Winning public sector tenders is simpler than you think with Tracker. In this guide, we explore how to find & how to win public tenders.
Public sector tenders have long been a route to business growth, especially for large organisations. However, thanks to recent regulatory measures introduced to encourage fair and healthy competition across the supplier base, there are growing opportunities for SMEs to win public sector tenders too.
Tracker is a leader in public sector procurement, reporting on market developments and providing rich resources in a single knowledge hub to help organisations of all sizes win business with government. With our guidance and insight, your business can increase its chances of public sector tendering success.
Read our tutorial below on how to win government tenders and start your journey towards winning tenders today!
What are Public Sector Tenders?
You probably have some understanding of the public sector tendering process; but knowing what public sector tenders are and winning public sector tenders are two vastly different propositions.
Public procurement is the acquisition by public sector organisations & authorities of goods, works, or services through a public contract or tender. An example of this could be the provision of office furniture for a government building.
It is helpful to build your knowledge of the public sector procurement process before you start to find public sector tenders or think about writing a bid proposal.
The Public Sector Tender Process
The public authority that needs goods, works or services will publish a contract notice and invite organisations to bid for it. This is crucial to public procurement because it ensures open and fair competition for public contracts and efficient spending of public money.
The tendering process can take several forms, depending which award procedure the buyer chooses to use and the value of the contract. The most commonly used procedures are outlined below.
If an organisation wants to win contracts to provide the required goods, works, or services, it must first bid for the tender before it can win the contract.
We’ve compiled some helpful tips to highlight what this involves and how bidders can increase their chances of submitting a winning bid for government contracts:
How to Find Public Sector Tender Opportunities
Winning public sector tenders relies heavily on finding relevant new opportunities that are suitable for your business’s capabilities and interests.
This research process becomes much more straightforward with Tracker’s numerous business intelligence tools:
Tracker Tender Alerts delivers up-to-date, tailored information based on your unique supplier profile.
Tracker’s searchable tender database and analytical tools enable early engagement with public authorities publishing tenders in your industry or sector, as well as evaluation of your competitors’ strengths and strategies, among other effective actions.
These tendering tools give subscriber organisations a huge advantage in the race to win public sector contracts because they offer visibility of upcoming public sector tenders. This allows for stronger bid preparation, which increases your chances of tendering success.
How to Write a Winning Tender Response
If you have found a tender that you wish to bid for, your organisation will need to write what is known as a ‘tender response’.
Writing a tender response for public sector projects can be a complex and lengthy procedure, taking up valuable time and resources. However, with Tracker’s guidance, there is no need to feel daunted by the challenge.
A good starting point when writing your tender response is to understand the 5 commonly used tender procedures which suppliers might need to follow in the bidding process.
1. Restricted Procedure
This route allows the awarding authority to restrict, through a pre-selection or qualification process, the number of organisations invited to submit a tender.
The pre-selection stage assesses the suitability and capability of a firm seeking to bid by way of a questionnaire called a Selection Questionnaire (SQ), previously known as a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ).
The buyer selects a shortlist of suppliers based on responses to the questionnaire. These suppliers receive the Invitation to Tender (ITT) and submit a full tender.
2. Open Procedure
This is a one-stage process that is open to any business wishing to submit a tender. The regulations require this process to be used for all tenders for government contracts below the Find a Tender services threshold.
There is no pre-qualification stage in this application process — questionnaires and tenders are issued and submitted as one package.
3. Competitive Dialogue
This procedure has been specifically designed for larger and more complex procurement projects. It seeks to bring on board industry experts to work with the client during the tender process to arrive at a solution that meets the tender criteria and buyer’s requirements.
It is designed to be flexible, but it can also be an expensive and lengthy procurement route that should not be embarked upon lightly by anyone new to public procurement.
4. Competitive with Negotiation
This procedure offers a more structured process than Competitive Dialogue.
The Competitive Procedure with Negotiation requires a clear specification of deliverables and a firm tender submission at the end of the negotiation process, which then becomes a contractual commitment.
5. Innovation Partnership
This is a fairly new process specifically aimed at Research & Development work and is likely to appeal to small businesses which often hold the cards in innovation and development.
The idea is to encourage innovative suppliers to work with the client to develop solutions not currently available in the market.
The procurement procedures above are the principal means of tendering in the public sector today, so learning how they work will greatly increase your chances of composing a winning tender response for public sector projects.
How to Win Public Sector Contracts
There are many tips you can take on board to improve your chances of winning government tenders. Here are some of the most fundamental ones:
The most essential is to understand the tender documents released by the public authority, identifying the key objectives of the tender and documenting how you will achieve these for the authority in your tender response.
Give clear evidence of cases where you have achieved similar benefits in the past to show your organisation is credible and up to the task.
Make sure you have researched the suppliers the contracting authority has worked with in the past and specify what positively sets you apart.
Above all else, ensure you submit your tender response before the deadline. Once the deadline has passed, your bid will be automatically disqualified and your hard work on your bid submission will all have been for nothing.
For more information on how to write and win public sector tenders, read the ‘Ultimate Guide to Procurement‘ published by our parent company, BiP Solutions. Also check Tracker’s Resources page for the latest procurement news & advice.
Find, Bid For & Win More Public Sector Contracts with Tracker
Tracker helps you:
Keep all of your tender documentation, on-going bids, and tender responses in one easy-to-use platform
Access new tender opportunities by sending the latest contract notices straight to your inbox every day
Gain access to valuable market intelligence, spend data, and more
With us as your procurement intelligence partner, you can gain a better understanding of what public sector buyers are looking for and improve your chances of tender success.
Now that you know how to win public tenders, get the industry leading tender tools that can help you find relevant high value tenders for your business.
Sign up for a free 3-day Tracker trial or request a free personalised demo today.
