What does bid writing cost in the UK?

Start with the work remaining

Provide the complete pack, current clarifications and any draft. Count the required outputs, but also explain their complexity: response limits, technical inputs, schedules, attachments and portal questions. Identify what is already approved and what still needs to be developed.

Ten questions supported by current evidence can be less work than three questions requiring an unagreed delivery model and interviews across several sites. The deadline also affects whether the provider can assemble an appropriate team and review the work properly.

What the available price evidence shows

From the agency quotes and buying conversations we see, traditional bid-writing support ranges from £4,500 to £20,000 for one tender, with complex, high-value tenders reaching the upper end. Independent writers, managed teams and traditional agencies often include different levels of planning, interviews, writing, review and submission support, so a day rate or headline fee is not comparable until the written scope is aligned.

Understand how the fee is structured

A fixed fee can make a defined assignment easier to budget. Check the scope assumptions and what triggers a change. A day rate can suit work that is difficult to specify initially, but it needs an estimate, agreed priorities and a spending limit or review point.

An ongoing fee may reserve capacity and include work between tenders. Ask exactly what is included and how overlapping deadlines are handled. None of these models establishes value on its own; each needs a clear description of the work and terms.

Compare proposals using one scope

Put the proposals against the same list of deliverables and responsibilities. Ask providers to identify any assumptions they have made about your inputs. Record whether the fee includes the whole response or only the quality narrative.

An illustrative comparison might show one quote covering answer plans, interviews, drafting and one revision, while another includes independent review and portal preparation as well. Obtain the missing costs before comparing totals.

• •Pack review, planning and evidence interviews
• •Drafting, graphics, attachments and formatting
• •Review, revision rounds and final checks
• •Meetings, portal preparation and submission support
• •VAT, expenses and any separately charged specialist work

Include the time your business will contribute

Establish how many people need to be interviewed, what they must prepare and when approvals are due. A provider may need you to supply source records; another may help organise them. Either way, your business must approve operational facts, commercial decisions and the final offer.

Use a simple budget: external fees plus estimated client hours at an internal cost rate, plus any separately required technical or legal advice. Keep those estimates visible so you can compare them with the actual assignment later.

Agree how scope changes are authorised

Ask what happens if the buyer adds questions, changes the specification or moves the deadline. Confirm the treatment of additional review rounds, delayed client evidence, a withdrawal and urgent work outside the agreed schedule.

Require a clear estimate and approval before additional chargeable work starts. For a day-rate assignment, agree regular progress and spend reporting. For continuing support, specify the route for accepting work above the reserved capacity.

Use the buying decision to test the bid decision

The support fee is part of the cost of pursuing the opportunity. Consider the internal effort, likelihood that the business can offer a competitive response, delivery margin and other opportunities the team would have to defer.

Bidgen’s current pricing page explains its service options, but a live tender needs an agreed scope. Send the pack, deadline and current state of the response to obtain a proposal that can be compared and approved on its own terms.

Customer outcomes

80% of our customers win at least one award within three months of starting with Bidgen, and 90% do so within six months. These figures cover our clients as a whole and measure the share who win at least one award after starting with Bidgen. Our case studies describe the work, scores and award outcomes behind these results.

Fixed fee or day rate?

A fixed fee suits a defined response and agreed deliverables. Check the questions, interviews, review rounds, attachments and submission support included, and which changes would need a new quote. Additional lots, new buyer schedules or evidence that still needs developing can change the work.

A day rate can suit an uncertain or changing assignment. Agree the working day, deliverables, expenses, a spending cap and who can approve more time. For either model, confirm what happens if the buyer extends or cancels the procurement. A short, bounded scoping review can establish the remaining work before a delivery fee is agreed.