Bid Recruitment Services
Recruiting for bid roles is more than just finding a good CV match. A successful bid writer needs to be able to understand technical input, write persuasively, and meet strict deadlines - often all at once. That’s why many organisations now rely on bid recruitment agencies that specialise in this niche. If you don't know 'bids' - how can you truly test them?
At Thornton & Lowe, we’ve been building our own bid writing team since 2009. Our Bid Resource Division was set up to meet this exact need - finding and placing the very best bid writers, whether for one-off tenders or to build high-performing in-house teams.
Why Bid Recruitment Requires a Specialist Approach
Recruiting bid professionals isn’t straightforward. These roles combine commercial understanding, project coordination, and advanced writing ability. Generalist recruiters often struggle to spot the difference between a bid writer, proposal writer, and bid manager.
For example, a bid writer will unlikely be able to find tenders, complete bid no bid assessments, prepare policies, portal management, respond to tenders (bid writing), design and formatting and continuous improvement! Some can - but as a single role this isn't sustainable and of course from a continuity perspective this isn't ideal!
In an interview it is easy for a bid writer to refer to 'team input' and experience as their own. We use assessments and plenty of questions to really get to grips with what we are getting.
The Problem with Generic Recruitment
When organisations rely on recruiters who don’t understand tenders, they risk hiring people who can’t deliver in live bid scenarios. Missed deadlines, off-brief submissions and weak scoring narratives are common outcomes. Our guide to using bid recruitment agencies explains how sector knowledge and vetting methods make a genuine difference.
What Does a Bid Recruitment Agency Do Differently?
A specialist bid writer recruitment agency does more than fill a vacancy. We understand the real pressure, pace, and expectations of the role.
At Thornton & Lowe, we provide:
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Support writing clear and realistic job descriptions
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Practical feedback on freelance vs. permanent resourcing
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Salary and day rate advice based on sector benchmarks
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Technical writing assessments and pre-interviews
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Access to both permanent candidates and trusted freelancers
We’ve also written about what to expect when hiring specialist roles in our Technical Bid Writer guide, which goes into more depth on the differences between technical and generalist writers.
At Thornton & Lowe we directly employ one of the largest bid writing services teams in the UK - so we don't just recruit for others - we do it for ourselves.
Bid Writer Recruitment: Permanent vs Freelance Support
Hiring a Permanent Bid Writer
If you’re regularly bidding for work, especially in regulated industries or frameworks, investing in a permanent bid writer makes sense. Our team supports everything from entry-level trainee recruitment to senior-level bid manager appointments.
We advise on training, onboarding, and even provide mentoring support after placement.
Using Freelance Bid Writers
If you need flexibility, our freelance community, BidTalentConnect, gives you direct access to experienced UK-based bid writers without recruitment fees. It’s ideal for short-notice support, maternity cover, or boosting your capacity during peak periods.
For clients in construction, healthcare and engineering, we've outlined sector-specific tips in our article on effective construction bid recruitment.
Contact us today
Click hereWhat Makes a Good Bid Writer?
A strong bid writer is much more than a good communicator. They need to:
- Understand buyer scoring and evaluation criteria
- Collaborate with technical teams to translate input into responses
- Manage conflicting deadlines while keeping calm under pressure
- Adapt writing tone to different sectors and tender types
- Structure answers that are persuasive and compliant
Whether you're recruiting for a social care framework, an IT system implementation or a facilities management contract, we help identify the right type of writer for the job.
We Build Bid Teams That Win Work
Since 2016, our Bid Resource Division has helped hundreds of clients recruit the very best bid talent. We’re different because we’re embedded in bidding - we don’t just understand job titles; we understand what actually wins tenders.
We also offer services to support your wider bid function, including:
And if you want to raise the standard of your submissions overall, explore our Ultimate Guide to Bid Writing - packed with practical insights.
Need Help With Bid Recruitment? Let’s Talk.
We support businesses of all sizes, across every major UK sector. From start-ups bidding for the first time, to national contractors expanding their teams, our approach to bid writer recruitment is built around what actually works.
📞 Call us on 01204 238 046
📩 Contact our Bid Resource team
🌐 Learn more at thorntonandlowe.com
