As Director of Development at Thornton & Lowe, I’ve delivered 100s of bid writing workshops and one-to-one sessions. I’ve led in-person training in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Glasgow and many more locations, as well as online sessions for organisations across the UK. No matter the sector, I see similar issues: talented teams with great experience often fall short when it comes to turning that knowledge into winning tenders.
What changes things is training. By focusing on practical techniques, structured processes, and real examples, I’ve watched teams grow in confidence and consistency. Helping people refine their skills and then seeing those improvements reflected in higher tender success rates is one of the most rewarding parts of my role at Thornton & Lowe.
Why Bid Writer Training Matters
When I review tenders with clients, I often see the same issues holding them back. Strong technical knowledge is there, but the responses lack structure, clear win themes, or a direct link to what evaluators are actually scoring. Sometimes it’s as simple as not answering the question in a way that meets the criteria.
That’s where training proves its value. By breaking down how tenders are assessed and showing how to translate expertise into compelling responses, teams begin to see the process differently. It becomes less about filling in forms and more about building a persuasive case for why they should be chosen.
Our training isn’t just designed to help you to win more work. The aim is to change the way you approach the bidding process. By embedding skills within your organisation, you’ll see improved performance every time you bid.
What Our Training Covers
Every organisation has its own strengths, but the fundamentals of strong bid writing remain the same. That’s why our training is designed to give you practical tools you can apply immediately, no matter the sector you work in.
We help companies to:
- Write persuasive, compliant responses that score well
- Identify win themes and weave them consistently through their bids
- Break down evaluation criteria and align their answers directly
- Develop repeatable processes to save time and reduce pressure
- Build collaboration within bid teams so everyone contributes effectively
Throughout the sessions, we use real examples and exercises that reflect the challenges you face. You’ll work through exercises, peer reviews, and live feedback, so the learning is always grounded in practice rather than theory. That hands-on approach ensures the skills stay with you long after the workshop ends.
Training Formats to Suit Every Team
No two organisations face the same challenges when it comes to bidding, which is why we offer different training formats to suit your needs. Some teams benefit most from a focused day of core skills, while others prefer a more in-depth approach that also develops strategy and bid pipelines.
- 1-Day Bid Writing Training – a concentrated workshop covering the essentials of persuasive and compliant tender writing. Perfect for those who need a strong foundation or a refresher.
- 2-Day Bid Writing Training – a deeper dive into strategy, process, and writing techniques. Day 1 focuses on understanding the public sector and the bidding process, while day 2 is all about writing the bid itself. Ideal for teams who want to build capacity and confidence across multiple bids.
- Bespoke In-House Sessions – tailored to your organisation, these workshops focus on your specific sector, challenges, and opportunities.
- Bid Mentor Service – personalised support for SMEs that develops individual bid writers and ensures knowledge is embedded.
We also offer sector-specific options, such as our CITB-funded bid writing course, which provides tailored guidance for construction businesses, with bespoke training available for your organisation.
This flexible approach means you can choose the level of training that matches your team’s ambitions and resources, while still gaining the benefit of expert guidance and proven methods.
Expert training with proven results
Book your bid writing courseCPD Accreditation and Professional Development
Professional development is a big part of what motivates people to attend training, and it’s why we’ve ensured our courses are CPD-accredited. That accreditation gives participants formal recognition for the time and effort they invest, while also offering reassurance to employers that the training meets a recognised standard.
In my experience, the accreditation isn’t just about the points earned. It gives delegates added confidence, knowing that the skills they’re building are part of a structured professional pathway. For many, it also strengthens internal business cases for attending future training, as the value is clear and measurable.
Interested in attending one of our accredited sessions? Check out our upcoming courses across the UK:
Real Outcomes: Elevating Tender Success
Nothing demonstrates the value of training better than the feedback we receive from those who have taken part. Hearing directly from organisations who have seen their tender performance improve shows just how powerful the right support can be.
“Wanted to say again how beneficial the knowledge gained from this course has been. To demonstrate; the last few results we have had from tenders sent since I completed the course are: 89%, 90.7%, 93.9%
I could not recommend this course enough!”
Tamsin Mackenzie, PCS Group
“The bid-writing course from Thornton and Lowe was excellent. Charles did a great job of tailoring content to our needs, which led to good learning outcomes and an interesting and engaging training session.”
Kevin Malone, Urenco
“Charles brought a wealth of experience and charisma to the Bid Writing Masterclass. I am fortunate to be managed by someone who attended this class a few years ago and this training reinforced the method and processes that we use during the bid writing process and has given me greater confidence. I'm happy to say that following the training, I have written my first successful bid. That's not to say that I did it alone, but having a greater understanding of all the elements that make a successful bid, avoiding common mistakes and seeing the process as a project and planning accordingly certainly helped. These were all skills which I learned on this course and I couldn't recommend it enough. Training was delivered virtually and this had no impact on the quality or effectiveness of training.”
Stu Matthews, Quanta
“After attending the 2-day masterclass in January our company's approach to the entire bid-process has been transformed. I would highly recommend the course, Charles is an excellent trainer and really breaks things down into plain English. The course would suit a variety of professionals, whether beginning their bid journey or a seasoned writer, there will definitely be knowledge to gain from attending.”
Jess Whittall, Spinwell Global
These experiences reflect what I see time and again when delivering sessions. Training provides not only new skills, but also renewed confidence in approaching tenders. For many teams, that combination is the turning point that leads to consistent success.
Start Your Bid Writing Journey
Delivering training across the UK has shown me just how much potential there is within organisations once bid writing becomes second nature. For me, the real satisfaction comes from seeing people put these skills into action and achieve results they didn’t think were possible.
If you’re considering training, my team and I would be glad to talk through your options and find the approach that works best for you. Our goal is simple: to help you compete with confidence and increase your tender success rate.
