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Author: John Hudson

Now powered by askabidwriter.com

Posted on by John Hudson

Hudson Outsourcing are thrilled to announce that Construction Tenders is now powered by askabidwriter.com

Combining our cutting-edge consultancy technology with the efficient, time-saving features of Hudson Discover, Construction Tenders is a bidding portal like no other.

With askabidwriter.com, not only will you continue to have access to the incredible sector-specific opportunity tracking technology you’ve come to rely on, but you’ll also have a team of bidding experts at your disposal, available 24/7.

What’s included?

  • Ask our bidding experts any sector-specific bidding questions you have.
  • Access to our extensive learning library, full of helpful resources such as video and audio masterclasses, downloadable PDFs, and various templates to assist you in perfecting your bid submissions.
  • Quick search sector-specific bidding opportunities, making it simple for you to find available opportunities for your business.

With askabidwriter.com, our goal at Hudson is to revolutionise the bidding world and put the power of bidding success into your hands.

How to Tender for Scaffolding Work

Posted on by John Hudson

Here’s the secret to winning a tender for scaffolding work

Are you curious about how to find and win tenders for scaffolding work? There is a lot that must be understood to find the perfect contract. This also goes into writing a winning tender. Stick around as we cover how to find a tender for scaffolding work and how to win them!

What is a tender for scaffolding work?

If you are completely new to bids and tenders, you may wonder what a tender for scaffolding work is. Simply, it is a contract for work that various suppliers can bid for. The contracting authority is the organisation that requires this particular work. They will accept bids from suppliers and choose the most suitable candidate to deliver the contract. The supplier(s) that are awarded the contract will be chosen through a thorough evaluation process.

Where to find a tender for scaffolding work

Most people will search for a tender via a search engine such as Google. This will bring up almost endless results. You’ll be swamped with websites that can feature scaffolding contracts. However, the tricky part is navigating these results and finding contracts suitable for you. The likelihood is that you’ll be conducting this work locally, in a defined location. So, you’ll be searching for contracts in this particular area. However, when simply using Google, you’ll likely struggle to find work that meets all your specifications.

That is why we recommend using a tender tracking portal, such as ours: Construction Tenders. These portals are designed specifically to make it easier for businesses to find contracts. With our portal, we display key information so users can instantly see if they’re acceptable for a contract. Users can use these filters to search specifically for tenders that are suitable for them.

With Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals, you can streamline the process of finding a tender. Use filters such as location, deadlines, budget, and keywords to find a tender right for you. Through the Construction Tenders portal, it couldn’t be easier to find tenders for scaffolding work. Or could it…

Want to save time looking for tenders for scaffolding work? Try Discover Elite

Sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. Then, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices are monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Here are some examples of tenders for scaffolding work found on our portal: 

National Framework Agreement Scaffolding – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Scaffolding Services – London – £2.2million 

Provision of Scaffolding Services at Various Regions – Scotland – Budget: Undisclosed

Scaffolding Framework Agreement – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Scaffolding for Billown Course – International – Budget: Undisclosed

How to win a tender for scaffolding work

Found the perfect scaffolding tender? Now, you’re likely wondering how to win. The good news is that we have some expert tips from seasoned Bid Writers.

1.     Make sure your bid response is clear and concise

You need to ensure your bid is clear and easy to read. The buyer doesn’t want to read loads of waffle. Stick to the point and answer questions as concisely as possible. This will help you stand out for all the right reasons.

2.     Proofread your bid before submission

It is crucial to proofread and edit your bid before submission. If you don’t, you are almost certainly submitting a bid with errors. Your bid needs to be of the highest standard possible to impress the buyer. If it is littered with mistakes, they will see you as unprofessional and lazy. If you don’t put the effort into your bid, they won’t trust you with their contract.

3.     Check your eligibility 

Before you even begin writing and planning your bid, you should thoroughly check your eligibility. You would be surprised how many people choose to bid for a contract they aren’t eligible for. The buyer may ask for the supplier to have a certain accreditation, for example. If you don’t, you won’t be considered, and you essentially waste your time and resources.

4.     Have your bid designed (if permitted)

Sometimes, you can submit a designed bid if the buyer hasn’t given a specified format for the submission. This allows you to showcase your organisation however you wish. We recommend having your bid professionally designed. This way, you can stand out to the buyer.

Still got questions about tenders for scaffolding work? Contact us to speak to one of our experts and learn more about how we can help you.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and has over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next scaffolding tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch for more information about our bid management consultancy services.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Check out some of our other blogs:

5 Reasons Why You Aren’t Winning Tenders for Roofing Work

Posted on by John Hudson

Trying to win tenders for roofing work? Here’s why you aren’t seeing success…

Are you having trouble trying to win tenders for roofing work? Perhaps you want to know where to find such contracts. At Construction Tenders, we want to help you find solutions. So, in this blog, we will tell you five reasons why you aren’t winning tenders. Stick around to learn how to see success!

1.    You aren’t using relevant case studies

When you are out to tender, you need to show the buyer you know what you’re talking about. It is important to use case studies in your proposal to showcase your experience, but they need to be relevant. If you aren’t considering how relevant your case studies are, this may be what is costing you.

How to improve:

To improve your chances of success, you should start critically thinking about your case studies. These should always relate to the contract you are bidding for, in one way or another.

Read our blog: The Importance of Relevant Case Studies When Tendering

2.    You aren’t submitting bids of the highest quality

This tender for roofing work tip goes for all tenders. Your bid should be as close to perfect as possible. That is one way you will stand out from the other suppliers. Even if you think your bid is error-free, the buyer may pick up on mistakes you might have missed. If you aren’t taking the time to perfect your tender, then this will be affecting your score.

How to improve:

Before you submit, you should thoroughly proofread and edit the bid proposal. This way, you can rectify even the smallest of errors. Read it several times, even with breaks in between, to give you the highest chance of noticing mistakes. You could also ask others to proofread it so that they can tell you if anything doesn’t sound right.

3.    You missed the deadline

When it comes to a tender for roofing work, the deadlines are incredibly strict. Your bid MUST be submitted before the deadline, or you will not be considered. This includes instances where you may be one or two minutes late. Late means late and it will not be counted! Don’t risk your work being all for nothing by not submitting it on time.

How to improve:

With bid management skills, you can stay on track of your tender for roofing work. You’ll be able to organise the workload and workforce to ensure the bid is done well before the deadline. This also leaves some time in case of any unforeseen technical issues.

4.    You aren’t checking eligibility before bidding

It might surprise you just how many people bid for contracts they cannot deliver. In many cases, a business or organisation will tender for work they aren’t eligible for. This is a complete waste of time on everyone’s part. It is often why many buyers hold an initial stage of a PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire). This is a way that they can filter ineligible suppliers without wasting time reviewing their full bid.

How to improve:

If you aren’t reading all the tender documents, then you might be bidding for contracts outside of your scope. This could be anything from not having the workforce to deliver the contract in time, or the sufficient annual turnover. Before you bid, make sure you are reading ALL the tender documents. Even if it’s 100 pages or more. Note down any important details. Check that you have the skills, experience, qualifications, accreditations, and workforce to deliver the contract.

5.    Your costs are inaccurate

Pricing is a big part of a bid. If you get these wrong, the buyer won’t award you the contract. In the construction industry, inaccurate pricing is the most common mistake.

How to improve:

Calculate your costs carefully! As we previously touched on, you need your bid to be as close to perfect as possible. So, every aspect of your bid proposal has to be carefully conducted.

Summary

So, that’s a wrap on our blog about tender for roofing work. Here’s the five reasons that might be affecting your tendering:

1.    You aren’t using relevant case studies

2.    You aren’t submitting bids of the highest quality

3.    You missed the deadline

4.    You aren’t checking eligibility before bidding

5.    Your costs are inaccurate.

If you want further advice about tenders for roofing work, contact us and chat to our consultants. We are always happy to help!

Want to save time looking for tenders for roofing work? Try Discover Elite

Sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. Then, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Examples of tenders for roofing work found on our portal

Ramsey Grammar School East, Phase 1 Replacement Flat Roof

Isle of Man Government – International – Budget: Undisclosed

Bunscoill Rhumsaa, Replacement Perspex to Canopy Roofs

Isle of Man Government – International – Budget: Undisclosed

Roof Repairs

St. Joseph’s Secondary School (Rush) – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Roofing Replacement Programme 2022-2027

Onward Group Limited – North West– Budget: – £6,000,000

Summer Works Scheme 2022 – Glanmire Community College – Roof Works

Cork Education and Training Board – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and has over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next roofing tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch for more information about our bid management consultancy services.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Check out some of our other blogs:

The 5 Most Common Types of Structural Engineering Tenders You Could Win

Posted on by John Hudson

Are you aware of the types of structural engineering tenders you can bid for?

Knowing the type of structural engineering tenders buyers procure is a good starting point when finding new opportunities. In this blog, we have listed the five most common types of structural engineering tenders out there.

Already familiar with structural engineering tenders and want to get started?

To begin your search for new business opportunities, you can sign up to our Construction Tenders portal and get started.

The 5 most common types of structural engineering tenders you can source:

  1. Building

You will find that structural engineering tenders for buildings, is the most common type of tender you can source. The contracts involve working on the design and construction of the building so that it is structurally sound. This could be anything from a new build housing project to office buildings, to skyscrapers.

  1. Aeronautical

Structural engineering tenders within this sector can refer to both the vessels and the associated equipment (i.e., satellites). Services will involve ensuring the structure is stable, but also ensuring that it can operate consistently under the right conditions. Aeronautical structural engineering tenders will usually be based in airports or airfields. Anywhere that uses aircraft vessels. This could even mean space vessels.

  1. Nautical

These tenders could be for passenger vessels, cargo ships or even submarines. Basically, any vessels that are used out at sea. However, it could also include other structures that are associated with nautical vessels, such as wind-turbines. This could be design and building-associated equipment to support the vessels out at sea.

  1. Oil and Gas

Structural engineering tenders within the oil and gas industry can involve different projects/services. This could be pipework, working on a rig, or in the gas/oil field. Quite typically, working in this industry usually means working on quite a large structure. The projects will be big and require a lot of time. It could include anything from designing, testing, and inspecting equipment, to general maintenance and building work.

  1. Bridges

Structural engineering tenders here could include the designing of the bridge, inspection of the bridges, or building the structure. It will require you to ensure that the bridge works effectively in the environment it is built for. Ensuring it can withstand the required loads and is safe for use.

Summary

There are five common types of structural engineering tenders that you can bid for. These are:

  • Building
  • Aeronautical
  • Nautical
  • Oil and gas
  • Bridges

You may find that your services can crossover into different sectors. You will need to establish what you and your business can provide, and where your services lie. From there, you can then begin to source new structural engineering tenders.

Where can I find structural engineering tenders?

Are you looking for new structural engineering tenders? Use Construction Tenders to find your next opportunity.

Construction Tenders is one centralised, easy-to-navigate portal hosting public and private leads and tendering opportunities.

You don’t need to rely on CPV Codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from hundreds of websites, making it easier for you to find them. You can find the best tender for you by filtering the results by budget, keyword, and location.

Here are just seven past structural engineering tenders we have sourced on our portal:

Structural Works at 24 St Peters Road, Whitby

Beyond Housing – Yorkshire – Budget: £35,000

Structural & Civil Engineering Consultant at Corby College

Bedford College – Eastern – Budget: £100,000

ESPH SB Civil and Structural Engineer Services for Bexhill Town Hall Renaissance Project (ESPH494)

Rother District Council – South East – Budget: £100,000

Structural Engineer Enquiry – Heanor Hub – Southeast Derbyshire College

Amber Valley Borough Council – East Midlands – Budget: £200,000

Civil Structural Engineering Services for Additional Accommodation at Brideswell NS, Brideswell, Athlone, Co. Roscommon, Ireland

Brideswell National School – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £1,580,000

CP7 Eastern Region Renewals and Minor Enhancements

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd – London – £4billion

Framework Agreement for the Provision of Aeronautical Engineering Technical Manpower Augmentation

Ministry of Defence – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Construction Tenders will provide your business with:

  • Access to all unique, private, and public sector opportunities within the construction and engineering industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes free bid management consultancy each month.

Get in touch today to book a free live demo.

Want to save even more time? Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrade to Discover Elite to ensure you never miss a tender, even when you’re busy. The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool and the Become a Pre-Bid Master packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. They can help save you even more time when searching for construction and engineering tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Transport.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.

The Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All the above
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month, depending on the package you choose
  • A Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of five years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

For more information on how Discover Elite can work for you, get in touch today.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and has over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next structural engineering tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

How to win construction tenders in a £166 billion industry

Posted on by John Hudson

How to win construction tenders – 3 top tips

Have you ever wondered how to win construction tenders? According to GlobeNewswire, the construction industry is worth £166 billion in 2022. This represents major growth and development for the right construction business. This is where Construction Tenders comes into play…

Where can I source Construction Tenders?

Are you looking for new construction contracts? Use Construction Tenders to find your next opportunity.

Construction Tenders is one centralised, easy-to-navigate portal hosting public and private construction leadsand tendering opportunities.

You don’t need to rely on CPV Codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from hundreds of websites, making it easier for you to find them. You can find the best tender for you by filtering the results by budget, keyword and location.

Here are 5 previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Supply and Fitting of Replacement Double Glazing Units at Sutton Bank Visitor Centre YO7 2EH
Director – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £27,000

Park House Works – Council of the Isles of Scilly
Council of the Isles of Scilly – South West – Budget: £60,000

Windows and Doors 2022
Harrow Council – Eastern – Budget: £490,000

AT1114 Scaffolding Services for BTS
Luton Council – London – Budget: £2,200,000

DUD – Survey, Supply and Installation of PVCu Windows, Composite Doors and Associated Brickwork Repairs 2022
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council – West Midlands – Budget: £25,000,000

A subscription to Construction Tenders will provide your business with:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes free bid management consultancy each month.

Get in touch today to book a free live demo.

Want to save even more time? Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrade to Discover Elite to ensure you never miss a tender, even when you’re busy. The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool and the Become a Pre-Bid Master packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. They can help save you even more time when searching for construction tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discoversector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Logistics.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid

The Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month
  • A Bid Strategydelivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director
  • Contact usto find out how we can help your business grow.

4 tips to help you win construction tenders

1.    Get your accreditations in order

Health & safety policies, equality & diversity policies, risk assessment assurances, specific construction qualifications…

The requirements for winning a construction tender can seem never-ending.

However, in answering the question ‘how to win construction tenders’ you need to take qualifications into consideration. Some of these qualifications can weigh heavily in the evaluation criteria. Without the right qualifications, your chances of winning the tender decrease drastically. So, really digest the tender documentation.

What are the minimum requirements? And following this, what qualifications do you think would benefit your bid? Before choosing your tender, really consider this. The closer your qualifications fit, the higher your chances of winning.

2.    Be realistic with your bid

Some people would say that competitiveness determines how you win construction tenders. Realistically, can you actually undercut the competition?

What can your company afford in the name of competitiveness? Consider this when you’re bidding. If you undersell yourself, you could be in deep water when it comes to fulfilling the contract.

In the worst-case scenario, if you fail to complete the contract, it could ruin your reputation as a business. So, practice caution!

3.    Be proactive with feedback!

For most, losing the bid can be crushing. However, you don’t have the time or resources to get caught up in failure!

Get as much information as you can out of the buyer’s feedback. If you’re working in the private industry, request it! Even if you didn’t pass the PQQ stage, it’s still super important to transform your experience into a learning opportunity.

4.    Bid Management

Effective bid management is crucial to winning construction tenders. If you fall short of the deadline in your submission, it’s game over. It doesn’t matter how amazing your bid is, it simply won’t be considered. So, keep your head above water with effective strategies such as internal deadlines and progress meetings.

In summary

So, to summarise, to win construction tenders, you should consider:

Where to source new construction tenders

We looked at our smart, time-saving solution for sourcing new construction contracts.

4 tips to win your construction tenders:

Get your accreditations in order- Really conveying your understanding of the buyer’s requirements. Making sure you can meet the qualifications before bidding.

Be realistic with your bid – Recognising how competitive your company can be. Avoiding underselling yourself and being unable to fulfil the contract.

Be proactive with feedback – Requesting a detailed summary of your performance. Using any feedback to support and improve your future bids.

Bid management – Understand the power by organising both yourself and your team in producing a prompt bid.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and has over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next construction tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Types of Procurement in Construction: A complete guide

Posted on by John Hudson

Understanding the Types of Procurement in Construction

Read this to get ahead on the different types of procurement in construction

On its own, procurement is difficult, and more complications arise when it comes to types of procurement in construction. So, let’s take some time to look over the methods of procurement in construction.

What is procurement?

In essence, procurement is a process of obtaining a product or service. In your case, it specifically relates to providing the materials/labour needed to complete a job/product. For most construction firms, a clear, concise, and cost-effective strategy is needed to complete the job. Budget, quality, and timeline are heavily considered here.

When it comes down to it, price and quality are where the competition element lies in construction procurement. If the buyer discovers a cheaper contractor which rivals or exceeds the quality of its competitors, it’s a no-brainer.

How many types of procurement in construction are there?

So, across the UK’s construction sector, there are generally two elements within the construction process. There are other processes, but the ones below are the one’s you’ll most likely encounter. Let’s work our way through them.

Pre- Qualification questionaries- What are they and how do they compare to PAS91’s?

So, the first of our types of procurement in construction is pre-qualification questionnaires.

Also known as PQQ’S, they are used by buyers in the initial stages of construction procurement.  A frequent question we get asked is ‘what is the difference between PPQ’S and PAS91’S?

Well, the biggest difference is the length of the documents, with PAS91’s being on average larger.

Dependent on the buyer, they could also utilise SQ’s (selection questionnaire’s) or SSQ (Standard selection questionnaire’s). You could state that this is the first gate you need to cross. Basic requirements are covered here so that whoever bids for the contract is meets the minimum needs. Depending on whether the process was open or closed, a PQQ and ITT could be required as well. Although its dependent on the size of the contract, the document will include:

  • Health & safety policy- Following on from your insurance, what measures are you taking to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved?
  • Your financial stability- Are you able to cover the project adequately? Can you feasibly deliver the project? In most cases if your annual turnover is worth less than half of the contract, you won’t be selected. They may require a brief inclusion of recent accounts to verify your financial status.
  • Supplier identity- Where are you based, how long have you been practice etc.
  • Quality Assurance policy- How are you ensuring that the work you provide is standardised in its quality? This could include
  1. Audits/inspections
  2. Training or other means of quality assurance
  3. The issue of underperformance, and how you tackle this with your employees
  4. A review of your policies and how you comply with best practice.

Optional requirements

Depending on the buyer, they could also request:

  • Insurance cover- In the event that something goes wrong or awry, are you insured? This is a necessity. If you’re not insured, you won’t be able to get past this stage of the procurement process.
  • Relevant references- This won’t be as in-depth as later parts of the process, but it’s still required
  • What’s your capabilities/capacity? – Similar to finances, if you can’t cover the needs of the client due to your size, you’re unlikely to progress. You need to prove your capability to the buyer.
  • Equal opportunities policy- How are you ensuring that discrimination is eliminated, and fair opportunities sustained within your company?
  • Environmental management policy- We’re all moving towards a greener planet, so what measures are you taking to play your part? This could include:
  1. Covering carbon emissions and how you’re reducing them.
  2. Ensuring environmental awareness through training.

For most of these questions, the PPQ will require a brief answer. Another option is a score in which to describe your proficiency in the given question. Either way, you’ll need to elaborate on your scores/brief answers later in the process.

ITT

So, you’ve passed the PPQ with flying colours, proving you fulfil the requirements for the contract. Now it’s time for the ITT. It’s here that the buyer invites you to tender. Time has been utilised efficiently due to the PQQ shortlisting the potential contractors.

Within the construction industry, this document may include:

  • Instructions to tenderers explaining the process
  • Query process and resolutions
  • The timescale of the tender process (deadlines for tenders)
  • Drawing schedules
  • Site waste management plan
  • How the buyer will provide feedback for unsuccessful tenderers

The response

Now you know what the ITT may contain, it’s good to cover what you should respond with:

  • List of staff- This could include C. V’s to further validate their suitability.
  • Prior experience
  • References
  • A completed tender pricing document

In summary

So, we’ve arrived at the end of this blog regarding types of procurement in construction. You now have a greater understanding of:

  • The function of both the ITT’s and PPQ’S
  • The difference between PPQ’s and PAS91’S
  • The basic and optional requirements of PQQ’s
  • What ITTs require and how you should respond.

Now you’re better equipped to understand the types of procurement in construction, you may be wondering how we can help…

Hudson Succeed

Our Tender Writing service covers PAS-91s, PPQ’s, and much more. We will complete the written, technical, and professional ability sections and/or PAS91 modules on your behalf.

Alternatively, our Tender Ready service will see our team of bid writers prepare case studies and policies.  Each are essential in passing pre-qualification questionnaires and PAS91s – in-line with best practice across the industry.

If you are looking for new opportunities for construction projects, look no further than Construction Tenders. Our dedicated, tender tracking portal, sources tendering opportunities, specifically for the construction sector. Get in touch to book a free live demo and see how the system can help your business.

If there’s anything we can help with, get in touch with our bid writers who can help with the bid writing process.

How to Win Building Work Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

What do you need to know about building work tenders?

Are you wondering how to win building work tenders for your business? Tendering for contracts can open many doors for your business – but only if you win the work. So, how can you make sure that your business is successful?

This blog will tell you everything you need to know to secure building work tenders for your business.

How do you win building work tenders for your business?

Here are some things you can do to increase your chances of success when bidding on building work tenders:

  1. Include case studies in your tender response

To win building work tenders, you need to show the buyer that your business is most suitable for the contract. To do that, you need to submit 2 – 3 case studies in your bid response, ideally from the last 3 – 5 years.

Case studies should demonstrate your suitability for the work. They should be similar in size and scope to the contract at hand. If they aren’t relevant to what the buyer is looking for, they won’t increase your chances of success.

  1. Be the MEAT

For successful tendering, your business needs to be the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). What does this mean? Well, buyers are looking for the best value for money. They want to choose a supplier that offers the best services for the lowest price.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should price your services low just to win the tender. Pricing your services too low could prevent you from meeting the buyer’s quality standards. Or if you win the contract, you might have to ask for additional funding down the line. Neither of these options will impress the buyer!

Instead, show the buyer that your business can offer an outstanding service for a competitive price. Added value will increase your chances of winning building work tenders for your business.

  1. Provide qualifications

With building work tenders, buyers often want to see evidence of your relevant qualifications and accreditations in your response.

As you already know, accidents can and do happen on building and construction sites. Therefore, it’s crucial that your business is complying with the relevant health and safety standards. The qualifications and accreditations could include:

  • ISO 9001; 14001; 18001
  • BIM
  • SSIP
  • IOSH
  • Constructionline
  • CHAS
  • Subcontractor.

To increase your chances of success, you should be prepared to submit evidence of your qualifications in your tender response.

  1. Prepare your social value responses

To win building work tenders, you need to prepare your social value responses. In tendering, social value has a minimum weighting of 10%, but could potentially hold a weight of up to 30%. The three main components of social value are:

  • Environmental
  • Social
  • Economic.

It’s important you demonstrate your social value clearly and thoroughly to the buyer. For example, how will your business work to reduce waste for the duration of the project?

Social value is particularly important after the COVID-19 pandemic. Buyers want to see how your organisation will prevent any risks caused by the virus. So, it’s important to reference this in your bid response.

  1. Study the buyer’s specifications

Our final tip for winning building work tenders is to study the buyer’s specifications. To secure the tender, it’s crucial that you answer the buyer’s questions in detail. Otherwise, you risk including irrelevant information in your response, which won’t do your business any favours.

It’s also important that you consider word counts or page limits set by the buyer. This indicates how much detail the buyer is expecting from you.

Where can you find building work tenders?

Finding building work tenders for your business can be a lengthy, time-consuming process. That’s why we’ve decided to simplify the process for you. With the Construction Tenders portal, sourcing tendering opportunities has never been so easy!

The portal is an opportunity tracking platform where we source all the construction and building tenders throughout the UK. We manually upload them in one convenient place, leaving you to focus on your business.

Other benefits include of subscribing to Construction Tenders include:

  • Receiving daily updates of available tenders, direct to your inbox.
  • Access to all private and public sector opportunities in the UK.
  • The ability to filter building contracts opportunities by keyword, budget, location and more.
  • No reliance on unreliable CPV codes or algorithms. We manually upload each tender making sure that you have access to 100% of building tenders.
  • Access to your own Account Manager. They can answer any questions or queries you may have about the tendering process.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes free bid management consultancy each month.

Here are just a few examples of past building work tenders on our Construction Tenders portal:

Medical Records Building Works

NHS South West-Acutes – South West – Budget: £30k

WHC – Minor Building Works

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council – Eastern – Budget: £2.4million

Building Works – General Repairs

London Borough of Islington – London – Budget: £5million

Building Works for Temporary Accommodation for Colaiste Dun An Ri

Cavan and Monaghan Education & Training Board – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

FM Reactive & Planned Maintenance Building Works

North Wales Police – Wales – Budget: Undisclosed

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. As a client, you’ll receive a daily construction leads bulletin straight to your inbox when new building tenders are uploaded.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

So, now you know how to win building work tenders for your business. For tendering success, it’s vital that you include relevant case studies, be the MEAT and provide your appropriate qualifications and accreditations. And don’t forget how important it is to prepare your social value responses and study the buyer’s specifications!

If you’ve tried the tips above and still aren’t seeing success, we can help.

Need assistance when looking to tender for building work? 

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning tender response for construction contracts in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help optimise your chances of success. They know what buyers are looking for in your tender response and how to best convey it.

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offers four levels of bid writing support services. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. Whether you’re completely new to tendering, or need your response proofread before you submit, we can help. We offer:

Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can save you even more time, helping you identify tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each package can help save you even more time when you tender for building work.

The Ultimate Time Saver package includes:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Logistics for example.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices are monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid.
  • Weekly phone calls with your on-hand Account Manager to discuss viable construction tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business.

A Guide to New Construction Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

How to win new construction tenders

Are you wondering how to find new construction tenders? There are plenty of opportunities out there, but how do you find them? When you do find a suitable opportunity for your business, how do you win the bid?

This guide will tell you how to find new construction contracts in the UK and offer tips for winning your next bid.

What type of construction tenders are there?

If you’re looking for new construction tenders, you might be wondering what type of contracts are out there.

Billions of pounds have been invested in the construction industry across the UK. This has increased the number of tendering opportunities out there. Especially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as more businesses are relying on tenders to grow their business.

Buyers may require a supplier for a number of reasons, including:

  • Supply of goods
  • Works
  • Utilities
  • Services

You can tender for contracts in various sub-sectors, including:

The process of bidding for new construction tenders

 To win construction tenders, you need to understand how to apply for them. The tendering process will seem complicated at first. However, it can be broken down into simple, easy to manage steps.

  1. PAS-91

The first step in bidding for new construction tenders is completing the PAS-91.

In 2010, the UK construction industry launched the ‘standard selection questionnaire’. This is an industry-specific, standardised document that is supposed to streamline the tendering process. Basically, it’s a specialised PQQ. The document is widely known as the Publicly Available Specification, or PAS 91.

The PAS-91 removes the need for various questionnaires. Instead, you can focus your time and resources on a single document.

However, the idea behind the PAS-91 is the same as a PQQ. The buyer uses this to shortlist suppliers, so only those capable of delivering the contract progress to the next stage.

  1. Invitation to tender

If you pass the PAS-91 stage, the next stage of bidding for new construction tenders is responding to the ITT.

The ITT, which stands for invitation to tender, is released by the buyer. Suppliers need to respond to the ITT, demonstrating why their company is the best to deliver the contract.

An ITT could include:

  • The form of a tender
  • Preliminaries (including pre-construction information and site waste management plan)
  • Contract or contract conditions
  • Employer’s information requirements
  • A tender pricing document
  • A drawing schedule
  • Design drawings
  • Specifications

  1. Submit your tender response

The final stage of bidding for new construction tenders is to submit your tender response.

Your tender response should include details of the following:

  • Methods
  • Your pricing
  • How you’ll meet the requirements
  • Supporting documents, such as case studies, policies and procedures

Win a new construction tender with these helpful tips:

  • Your company should be the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)

To win a new construction tender, your company needs to be the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. Basically, this means that your company will provide the best quality services for the lowest price.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the cheapest price will win. It’s all about finding the supplier who offers the best value for money.

  • Carefully read the buyer’s specifications

When you find a new construction tender for your business, it’s important that you carefully read through the buyer’s specifications.

The buyer needs to see that your company is capable of delivering the contract. If you don’t read the specifications, you may miss key details that are important for the bid. You might miss crucial information from your tender response.

  • Give yourself enough time

New construction tenders will take up a lot of your time. So, to win your next bid, you need to give yourself enough time to produce your response.

This is particularly important for construction tenders. The buyer may ask you to provide a drawing schedule or even design drawings as part of your bid. The last thing you want is to submit an incomplete bid because you ran out of time. Giving yourself plenty of time ensures that you don’t rush through the tender.

  • Proofread your response

When faced with a long document, it can be easy to miss mistakes and errors. Especially if you produced the document yourself. That’s why it’s so important to proofread your response when bidding for new construction tenders.

A tender response full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors won’t impress the buyer. In fact, you’ll probably lose marks. To make sure this doesn’t happen, you should ask someone else to proofread your response for you.

  • Ask for feedback

 So far, we’ve offered you tips for winning a new construction tender. What should you do if you’re unsuccessful?

If you don’t win the bid, ask the buyer for feedback. Understanding where you went wrong could be the key to winning your next bid. You know how to improve for your next tendering opportunity.

Where can you find new construction tenders?

Are you looking for new construction tenders? Use Construction Tenders to find your next opportunity.

Construction Tenders is one centralised, easy-to-navigate portal hosting public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities.

You don’t need to rely on CPV Codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites, making it easier for you to find them. You can find the best tender for you by filtering the results by budget, keyword and location.

Here are previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Supply of Constructional Timber (Marine Grade)

Waterways Ireland (CA) – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £100k 

General Construction Multi Trade – Housing & Residential (20% VAT)

Homes for Haringey – London – Budget: £5million

Construction of 2 x 80m2 Mainstream Classrooms

St Patrick’s National School – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Construction of a Cookery School Including All Ancillary Site Works & Services

 Fourth Nature Ltd – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Household Waste Recycling Centre & Waste Transfer Station Middlemore Lane, Aldridge Construction & Fryers Road, Bloxwich Redevelopment

 Walsall Council e-Tendering – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Construction Tenders will provide your business with:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes free bid management consultancy each month.

Get in touch today to book a free live demo.

Want to save even more time? Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrade to Discover Elite to optimise your tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. The Ultimate Time Saver and Become a Pre-Bid Master packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. They can help save you even more time when searching for new construction tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Logistics.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

 

Tender for Construction Projects

Posted on by John Hudson

How to tender for construction projects step by step guide

Wondering how to tender for construction projects? In each industry, the tendering process can slightly differ. If you’re tendering in the construction industry and you’re unsure of the process, we can help you. We’ve put together a blog on things you need to know about tendering for construction projects.

Construction tenders are essentially public contract opportunities. In construction, an invitation to tender may be issued for a number of reasons to procure the likes of:

  • Services
  • Goods
  • Works
  • Utilities

Documents required for tenders for construction projects

Documents for tenders for construction projects may be prepared for a range of contracts such as:

  • Equipment supply
  • Main construction contracting including the design by the contractor
  • Demolition
  • Enabling works

Types of tenders for construction projects

No matter the service or goods being sought the tendering process can come in many formats. Types of tenders include:

  • Open tendering

In open tendering contracts are first advertised giving notice to anyone wanting to submit a tender. Open tenders usually provide an equal opportunity for any business to submit a tender.

  • Selective tendering

Pre-selected potential suppliers are invited to tender. They are assessed and approved as being able to fulfil the required work. Selective tendering is generally only used for specialist works or suitable companies.

  • Negotiated tendering

This is when a client reaches out to a single supplier. It could be because they’ve worked together previously, or they are a specialist in that area of expertise. Working with a supplier they already know can be reassuring for them as they know they can trust them.

  • Serial tendering

Serial tendering is when tenders are submitted based on typical quantities or schedule of works. The documents will detail the buildings that would be covered by the works.

  • Framework tendering

Framework tendering involves documents that establish the scope of the works or services required during a certain time period.

  • Single-stage and two-stage tendering

Single-stage tendering is the most common route. It means all the information required by the supplier to submit their bid is available.

Two-stage tendering is useful as it allows the early appointment of a supplier or specialist. In the first stage, the supplier and the buyer can make an agreement between themselves.

  • Public sector tendering

Most tendering opportunities are published by public sector departments. This is because most publicly funded organisations have to spend their money equally and wisely. They have to create fair and equal opportunities for suppliers competing for the bid.

Strong examples can help you win your bid

When tendering for construction projects the buyer wants evidence to see what you’re capable of. Always back up what you’re saying with evidence. Providing good examples of previous work can help you win a construction contract. Some examples may include:

  • References from clients
  • Before and after photos of a projects
  • Awards and nominations
  • Completed risk assessments

What to do if you’re unsuccessful with your bid?

Tendering for construction projects can be a competitive market as there is a lot of competition out there. Everyone wants to prove why they should win the bid so don’t be disheartened if you lose the bid. Asking for feedback can help you understand where you lost marks and help you improve for next time. There are a number of reasons you may have lost the bid including:

  • Not answering the question fully
  • Spelling and grammar errors
  • Not concise or clear
  • Not including everything requested

Asking for feedback shows the client that you are committed to improving your bid writing. We recommend meeting with your team who worked on the bid. Discuss what went wrong and how you can work together to improve on the next bid. It’s important everyone knows how they can turn those weaknesses into strengths. 

The most important thing to remember when tendering for a construction project is to prepare as much as possible. Give yourself plenty of time to read documents and understand the bid at hand. If you rush the tendering process, you’ll find yourself unsuccessful with the bid. Be prepared and read carefully!

The more you go through the tendering process, the better you will become at it.

Need help to tender for construction projects?

Finding the right tender for your business can take a large amount of time out of your day. There are thousands of websites posting multi-sector opportunities and searching for leads can turn into a full-time job. Each one may have its own portal, login or password. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is one centralised and easy-to-navigate portal hosting exclusive, public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV Codes! Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites across the UK. You’re able to filter and search the results by budget, keyword, location and more, streamlining the process.

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes for free consultancy with one of our Bid Writers each month.

We also source opportunities for services including;

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

 

A Guide to Construction Tenders Online

Posted on by John Hudson

Opportunities for construction tenders online

There are thousands of opportunities for finding construction tenders online. However, it can be hard knowing where to start. We appreciate, all the information out there can be overwhelming. We put this guide together to help you understand construction tenders and the opportunities out there.

Construction tenders are essentially public contract opportunities. In construction, an invitation to tender (ITT) may be issued to procure:

  • Services
  • Goods
  • Works
  • Utilities.

When you’ve been searching for construction tenders online you’ve probably noticed how diverse the opportunities are. Tenders are often published for services including:

  • Roofing
  • Demolition
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical
  • Groundworks
  • Design and build
  • Repairs and maintenance
  • Project management and many more.

What is the process of winning a construction tender?

The construction industry can be quite savvy when it comes to tendering. So, we’ve broken down the process to help you make sense of it.

The standard process is as follows:

  • PAS91 or PQQ

A PAS91 is essentially the construction sector’s answer to a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). This process is simply to shortlist the suppliers who qualify to deliver the contract. Be prepared to provide company details, compliance information and financial information.

  • Invitation to tender

Once you pass this initial stage, the buyer will usually release the invitation to tender. This allows you to respond to the tender and submit a final bid.

An invitation to tender may include:

  • The form of a tender
  • Preliminaries (including pre-construction information and site waste management plan)
  • Contract or contract conditions
  • Employer’s information requirements
  • A tender pricing document
  • A drawing schedule
  • Design drawings
  • Specifications.

  • Clarification

Clarification questions can be asked via the portal the tender will be submitted through.

You can remain anonymous when asking clarification questions, so your competitors don’t know it is you. Staying up to date with answers is important as it could change the way you respond to the bids. Remember to make a note of the clarification deadline as it could be weeks before the final submission date.  

  • Submission 

Once the bid is complete, it’s time to submit it. Your response will include methods, the price for supplying goods/services, and responses to how you meet the requirements. You will often also be required to submit supporting documents such as case studies, policies and procedures.

What to expect when bidding for construction contracts in the UK?

You’ve probably found hundreds of construction tenders online. This is because they are constantly being uploaded. Thanks to the billions of pounds invested in the construction industry across the UK. Recently, more businesses are turning towards tendering as a way of growing their business due to the impact of COVID-19.

Financial standing and health and safety procedures are some examples of what is to be expected in construction contracts.

What to look for in construction bid sites

We still have more information about construction tenders online. What should you be looking for to find the best construction bid site for your organisation? We’ve put together 7 things you should be checking for:

  1. The portal doesn’t rely on CPV codes

Common procurement vocabulary (CPV). An 8-digit code that allows buyers to classify what they are procuring. They are often used incorrectly, leading to extra time being wasted, wading through irrelevant tenders.

  1. The portal manually tracks construction contracts

At Construction Tenders, our opportunity trackers manually search thousands of sources each day. Instead of relying on CPV codes, they read and upload each tender manually, ensuring maximum relevance.

  1. The system focuses on your industry 

Most bid sites source tenders for all industries so there’s a chance you will see opportunities that aren’t irrelevant.  Construction Tenders is dedicated to the construction industry, therefore, cutting out irrelevant information.

  1. Allows for remote working in teams

Remote working has changed the way businesses operate in many ways. Especially since lockdown as most businesses have had to adapt to remote working. Our portal can be accessed anywhere anytime. 

  1. You’re supported by an account manager

You will have a dedicated account manager to offer support and guidance and answer any queries you may have.

  1. You have access to virtual learning

Our Tender VLE service is free and offers your business expert advice about tendering. We offer video masterclasses, fact sheets, blogs and templates to help with the tender process.

  1. You can outsource bid writing if needed

Some people struggle with writing. If you want to win a bid, you need a good writer to help you. We have developed Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division. This service helps our clients through the bidding process every step of the way. Our team are exceptional Bid Writers who assist businesses in multiple sectors to write compelling and technical narratives. Our bid writers are highly experienced with over 60 years of experience collectively and an 87% success rate. We have an extensive range of experience in the construction industry.

We source Construction Tenders on a daily basis from thousands of buyers, across the UK. Our goal is to save you both time and money manually searching for new construction leads. Our clients receive daily alerts when tenders are released. They also have 24hr access to our Construction Tenders portal.

Need help with construction tenders online?

Finding the right tender for your business can take a large amount of time out of your day. There are thousands of websites posting multi-sector opportunities and searching for leads can turn into a full-time job. Each one may have its own portal, log in or password. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is one centralised and easy-to-navigate portal hosting exclusive, public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV Codes! Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites across the UK. You’re able to filter and search the results by budget, keyword, location and more, streamlining the process.

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes free bid management consultancy each month.

Get in touch today to book a free live demo.

Finding Success in Procurement and Tendering in Construction

Posted on by John Hudson

Procurement and tendering in construction: a guide to success

Are you currently in the process of procurement and tendering in construction but don’t know how to be successful? Tendering can be hard especially in the construction industry as it’s such a competitive market. If you’re sitting scratching your head, wondering how is this achievable, we can help you! We’ve put together a guide on how to be successful in procurement and tendering in construction.

The process of procurement and tendering in construction 

Buyers may require a supplier for a contract for a number of reasons including:

  • Supply of goods
  • Works
  • Utilities
  • Services.

The process starts with an invitation to tender (ITT). This will include a letter to invite interested parties to tender. It will include the following:

  • Pre-construction information
  • Contract
  • Tendering pricing document
  • Design drawings
  • Any other specifications.

For buyers that use pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs), they should be completed before the invitation to tender is released. PAS91 is a standardised PQQ in the construction industry.

What’s included in the bid response?

When submitting the bid response for construction contracts in the UK, the buyer is expecting a number of things in your response. These will include:

  • Tender pricing document – supplier’s rates, costs and totals
  • Construction phase plan – outlining how to deal with health and safety procedures
  • Design proposals
  • Programme of works highlighting the order in which tasks will be carried out
  • Any procedures that need to take place during the project
  • Demonstration of capability – what is your methodology?
  • Management organisation
  • Plant and labour resources and how you will source them
  • Examples of contracts you have won in the past
  • References and reviews from other completed projects.

Tips for success in procurement and tendering in construction

Be the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)

Each bid for construction contracts in the UK will be evaluated in the same way. This is known as MEAT. The buyer is looking to award the contractor who can provide the best value throughout their bid. This doesn’t necessarily mean being the cheapest. You want to provide added value to the building works.

Meet the specifications

If you don’t meet the specification or requirements the buyer is asking for you won’t be successful. The buyer wants someone who can deliver exactly what they are asking for. They want you to back up what you’re saying with evidence and examples. Some examples may include:

  • References from clients
  • Before and after photos of a project
  • Awards and nominations
  • Completed risk assessments.

If the buyer is asking for a 500-word answer for one of the questions writing one paragraph won’t suffice. If they’ve asked for that many words, they are expecting a detailed answer. The buyer wants you to demonstrate why you should in the bid. The more in-depth answer you provide, the better you will score against the evaluation criteria.

Allow yourself plenty of time 

The tendering process is very time-consuming, and people often misjudge that. When bidding for construction tenders, there several things to think about. You may be asked to present a drawing schedule or design drawings as part of your bid. This will take up more time than you think. We advise planning in advance so you can allocate sufficient time for each part of the process. If you rush your bid, it won’t reach its full potential.

Get feedback

If you have been unsuccessful with a bid, you need to know where you went wrong so ask for feedback. It’s important to find out where you lost out on marks and how you can improve for next time. Some examples of where you may have lost marks include:

  • Your pricing wasn’t right
  • You didn’t understand the questions fully
  • You didn’t provide enough case studies
  • Not concise or clear.

Proofread

We can’t stress enough how important it is to check over your work multiple times. It can be easy to make mistakes when you’re working through a long document. But not taking the time to proofread it before submitting it would be a bigger mistake. You will lose marks if you submit a bid that has spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. We suggest asking someone else to check over your work. A second pair of eyes may spot mistakes you missed. Be sure to put plenty of time aside to proofread.

Need help with procurement and tendering in construction?

Finding the right tender for your business can take a large amount of time out of your day. There are thousands of websites posting multi-sector opportunities and searching for leads can turn into a full-time job. Each one may have its own portal, login or password. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is one centralised and easy-to-navigate portal hosting exclusive, public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV Codes! Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites across the UK. You’re able to filter and search the results by budget, keyword, location and more, streamlining the process.

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes for free consultancy with one of our Bid Writers each month.

We also source opportunities for services including;

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

4 Key New Bills Relevant to Government Construction Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Government construction tender news

The Queen announced the government’s legislative agenda for 2021/22 and four bills that will impact government construction tenders. Almost 16% of UK construction spend is by the public sector.

The government have the current initiative of build back better in response to COVID-19 recovery. It sets out the significant investment in infrastructure, skills and innovation that levels up the UK. It is with the hope of transitioning towards net-zero ambitions.

Below are four key bills that are relevant to government construction contracts in the UK.

  1. Building Safety Bill

The Building Safety Bill will make considerable reforms to the UK’s building safety regime. It will establish a Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to deliver a new approach to regulating the built environment. The Building Safety Bill will be critical to any construction project and government construction tenders.

The BSR will have the power to withdraw materials of products from the UK market. They can withdraw those that they deem to fall short of set safety standards, regulating the market. There will also be three “gateways” introduced at higher risk buildings at least 18 meters or 6 storeys high.

The three gateways are the:

  • Design Stage – prior to granted planning permission, the BSR will consult stakeholders to assess various design matters. These could be fire safety and water supply for example.
  • Construction Stage – The client will submit evidence to the BSR showing all building regulations relating to construction have been complied with.
  • Management Stage – the client will submit as built building information to the BSR. This information will include emergency safety and fire files and updated plans.

  1. Environment Bill

The Environment Bill will obviously put the environment at the centre of the policy. The government has made considerable promises towards greener and more sustainable construction practices that are evident within government construction tenders.

The Environment Bill will introduce a framework for legally binding environmental targets, establishing a new independent Office for Environmental Protection. This further reinstates the current mandatory weighting on social value within government construction tenders. This minimum 10% social value weighting assesses the environmental, social and economic aspects of a tender.

The Bill will focus on reducing waste and revolutionise how we recycle, enhancing local powers to tackle environmental issues. These include pollution, securing water supplies and protecting nature to improve biodiversity.

  1. Planning Bill

The Planning Bill will create a faster, simpler and more modern planning system. It’s to replace the current one, Section 106, that dates back to 1947. Instead, the Infrastructure Levy will be introduced. The plan is to deliver vital infrastructure whilst at the same time protect the nearby environment. This is likely to affect planning tenders and government construction tenders.

There will be an introduction of simpler and quicker frameworks. This will be for funding infrastructure that assesses environmental impacts and opportunities. A traffic light system will be introduced with the UK divided up by local councils. Areas will be designated for either:

  • Growth
  • Protection
  • Renewal

  1. Procurement Bill

The Procurement Bill is probably the most relevant to government construction tenders. It will simplify procurement within the public sector, reforming the current regime. This will make public procurement even more accessible for SMEs, charitable and social enterprises. It hopes to encourage a more competitive and level playing field, allowing them to win public contracts.

The Queen outlines the government’s plans to replace the seven current procurement procedures with three:

  • Competitive Flexible Procedure
  • Open Procedure
  • Negotiated Procedure to be renamed as the Limited Tendering Procedure.

These new procedures will come into place in September 2021, hoping to improve transparency within public procurement.

Need assistance when writing your next government construction tenders?

It’s understandable that you may not always have the resources, time or experience to write a winning response in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help you win your next tender, securing a pipeline of work for your business.

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. They offer four bid writing support services that can help you win more government construction contracts. Whether you’ve never tendered before or need your response proofread before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

  • A 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders
  • Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding professionals
  • An organisation-wide Bid Library, including 3 case studies, 5 CV’s and 8 policies
  • Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. The Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders and additional tendering development services.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect construction tender for your business, why not send it over to us? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit.

Where can I find government construction tenders?

Finding the right construction tender for your business can take a large amount of time out of your day. Keeping track and checking daily can turn into a full-time job. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is one centralised and easy-to-navigate portal hosting exclusive, public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV Codes! Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites across the UK. You’re able to filter and search the results by budget, keyword, location and more, streamlining the process.

Below are previous government construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Lift Maintenance, Services & Repairs ITT

St Albans City & District Council- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

Scunthorpe, Burringham Road, Manor Park

North Lincolnshire Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Fixed Electrical Wiring Test and Inspection – Port of Ramsgate and The Royal Harbour

Thanet District Council- South East- Budget: £46,000

Quick Quote – New Flooring to the Victoria Pier, Sea Terminal Building

Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Contract for Supply & Installation of New Play Equipment for Parrys Park / Grosvenor Heights

City & County of Swansea- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about government construction tenders.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes for free consultancy with one of our Bid Writers each month.

We also source opportunities for services including;

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can save you even more time, helping you identify tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each package can help save you even more time when searching for government construction tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package includes:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Logistics for example.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
  • Weekly phone calls with your on-hand Account Manager to discuss viable construction tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business.

Competitive Tendering in Construction

Posted on by John Hudson

Competitive tendering in construction and how to succeed

Competitive tendering in construction is the most common method of procurement in the industry. In the past, the construction industry has gained a bad reputation for its low-price tendering methods. However, now competitive tendering processes are used in construction such as frameworks agreements.

Why is competitive tendering used in construction?

Competitive tendering in construction is used by a prospective supplier in response to an invitation to tender (ITT). Competitive tendering is used particularly by the public sector. The main objective of competitive tendering in construction is to obtain goods or services at the lowest cost. Now the public sector seeks to obtain goods or services that are the best value through open and fair competition.

Methods of assessing tenders other than the lowest cost include:

  • Best value
  • Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)
  • Mean value
  • Weighted selection criteria.

A competitive tendering is often done via open tendering in construction. This is one of the tender procedures where a buyer releases an ITT. A competing supplier can then respond to the open advertisement with their tender response.

Framework agreement

Framework agreements are used as a form of competitive tendering in construction that can benefit suppliers. Winning a place on a framework can secure your business a pipeline of work. Suppliers can have access to ongoing work whenever the buyer needs it. The benefit of being on a framework means suppliers don’t have to go through the whole process each time.

Framework agreements usually ask for multiple suppliers to deliver goods and services under one contact. It is a form of competitive tendering in construction used by the public sector. They can run for years at a time with the possibility of extension. Typically, a framework agreement is split into lots. Each lot represents a specific good, service, work or geographical location. Lots allow suppliers to apply for the specific good, service or region they specialise in.

Do you need help when it comes to competitive tendering in construction?

Writing a tender response  for construction contracts can be overwhelming if you’re just starting out. If you’re not sure about where to begin we can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offers four levels of bid writing support services. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. Whether you’re completely new to tendering, or need your response proofread before you submit, we can assist your needs.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect construction tender for your business, why not send it over to us? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

  • A 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders
  • Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding professionals
  • An organisation-wide Bid Library, including 3 case studies, 5 CV’s and 8 policies
  • Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. The Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit.

Where can I find construction tenders for my business?

Finding the right tender for your business can take a large amount of time out of your day. There are thousands of websites posting multi-sector opportunities and searching for leads can turn into a full-time job. Each one may have its own portal, login or password. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is one centralised and easy-to-navigate portal hosting exclusive, public and private construction leads and tendering opportunities. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV Codes! Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload tenders from thousands of websites across the UK. You’re able to filter and search the results by budget, keyword, location and more, streamlining the process.

Below are previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Isolation House at Westonbirt Arboretum

Forestry England- South West- Budget: £55,000

Building and Maintenance Services Contract

St Albans City & District Council- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

Estates Related Construction Framework at De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH

De Montfort University- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Outdoor Storage Room – CPTC

Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

BBV HS2 MWCC North – Sewer Diversion Tunnelling Design & Construction

Balfour Beatty VINCI JV HS2- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all unique, private and public sector opportunities within the construction industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about competitive tendering in construction.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new construction tenders are uploaded that day.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes for free consultancy with one of our Bid Writers each month.

We also source opportunities for services including;

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Upgrade to Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can save you even more time, helping you identify tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each package can help save you even more time when competitive tendering in construction.

The Ultimate Time Saver package includes:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Construction and Logistics for example.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid.
  • Weekly phone calls with your on-hand Account Manager to discuss viable construction tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business.