How to write a tender: a step-by-step guide for trades firms

Last reviewed 19 October 2026. General guidance, not legal advice.

Writing a tender is mostly organisation, not writing. Small trades firms that win public contracts usually do the same things every time: they choose their bids carefully, read every document, tick off the pass or fail requirements early, price from real numbers, and submit a day before the deadline. This guide walks through that process from the moment you spot a contract to the moment the result arrives.

Key points

• Decide whether to bid before you spend any time writing. A quick "no" is often the most profitable decision.
• Read the whole tender pack and build a checklist of everything you must submit.
• Deal with the pass or fail requirements first, because failing one usually ends the bid however good your answers are.
• Price from a site visit, the specification and your real costs, not from the current contract value.
• Submit through the buyer's portal well before the deadline, and ask for feedback whatever the result.

Step 1: Decide whether to bid

Before you download anything, check the notice for location, contract size, requirements, deadline and contract type. Our guide to finding public sector contracts sets out a five-minute check for this.

If the notice passes, ask three more questions before committing:

1. Can we meet every mandatory requirement by the deadline? If the tender asks for an accreditation you do not hold and cannot get in time, stop.
2. Do we have the people to deliver it? Winning a contract you cannot staff is worse than losing it.
3. Can we write a good bid in the time left? A rushed bid against a well-prepared incumbent rarely wins.

Keep a short record of why you bid or did not. Over a few months it shows you which buyers and contract types suit your firm.

Step 2: Read the whole tender pack

Download every document and read them all before writing a word. A typical pack for a maintenance, cleaning or grounds contract includes:

• instructions to bidders (sometimes called the invitation to tender), with the timetable, how to submit and how bids will be evaluated;
• the specification, describing the sites, services, frequencies and standards;
• a pricing schedule, often a spreadsheet you must complete exactly as laid out;
• the quality questions, with word limits and weightings;
• the draft contract terms, including service levels and payment terms;
• TUPE information, if staff may transfer to you (see our guide to TUPE in cleaning and FM contracts);
• declarations and forms to sign.

As you read, build a checklist with three columns: what must be submitted, the format required, and who in your firm is responsible. Put the key dates in your diary straight away: the site visit (if offered), the clarification deadline and the submission deadline.

Check which procedure the buyer is using. Under the Procurement Act 2023, above-threshold contracts are tendered through an open procedure (a single stage where anyone can bid) or a competitive flexible procedure, which the buyer designs and which may include shortlisting, negotiation or presentations. The tender notice and documents explain the stages.

Step 3: Register and get your details ready

You will usually need two registrations:

• The buyer's e-tendering portal. The notice tells you which one. Registration is usually free but can take time to approve.
• The Central Digital Platform (Find a Tender), for contracts run under the Procurement Act 2023 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For above-threshold competitions, buyers must confirm before the tender deadline that you have registered, submitted your core supplier information and shared it with them. Our guide to Central Digital Platform registration explains how.

Scottish public bodies mostly follow their own rules and use Public Contracts Scotland, so check the notice.

Step 4: Clear the pass or fail requirements first

Every tender has requirements that are scored pass or fail. Under the Procurement Act 2023 these are called conditions of participation, and they can relate only to your legal and financial capacity or your technical ability. Typical examples for trades firms:

• minimum insurance levels;
• financial standing, such as turnover or accounts;
• relevant experience, often shown through a number of similar contracts;
• accreditations or qualifications, such as an SSIP health and safety scheme or a trade registration (see accreditations by trade);
• declarations about exclusion grounds.

Two rules in the Act help small firms here. According to the Cabinet Office guidance on conditions of participation, buyers cannot require audited accounts from a supplier that is not already required to have them audited, and must accept other financial evidence instead. Buyers also cannot require insurance that relates to the contract to be in place before award, although they can ask for evidence that you will have it from the start of the contract. Insurance you are already legally required to hold, such as employer's liability, can still be required.

Where a condition asks for a particular qualification, the buyer must also accept equivalents. If you hold something equivalent, say so clearly and explain why it is equivalent.

On most smaller (below-threshold) contracts in England, buyers cannot run a separate shortlisting stage, but they can still check these things when they assess tenders. See what replaced the PQQ for more.

Step 5: Ask clarification questions early

If anything is unclear, ask through the portal before the clarification deadline. Good questions for trades contracts include site lists and access hours, current service levels, asset lists for maintenance contracts, how a question will be scored, and any missing TUPE information. Answers are usually shared with all bidders, so write questions neutrally and do not give away your approach.

Read the clarification log regularly. Buyers sometimes change a deadline, a document or a requirement through it.

Step 6: Price it properly

Price can carry a large share of the score, and a contract priced too low will cost you money for years. Build your price from the bottom up:

• Labour: hours per site from the specification, your real hourly cost including holiday, employer's National Insurance and pension contributions, and cover for sickness. If staff will transfer under TUPE, price their actual terms.
• Materials, equipment and vehicles, including replacement during the contract.
• Travel time between sites, which is easy to underestimate on multi-site contracts.
• Management and supervision, including the reporting the contract asks for.
• Mobilisation costs in the first weeks, such as uniforms, training, vetting and setting up systems.
• Overheads and a margin you can live with.

Check how long the contract runs and whether prices can be reviewed. If not, allow for cost increases you know are coming, such as changes to statutory minimum wage rates.

Fill in the pricing schedule exactly as instructed. Do not add caveats or alternative prices unless the instructions allow them. Under the Procurement Act 2023, a buyer may disregard a tender it considers abnormally low, but only after telling you and giving you a reasonable chance to show you can deliver at that price. Keep your workings so you can answer that question if it comes.

Step 7: Write the quality and social value answers

Quality answers are where small firms can beat larger competitors, because specific, local, practical answers score well. Take each question apart, answer every part in the buyer's order, and back each claim with evidence. Our guide to writing quality answers that score well covers the method in detail.

Many tenders also score social value. Make commitments that are relevant to the contract, measurable and within your control. See social value in public contracts.

Step 8: Review, sign off and submit

Before submitting, check the bid against your checklist from Step 2, not against memory:

• every question answered and every word limit respected;
• every required document attached, in the right format and signed where needed;
• the pricing schedule complete, with no formula errors;
• declarations accurate and approved by someone with authority to sign;
• your Central Digital Platform information up to date and shared, if required.

Submit through the portal, never by email unless the instructions say so. Aim to submit at least a day early: portals can be slow near the deadline, and a late bid is normally rejected. Save the confirmation of receipt.

After you submit

For above-threshold contracts under the Procurement Act 2023, the buyer must give each bidder whose tender was assessed an assessment summary before publishing a contract award notice. This explains how your tender was scored and, where different, how the winning tender was scored. A standstill period of eight working days then usually follows before the contract is signed, although it does not apply to every type of contract, such as call-offs from frameworks.

Read your assessment summary carefully, whatever the result. Note where you lost marks and update your standard answers, case studies and pricing assumptions for the next bid. On smaller contracts there is no legal right to an assessment summary, but it is still worth asking the buyer for feedback.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to write a tender?

It depends on the size of the contract and how much material you already have. A small below-threshold contract with a few questions might take a day or two; a large contract with many quality questions, site visits and a detailed pricing schedule can take several weeks. Firms with a library of past answers, policies and case studies write faster.

What is the difference between a tender and a quote?

A quote is usually a price for a defined job. A tender is a formal bid in a competition, scored against published criteria that normally include quality as well as price, and it often becomes part of the contract if you win.

Can I get someone else to write my tender?

Yes. Some firms use bid writers or software to help. You are still responsible for everything submitted, and what you promise usually becomes a contract term, so make sure every claim is accurate and something your team can deliver.

Do I need to register before I can bid?

Usually yes. You need an account on the buyer's e-tendering portal, and for most contracts under the Procurement Act 2023 you also need to register on the Central Digital Platform. Both are free.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

Late bids are normally rejected, and portals often close submissions automatically at the deadline. If a genuine technical problem stops you submitting, contact the buyer straight away through the portal's messaging or helpdesk, but do not rely on an extension.

Ready to put this into practice? Browse open contracts for your trade, look at contracts ending in the next 12 months, or get a free weekly shortlist matched to your firm: get free alerts.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always follow the instructions in the tender documents for the contract you are bidding for.

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 19 (award, including abnormally low tenders) (checked 19 October 2026)
• legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 20 (competitive tendering procedures) (checked 19 October 2026)
• legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 50 (contract award notices and assessment summaries) (checked 19 October 2026)
• legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Act 2023, section 51 (standstill periods) (checked 19 October 2026)
• legislation.gov.uk: Procurement Regulations 2024, regulation 6 (sharing core supplier information) (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: guidance on conditions of participation (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: guidance on below-threshold contracts (checked 19 October 2026)