Winning your first public sector tender can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re a small business owner, startup, or freelancer, the public sector offers a huge opportunity for growth. This guide breaks down the process into simple steps to help you get started with confidence.
What Is a Public Sector Tender?
A public sector tender is when a government department, NHS trust, council, or similar organisation invites businesses to bid for work or services. This could be anything from cleaning a building to providing software or consultancy.
Why Bid for Public Sector Contracts?
Reliable clients: Government bodies pay on time.
Long-term contracts: Many tenders last for 1–4 years.
Reputation boost: Winning a public contract builds credibility.
Our Simple 6-Step Process to Win Your First Tender
Step 1: Get Ready to Bid
Before you start bidding:
Register on key portals, such as Contracts Finder (England) or Find a Tender.
Prepare key documents:
Company insurance
Financial statements (or accounts)
Case studies or examples of past work
Policies (e.g. Health & Safety, Equality, Data Protection)
✅ Tip: If you’re a new business, use personal experience or voluntary work to show capability.
Step 2: Find the Right Opportunity
Look for tenders that:
Match your skills and capacity
Are the right size for your business
Are not too complex for your first attempt
Read the tender documents carefully and make sure you can meet all the requirements.
✅ Tip: A good rule of thumb is the 33% rule, eg you can bid on tenders with an annual contract value worth up to 33% of your last years (or projected) annual turnover. Anything larger and it’s likely you’ll fail their financial checks.
Step 3: Decide to Bid (or Not)
Ask yourself:
Do I have time to write a quality bid?
Can I meet every requirement?
Is the work profitable and worthwhile?
✅ Tip: Don’t bid just to practice—only bid when you can deliver the contract well.
Step 4: Write the Bid
This is your chance to show you understand the buyer’s needs and can deliver.
Focus on:
Answering the questions directly
Providing evidence (examples, stats, case studies)
Demonstrating value (not just price)
Use plain, clear language and avoid jargon. Always follow the structure and word count provided.
✅ Tip: Use graphics / charts to back up and evidence what you’ve written about. But be careful not to use them to replace word count.
Step 5: Review and Submit
Check everything:
Have you answered all questions?
Are all required documents attached?
Is the formatting correct?
✅ Tip: Submit at least a day early to avoid last-minute issues with the portal.
Step 6: Learn and Improve
If you win—great! If not, ask for feedback. This is incredibly valuable for improving future bids.
Final Tips for First-Time Bidders
Start small: Go for local or low-value tenders first.
Team up: You can partner with another business to combine strengths.
Get help: Services like bid writing consultants or Virtual Bid Team can support you.
Remember: Every bid gets easier. The more you do, the better you become. If you’re still struggling to win work it might be worth speaking to one of our team about getting one of your bids professionally reviewed to find out where you went wrong and what you can improve for next time.
If you’re having to constantly Google all the bid jargon then you’re in luck, we’ve created a handy bid glossary which explains it all.
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