Ultimate Guide to Winning Grounds Maintenance Tenders

Ultimate Guide to Winning Grounds Maintenance Tenders

One of the most common contracted services for grounds maintenance is lawn care, which can include mowing, edging, aeration, and applying fertiliser and pesticides. Other standard contracted services include snow removal, leaf removal, and landscaping. Contracts are put out for tender by housing associations, local authorities, universities, colleges and hospitals. This offers a steady flow of bid chances and, along with them, considerable opportunities to expand a grounds care company. This, however, also implies that there is a fierce rivalry.

Aligning your expertise and skill to the tender criteria is, therefore, one of the key hurdles. It is far preferable to establish your company qualifications and building up case studies of experience to guarantee you can compete with those larger organisations, rather than wasting time and money on contracts that your company would have no opportunity to win yet. As a result, you should read a lot of grounds maintenance tender criteria to locate one that applies to your company and is in line with your degree of expertise and skills.

You'll get a lot greater return on your tendering expenditure if you make sure you have a reliable system in place to filter through the facts and make an educated decision to tender (the bid/no bid process). This means that you can't just pick any old tender and expect to win it - you need to ensure that you're only applying for tenders that you have a good chance of winning. This can be a lot of work, but it's worth it in the long run.

Ground Maintenance Frameworks

Depending on your sector, there are a few key Ground Maintenance frameworks that make you visible to a range of buyers.

Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC)

The CPC is a national cooperative purchasing programme that provides members with access to competitively awarded contracts for the purchase of Grounds Maintenance and related products and services. The CPC is committed to providing its members with access to the most competitively priced products and services available in the Grounds Maintenance marketplace.

The CPC contracts are awarded on a national basis and available nationwide, allowing members to purchase from any of the approved suppliers. All CPC contracts are awarded by a competitive RFP process and are periodically reviewed to ensure that the terms and conditions remain fair and reasonable for the members. Check out the CPC blog and get all the information.

The CPC contracts are awarded for a variety of Grounds Maintenance services and products, including:

• Landscape design and installation
• Lawn maintenance services
• Tree trimming and removal
• Grounds maintenance equipment and supplies
• Irrigation services and equipment
• Snow and ice removal services

Fusion 21

Fusion 21 is a software platform designed for ground maintenance professionals. The platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools and features for managing, tracking, and reporting on ground maintenance activities. It includes tools for scheduling and tracking work orders, tracking supplies and inventory, creating invoices and estimates, and generating reports. It also includes features for tracking and understanding customer preferences, recording customer feedback, and managing customer relationships. Additionally, the platform provides a secure online portal for customers to access their account information, view work orders, and submit feedback.

Click here and get all the information directly from Fusion21.

ESPO

ESPO (Efficient Supply & Procurement Organisation) is a public sector organisation that provides a range of procurement services to its customers. Ground maintenance is one of the services that ESPO offers. This includes a range of services, such as:

ESPO also offers training courses and advice for customers on how to carry out their own ground maintenance. This includes guidance on best practice, health and safety, and the use of appropriate equipment. Check out the ESPO blog to get all the needed information.

YPO

YPO for ground maintenance framework is a procurement framework created by Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation that provides public sector organisations with access to a range of ground maintenance services. The framework covers a range of services, including grass cutting, weed control, landscaping, shrub and tree care, hard surface maintenance, and play area inspections. The framework is designed to help organisations save time and money when procuring ground maintenance services. Click here for the information.

It may be challenging to find Ground Maintenance frameworks and tenders, but Thornton & Lowe provides software that is totally free to use for monitoring tenders, setting up email notifications for tenders, keeping a watch on your competitors, and preparing bids.

Why Take our Grounds Maintenance Bid Writing Advice?

Expert Bid Writing for Grounds Maintenance Tenders

Thornton & Lowe has been successful on all the frameworks noted above for grounds maintenance services. Providing our clients bid writing services to secure long-term and consistent contracts in grounds maintenance.

Why not take a look at our Facilities Management page for more top tips when bidding for grounds maintenance contracts or see our case study to demonstrate what we have achieved for one of our grounds maintenance clients.

Like with bid writing, evidence is essential! Please read the case study to demonstrate what we have achieved for one of our grounds maintenance clients.

As well as our bid writing for various grounds maintenance clients, we also have a specialist procurement and contract management division working with housing associations to purchase estate services. We understand grounds maintenance from both sides of the fence. It is the only service we can also guide on pricing for grounds maintenance tenders.

How to Create a Successful Grounds Maintenance Bid

Here are some recommendations to help you succeed in bidding for grounds maintenance contracts.

1. Ensure that you are listed as a supplier with the relevant buying authority. You can identify suitable opportunities by logging into our Tender Pipeline and creating tender alerts based on your search criteria.

2. Include all required compliance information when submitting a bid for a contract, such as your company's tax ID number, proof of insurance, and other pertinent documents.

3. Maintain a competitive grounds maintenance pricing strategy. Be careful to charge a reasonable price for your services because the government is constantly seeking for the best value for its money.

4. Present examples of your grounds maintenance experience and knowledge. In your proposal, be sure to draw attention to any pertinent experience you may have and provide evidence.

5. Make a thorough and expert proposal. Your proposal needs to be well drafted and contain all the details the buyer demands.

Grounds Maintenance Pricing

In addition to providing expert bid writing services for grounds maintenance and landscaping tenders, Thornton & Lowe also offers tender pricing services for grounds maintenance contractors. This service is made possible by our commercial team's extensive background and procurement focus working with public sector buyers specifically within the grounds maintenance market. It is a service we only offer to grounds maintenance contractors.

Our Quantity Surveyor (QS) has not only won both national and local contracts, but also brings an impressive 20 years of experience in pricing grounds maintenance tenders. This expertise allows our QS to either review your pricing strategy or complete the pricing section of the tender on your behalf, giving you the opportunity to review and amend based on your specific business needs.

By using our understanding of the grounds maintenance industry and our team's procurement insights, GM contractors can ensure their tenders are competitively priced while still maintaining profitability. This tailored approach to tender pricing sets Thornton & Lowe apart as a valuable partner for grounds maintenance businesses seeking to secure contracts in the public sector.

Top Bid Writing Tips for Grounds Maintenance Tenders

To win a grounds maintenance tender, it is essential to understand the scope of the project and the customer's expectations. Bidders should consider the following elements when preparing a winning bid.

Read the whole set of tender documents

Bid Writers are responsible for creating papers to pitch for contracts, offer services, or seek project financing. For any firm participating in official tenders or contract possibilities, we regard bid writing as a crucial component of the marketing and sales role. Making proposals to official tender opportunities is involved.

This may be a part of a broader bid team that includes bid assistance, professional bid writers, bid management, project-winning executives, capture managers, and bid directors for some organisations. The Senior Management Team or a regional sales team is responsible for creating bids and managing the bid process for other companies, though. The bid writing job is a challenging task. It is a big responsibility and requires a professional team to do the job correctly. Even though there may be a large number of documents, you must know precisely what the customer is seeking and whether you can satisfy all of their needs.

Research the customer

Research the customer to understand their expectations, preferences, and requirements. Take the time to learn about their needs, budget, and timelines. Doing this will help you create a proposal that meets their specific needs.

Be compliant and offer added value where you can

Develop a comprehensive and detailed bid proposal that outlines the scope of the project, the services that you will provide, and the cost of the project. Be sure to include any additional details that the customer may need. For example, show the customer how you'll save them money by achieving exceptional quantity efficiencies. How much money will they save if they give you the entire contract? Can you provide any rewards with extra value? Similarly, how can you provide a greater quality than a more effective grounds maintenance service that can meet all needs if you compete for a single lot?

Demonstrate experience

Highlight your experience in the grounds maintenance field. Showcase any past projects that you have completed that demonstrate your expertise and capabilities. Showing the customer that you have the necessary skills and resources to complete the project is essential to winning the bid.

Cover environmental awareness and social value

Considering the nature of grounds maintenance, you will be required to prove that you are dedicated to a high-quality approach, have a strong understanding of environmental issues, and have stringent waste disposal protocols. Examples of this would include:

• Recycling green waste
• Disposing of waste in line with DEFRA and the Environment Agency guidelines
• Using environmentally friendly consumables and working methods
• Providing appropriate environmental training to your teams

You'll require effective environmental processes, guidelines and accreditations such as ISO 14001. Can you back up your promises with evidence? For example, consider calculating your carbon emissions and setting clear and achievable targets for reduction in CO2.

When offering social value pledges, ensure they are relevant to the work you are providing and linked with the buyer’s own social value strategy and hot buttons. Doing research into this will help you to deliver a strong social value proposal.

Respond to any questions

Be sure to respond promptly to any questions or concerns the customer may have. Make sure you understand the question and what is being asked of you before beginning to draft your answer. The question should be properly read several times. Underline key phrases in the questions. Create a logical order outline for your explanation that addresses every part of the topic before you begin writing. This will help to demonstrate your commitment and professionalism.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of winning the grounds maintenance tender. Remember to be thorough, organised, and professional in your approach. To ensure you’ve created a high-quality bid, proofread and review the drafts. It can help to have someone removed from the bid process review this as well for you to confirm everything is accurate and makes sense.

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