So you know you are ready to start bidding for work, but how do you go about finding and choosing the right ones for your business?
Step one of my four part bid writing framework is all about how to find the right targets for you…. These are the ones that are in your sweet spot. They are contracts that you can deliver well, at the right margin.
I always start with this step because without it you can waste a lot of time chasing work that isn’t right for you and your business. Before you can start bid writing, it’s important to get this step right. It will save you time and money, and will play an important part in increasing your win rate!
In this blog I will focus on where can you find bids and tenders for your business ??
Portals
So the good news is they are out there, the bad news is that they take time and a bit of hunting to find them. Where they are advertised depends on their value.
Usually they are advertised online, on websites called portals. These act a bit like reverse eBay. The buyer advertises what they want to buy and sets a deadline. All questions from suppliers are managed on there and anyone that wants to submit a tender must submit it before the deadline.
Some great sites you can start looking on today are here:
- Contracts Finder
- Find a Tender (for higher value contracts)
- Sell2Wales
- Public Contracts Scotland
The above sites are free, government search functions. They include a link to the specific portal where the tender is being advertised. You will need to register on each portal for the first time you use it which can be a pain. However, be warned, the sites are almost all completely clunky to use!
Your local council website
If your business is based in a certain area you can target certain councils. Simply pick a council you might like to work with and use their website to find the tender portal they use. This will usually be shown on their website under “procurement” or “how to do business with us”. Once you have found it, you can register on their portal as a supplier and sign up to receive alerts directly from them which can be handy!
For example, here’s the page for my local council which happens to be West Sussex County Council (WSCC) which shows the link to their portal:
T
OP TIP – It’s a good idea to get used to using portals regularly, scanning for opportunities suitable for you. You can even set them to email you alerts when opportunities matching your sweet spot are advertised!
Did you know I offer this as a service? I do the searching, so you can focus on the day job
Contract registers
Next up, did you know that public sector buyers publish details of their current contracts, the value of them and the current suppliers for anyone to read?
This means you can use contract registers to find the current contracts they have awarded for the services you offer. It also shows who your competitor is and when the contract will end. This will usually give a good indication of when a new opportunity to replace the current contract will be advertised.
Helpful, huh??
This information will give you a good idea of the value and timeline of potential contracts you could bid for. For example, here’s the page to my local councils contract register so you can see what one looks like:
TOP TIP – You can use this information to research the competitor or even contact the buyer to see what their plans are for any new contract. This is a great way to get your business and name in front of the people who matter, but remember to do this before a tender goes live as once that happens a buyer won’t be able to provide any information outside of what has been published or is asked on the portal!
Other ways of buying
Councils also use frameworks that are managed by other organisations to buy certain goods and services. This saves them from running their own bid process, as long as what they are buying is fairly straightforward. Take a look through the websites below to see if opportunities bought this way might be suitable for you.
Direct Awards
Lastly for how to find the right targets, it’s useful to know that sometimes they won’t advertised at all….
There are various thresholds in place that in some instances mean that buyers may be able choose a supplier by simply getting 3 quotes. It’s important to understand what their thresholds are as it is often different for each organisation.
Again, taking WSCC as an example, they can spend up to £100,000 by getting three quotes rather than running a formal tender. Here’s a link to how that is advertised and what you can be looking for.
How we buy goods and services – West Sussex County Council
Quite often, contracts for small business can fall under this value and so if you don’t get your name in front of the right people you might not even get a chance to quote. This is your time to shine so start by contacting the buyers to introduce your business and services, or attend industry specific events/conferences/trade shows to network with potential clients with the aim of being asked to provide one of those three quotes in future! Sometimes smaller value contracts are awarded through connections and relationships.
As always, any questions please ask Contact George Ivy for a free introductory call (george-ivy.co.uk)
