Support for your first public-sector tender
For your first public-sector tender, first establish that you can enter the procurement and deliver the contract. Obtain the complete documents, separate mandatory requirements from scored questions, and understand what evidence and approvals are needed. Registration and finding a suitable notice are only preparatory steps. Build a realistic response plan before committing to draft, and arrange support around the parts your business has not handled 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.
- Submission creates an offer that needs authorised commercial approval.
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 an application for membership or a call-off restricted to existing suppliers.
Follow the official notice to the procurement documents and check the entry requirements. If you cannot establish an available route for your organisation, resolve that 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. Its supplier registration provides core organisation information and 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. Record the separate enquiry and submission deadlines, 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. Relevant delivery for private customers may be useful if the requirements allow it. State your role and the comparable scope rather than relying on a familiar customer logo.
Check staffing, mobilisation, payment terms, liabilities and the resources funded by the price. Ask a suitable commercial or legal adviser to review 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 requested points and map each point to the answer plan. Gather the missing facts, draft within the limit and ask a colleague to assess it using the published criteria. This small exercise reveals gaps in your evidence and understanding of the format.
An illustrative mobilisation answer might show dates, responsible roles, dependencies and checks before service starts. Avoid filling the response with company history when the buyer asks how this particular contract will begin.
Prepare and verify the submission
Build in review time for the whole response and obtain approval of facts, price and commitments. Check attachments, file names, portal fields and any converted previews against the instructions.
After the authorised final submission action, save the receipt and exact submitted files. Bidgen can help a first-time bidder organise the pack, evidence, writing and review; your organisation remains responsible for approving the final offer and deciding to submit it.
Common questions
01Does registering on Find a Tender submit a bid?
No. Registration supports supplier information and access to platform functions. Follow the individual procurement’s instructions for the tender portal, required responses and final submission action.
02Do we need public-sector experience to apply?
The specific conditions and evidence requirements decide this. Check whether comparable private-sector work, staff experience or permitted reliance on another organisation can demonstrate what is required. Do not assume either eligibility or exclusion.
03What should we send a bid-support provider?
The official notice, complete pack, current clarifications and deadline, plus a description of your delivery model, relevant examples and known gaps. Explain which commercial decisions have already been made.
04What happens after we submit?
Keep the submitted version and monitor the stated communications route for clarifications, further assessment or the result. Follow the procurement’s instructions and preserve any responses and approvals.