Writing Guide Ultimate Guide is extensive! Bid writing tips, procurement, bid evaluation and the tender process. Helping organisations improving their bid writing skills to win more tenders! It covers both bidding and procurement, including evaluation criteria and how to improve your bid writing tender scores.
Bid Resource is our dedicated bid recruitment agency sourcing freelance bid managers, writers and directors. As of the few specialist bid recruitment agencies in the UK, we not only supply temporary and permanent bid staff but we can also train and mentor your staff, providing guidance and quality assurance.
Health & social frameworks are critical tools for many home care and domiciliary care agencies across the UK. At Thornton & Lowe we have been successfully working across the healthcare sector since 2009! We have won hundreds of home care tenders for our clients! Health and social care bid writing accounts for 25% of our work.
Maintenance, install and repair tenders are increasingly competitive. If you are looking to save time when bidding for facilities management tenders and increase your win rates - contact us today. We have won tenders across every area of facilities management, which accounts for 30% of our bid writing company.
Buyer expectations for professional services tenders are high. Frameworks are crucial for success, ensuring you can maximise the benefits of your relationships, provided that you have bid writing capacity.
We have delivered bid writing training courses to over 4000 delegates! We offer bidding workshops and bespoke bid training packages to focus on key challenges for your business.
Bespoke bid writing courses delivered at your premises
Bid writing workshops open for businesses to attend, which are delivered both online and in venues across Manchester, Birmingham and London
When it comes to responding to social value tender questions, we really have got you covered. Our team of experts will work with you to craft compelling answers that showcase your commitment to making a positive impact in your community. We'll help you highlight all the amazing ways you're contributing, whether it's through local employment, environmental initiatives, or community engagement projects. This will be built and compliant with the Social Value Model and TOMs.
We can also develop a social value strategy for your business. We'll help you identify areas where you can make the biggest difference and set up systems to track and measure your progress. This way, you'll be able to demonstrate your social value impact not just in your tender responses, but throughout the entire contract delivery process.
By having a strong social value strategy and monitoring systems in place, you'll be setting yourself up for success in future tenders. You'll have a wealth of evidence and data to draw upon, showing that you're not just talking the talk, but walking the walk when it comes to social value. This can give you a serious competitive edge and increase your chances of winning more contracts in the long run.
So, whether you need help with social value tender questions, developing a strategy, or setting up monitoring systems, we are here to support.
Bid software and AI bid writing guidance. When it comes to artificial intelligence and bidding it can seem a little like the 'wild west'! Let our expert team ensure you benefit from an AI bidding product which is fit for purpose now and going forward as technology develops.
Can a new business win a government tender?
Absolutely! While it might seem challenging, new businesses can definitely win government contracts. The key is to focus on opportunities that align with your strengths and experience. Look for tenders that don't require a lengthy track record or massive financial guarantees as the associated risk of the service or requirement is low. Partnering with more established firms through joint ventures can also boost your chances. Don't be afraid to start small and work your way up!
Do I need 3 years of accounts to bid for a government contract?
Not necessarily! While some government tenders may ask for 3 years of financial accounts, it's not always a hard and fast rule. If you're a newer business, you might be able to provide alternative evidence of your financial stability, like bank statements or guarantees. The key is to be upfront about your situation and offer reassurance that you can deliver the goods or services. If in doubt, don't be afraid to ask the procurement team for clarification!
How many references do I need for a government tender?
This can vary depending on the specific tender, but usually, you'll need to provide around 3 references. These should be from contracts you've delivered that are similar in scope and size to the one you're bidding for. If you don't have direct government contract experience, don't panic! References from private sector clients can work too, as long as they showcase your relevant skills and experience. Just make sure to pick references that paint you in the best light!
Do I need accreditations to tender for the government?
It depends on the specific tender and the sector you're in. Some tenders might require certain accreditations, like ISO certifications for quality management or health and safety. Others might be more flexible. The best approach is to carefully read through the tender documents and see what's required. If you're not sure, reach out to the procurement team for guidance. And if you don't have the necessary accreditations, consider whether it's worth investing in them to open up more opportunities in the future.
As a bid writing consultancy we have worked with hundreds of clients to help them win tenders. See our bid writing frequently asked questions (FAQs) and our tendering Q&A, which focused on advice for bidders involved in public sector procurement.
As a bid writing consultants, we do more than just write and submit tenders! We challenge, innovate and improve your tender submissions.
With our bid writing consultants on your team, you'll have a strong partner in putting together a clear, competitive, and successful tender submission.
We offer comprehensive bid management consultancy services to help businesses win UK public sector contracts and frameworks. Our expert team provides end-to-end support, from identifying relevant opportunities to writing and submitting tender submissions. We'll work with you to develop a winning bid strategy, manage the tender process, and ensure compliance with all requirements.
Winning contracts through tenders is challenging. If you're looking for bid writing help, we offer:
✅ Expert bid support – Get clear, high-scoring responses tailored to buyers. ✅ Bid reviews & improvements – Ensure compliance & maximise scores. ✅ Training & guidance – Upskill your team for long-term bid success.
Let us take the stress out of bid writing. Get bid writing help today!
Thornton & Lowe's Tier 1 Contractors Bid Support Services are tailored to meet the unique needs of large contractors in the UK. Our experienced team of bid professionals provides comprehensive support throughout the entire bidding process, ensuring that your organisation submits a compelling and compliant proposals.
