Support for your first public-sector tender
For your first public-sector tender, start by checking that you are able to bid and can deliver the contract. Get the complete documents, separate mandatory requirements from scored questions, and work out what evidence and approvals you need. Registering and finding a notice are only the preparation. Make a realistic plan before anyone starts drafting, and get help with the parts your business has not done before.
Before you start
Who this helps
- A supplier considering its first public-sector response
- A business moving from private-sector proposals into formal procurement
- A small team unfamiliar with tender portals and evaluation instructions
Points to check
- The notice may describe planning, an award or a restricted route rather than an open bid.
- The portal may contain requirements outside the downloaded documents.
- Submitting a bid makes a formal offer, so it needs commercial approval from someone with authority.
Confirm what the opportunity allows you to do
Read the notice type, procedure, buyer, lot and current deadline. A pipeline or engagement notice helps with planning; an award notice describes a procurement that has reached an award stage. A framework opportunity may be a chance to join the framework or a call-off open only to existing suppliers.
Follow the official notice to the procurement documents and check the entry requirements. If you cannot find a route for your organisation to bid, sort that out before starting a full response.
Set up the required accounts early
Find a Tender is the central digital platform for procurements under the Procurement Act. Registering there records your core organisation information and gives you an identifier, but the buyer may use another portal for questions, documents and submission.
Follow the buyer’s instructions for accounts, permissions and sharing supplier information. Check who in your business can access the response. Note the enquiry deadline as well as the submission deadline, and test the portal before the final day.
Read the pack as a set of instructions
Collect the specification, response schedules, evaluation method, pricing documents, proposed contract, declarations and clarifications. List every required answer or upload. Separate pass/fail requirements, participation information and scored responses.
Procurement regimes differ. The Procurement Act applies to relevant new procurements from 24 February 2025, while earlier procurements continue under transitional arrangements; devolved Scottish procurement has its own rules. Use the documents for this opportunity and obtain advice where the applicable requirement is unclear.
Check the evidence and the offer together
For each important question, identify the method you propose and the evidence that supports it. Work for private customers may count if the requirements allow it. Say what your role was and how the scope compares, rather than relying on a well-known customer name.
Check staffing, mobilisation, payment terms, liabilities and what the price actually pays for. Ask a commercial or legal adviser to review any terms your team cannot assess. A persuasive response is not a reason to accept a contract the business cannot deliver.
Work through one answer before drafting everything
Take a scored question, break it into the points it asks for and map each point to the answer plan. Gather the missing facts, draft within the limit and ask a colleague to mark it against the published criteria. This small exercise shows where your evidence is thin and what you have not yet understood about the format.
For example, a mobilisation answer might show dates, who is responsible, dependencies and the checks made before the service starts. Do not fill it with company history when the buyer has asked how this particular contract will begin.
Prepare and verify the submission
Build in review time for the whole response and get the facts, price and commitments approved. Check attachments, file names, portal fields and any converted previews against the instructions.
Once the authorised person has submitted, save the receipt and the exact files you sent. Bidgen can help a first-time bidder work through the pack, gather evidence, and write and review the response. Your organisation still approves the final offer and decides whether to submit it.
Common questions
01Does registering on Find a Tender submit a bid?
No. Registration sets up your supplier information and gives you access to the platform. Follow each procurement’s own instructions for the tender portal, the responses required and the final submission.
02Do we need public-sector experience to apply?
It depends on the conditions and evidence each tender asks for. Check whether comparable private-sector work, your staff’s experience or, where permitted, another organisation’s capability can show what is required. Do not assume you are either eligible or excluded.
03What should we send a bid-support provider?
The official notice, complete pack, current clarifications and deadline, plus a description of how you would deliver the contract, the examples you would use and any known gaps. Explain which commercial decisions have already been made.
04What happens after we submit?
Keep the submitted version and watch the buyer’s stated communication channel for clarification questions, further assessment stages or the result. Follow the procurement’s instructions and keep a record of any replies and approvals.