Local government spends over £45 billion on common goods and services each year. With a strong focus on making the process more accessible for SMEs, there has never been a better time to be bidding for local authority and central government tenders.
What kind of products and services does local government buy?
Local government is responsible for purchasing across a huge variety of areas, including Education, Recycling, Roads, Transportation, Housing, Environmental and Healthcare. As such, they purchase everything from toiletries to transportation services.
Charles Grosstephan, Bid Training & Consultancy Manager, who recently met with the Crown Commercial Service to discuss the tendering process said, “The Government’s drive to engage with SMEs provides an incredible amount of growth opportunity for businesses. Whatever your product or service, there is a real and achievable opportunity for companies, regardless of size.”
So, what advice can we give to help you to successfully bid for local government tenders?
- Identify suitable opportunities – finding the right opportunities for your organisation is crucial. Tenders valued above £10,000 are listed on Contracts Finder
- Develop a robust bid/no bid process – it’s easy to see a bid and think “let’s go for it”. The most common reason for lack of success is poor choice of tender opportunity. Be patient and wait for the tender opportunity that is right for your business
- Get tender ready - develop a suite of tender ready documents and common information, this is often known as a tender library. This includes policies, accreditations, CVs and documented processes
- Don’t give up - you may not win your first bid but dedicating the time to bidding for more contracts and getting to know buyers, will set you on the path to success
- Improve your understanding of the bidding process with bid/tender training – To help you with this, Thornton & Lowe have developed an Introduction to Bidding training workshop to improve your understanding of the procurement process
How can Thornton & Lowe help you to begin successfully bidding for local government tenders?
Thornton & Lowe have developed an Introduction to Bidding training workshop to help navigate any challenges you face. Whether you have no bidding experience, or are looking to take a fresh perspective and improve upon previous success rates, this workshop, delivered in a straight talking and interactive way, can help your business to succeed in bidding.
For bidding support, advice and further information on Thornton & Lowe’s training workshops, contact Charles Grosstephan, Bid Training & Consultancy Manager, on 01204 238 046 or email the team at training@thorntonandlowe.com/.
