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The Fundamentals of Building Material Supply Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Building material supply tenders and the impact of Brexit and COVID-19

Building material supply tenders are essential for any construction project be it in either the public or private sectors.

Building material supply tenders may be looking to procure a range of materials such as:

  • Heavy materials
  • Bricks, block, stone, cement
  • Electrical products
  • Flooring
  • Hire and purchase of plant, tools and equipment
  • Plumbing and heating
  • Building and construction tools and equipment.

Brexit and COVID-19 have had quite an impact on the construction industry, particularly regarding building material supplies. There has been a shortage of supplies of roof tiles and timber. This is due to high demand caused by a boom in the housing market and delays at some British ports. Timber prices have risen by 20% as a consequence and there have been escalated prices for shipping disrupting supply chains.

PAS91

Before you submit your building material supply tenders, you’ll often need to complete a PAS91. A PAS91 is a standardised form of pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) frequently used within construction. You’ll need to pass this in order to progress to the next stage of receiving an invitation to tender (ITT).

A PAS91 is essentially a box ticking exercise to ensure you meet the minimum criteria for the contract. You’ll need to answer questions on things such as:

  • Company information
  • Your economic and financial standing
  • Quality Assurance
  • Health & Safety
  • Environmental considerations
  • Equal opportunities & Diversity

If you’re an SME, the PAS91 is designed with you in mind, aiming to simplify and streamline the process. This is to encourage more SMEs to tender for work in the hope of achieving the government’s pledge towards SMEs. They aim to spend £1 in £3 with SMEs, meaning they’re actively looking to award contracts to smaller businesses.

Framework agreements

Framework agreements are a common form of procurement for building material supply tenders. They are used to establish a multi-supplier agreement for goods or services. Framework agreements often run for multiple years at a time and can be lucrative opportunities for your business.

Buyers often split framework agreements into ‘Lots’. These Lots means a supplier doesn’t have to deliver the whole contract. They need only apply to the area in which they specialise. For example, building material supply tenders framework agreement could have Lots for the following:

  • Lot 1 – Electrical Products
  • Lot 2 – Heavy Materials
  • Lot 3 – Timber and Joinery
  • Lot 4 – Small Tool Hire
  • Lot 5 – Paint and Solvents

Lots could also cover regional location if the project is to be carried out in multiple locations. For example:

  • Lot 1 – Birmingham
  • Lot 2 – Newcastle
  • Lot 3 – Cardiff

You can often tender for one or multiple Lots, depending on the services your organisation offers. You also need to consider if you have the resources in order to carry out multiple services and locations.

Sustainability

Building material supply tenders within the public sector will often have a section on sustainability. You may have to detail how your business will manage the following:

  • Environmental Management

An accredited ISO 14001 or equivalent will be needed here. You’ll need to state what your Environment Management System is. You’ll need to explain how it controls and mitigates the environmental impact of operations.

  • Government Buying Standards

When applying for a government framework agreement within construction, you’ll need to demonstrate how you comply with government standards. You will need to supply evidence of compliance if requested. Your business should provide products that meet Government Buying Standards best practice specifications wherever possible.

The Government Buying Standards are updated every now and again. It’s important that you keep up to date with any changes to ensure you meet the requirements. It’s worth noting that all timber or timber related products must comply with the United Kingdom Government Timber Procurement Policy. They must be purchased from legal and sustainable sources and demonstrate this by fall chain of custody evidence.

  • Sustainable Product Offering

When possible, businesses should look to use materials and products that are from recycled and renewable sources. Government building material supply tenders will be looking for suppliers who are pursuing general sustainability and good practice.

Generally speaking, a business should seek to provide sustainable product alternatives within their Base Offering where possible. Buyers will appreciate when a business indicates there’s alternative goods that’ll provide greater sustainable benefits over the goods lifetime.

  • Waste

You must comply against all relevant waste legislations, keeping an eye on any updates, amendments or changes. If anything does change throughout the life of the contract, you must update your policies. Most building material supply tenders will require the insurance that waste is taken to authorised sites for treatment or disposal. Your business will then be expected to undertake regular checks to ensure that it’s disposed of properly.

  • Giving back to the local community

The sustainability sector within your tender should focus on social values. As with all public sector tenders, it’s important to demonstrate how you will be giving back to the community. You must consider the social, economic and environmental aspects while fulfilling the contract.

Depending on the buyer, you may be asked how your business is working to deliver rehabilitation work, for example. The government wants to see more prisoners working as part of the rehabilitation of offenders. It’s worth considering how your business would provide the opportunity to learn new skills and prepare for employment on release.

  • Supply chain

Even if you are an SME yourself, the public sector likes to see the inclusion of other SMEs where possible. Your construction bids may need to evidence the use or increase the use of any SMEs within your supply chain. This could be measured through Management Information or when detailing any sub-contractors in your building material supply tender response.

How we can help you win building material supply tenders

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing. They have 60 years bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. If you’re not seeing success from your tendering efforts or are completely new to the process – we can help!

We offer four bid writing services that can help you with your next construction contract. 

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own building material supply tenders and want someone to double-check for errors, Tender Mentor can help. One of our Bid Writers will proofread your response and point out any grammar mistakes. This allows you to submit an error-free tender response.

Tender Improvement

Our Tender Improvement package is for those who are already tendering but aren’t seeing the desired results. During the course of the programme, our Bid Writers will go over your supporting documents and previous submissions. They’ll provide you with feedback and work with you to create improved content. This will help improve your chances of winning your next tender.

Tender Ready

Tender Ready is a programme designed for those who are completely new to tendering and procurement. This programme works with you to ensure you’re on the right track to tender successfully.

Tender Writing

Have you found a building material supply tender you want to go for, but don’t know where to start? Why not send it over to us and our Bid Writers will write the response for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you and give you a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf!

You now know what to expect from building material supply tenders and know how to write one. You may be wondering where exactly you can find them?

Our Construction Tenders portal can help

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking platform where we source all construction leads from across the UK. Our Opportunity Trackers source live tenders from thousands of sites, saving you countless hours.

A subscription with Construction Tenders offers you:

  • Access to all unique, public and private sector opportunities in the UK.
  • No reliance on CPV codes, allowing you access to 100% of building material supply tenders.
  • The ability to filter results by keyword, budget, location and more.
  • A dedicated on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions or queries you may have about the tendering process.
  • Discounted bid writing support from Hudson Succeed.
  • 20-minutes free consultancy every month with our bid experts.

Here are just a few examples of building material supply tenders we source:

All Wales Framework: Managed Service for the provision of Building Materials and associated products

Adra (Tai) Cyf – Wales- Budget: £500,000,000

23-09-2020 

BTS Building Materials Contingency Supply requirement 2

Luton Council- Eastern- Budget: £560,000

13-11-2020

Building Materials

NEPO- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

06-01-2020

ITT for the Supply of Building Materials

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

05-02-2021

Newport City Homes Building Materials Supply

Newport City Homes Limited- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

14-12-2020

Procurement Hub Building Materials Framework

Places for People Group Limited- North West- Budget: £200,000,000

03-08-2020

Supply and Delivery of Building Materials and Aggregates

UK Power Networks Ltd- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

25-03-2020

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a live demo of Construction Tenders.

At Construction Tenders, we source construction leads and opportunities for;

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

A Guide to Government Flooring Contracts

Posted on by John Hudson

Everything you need to write tenders for government flooring contracts

Government flooring contracts often involve the provision, supply and installation of flooring in the public sector. They could also cover the maintenance, refurbishment and renewal of flooring within government owned facilities. These could range from council houses to community centres and village halls to sports centres.

Government flooring contracts could cover the following subsections:

  • Resilient sheet
  • Resilient tile
  • Carpet tiles
  • Laminates
  • Ceramic
  • Vinyl
  • Soft flooring
  • Resin flooring
  • Hardwood flooring

Government flooring contracts could be a great opportunity to grow your business. There are often framework agreements that could secure your business a pipeline of work. If you’ve never applied for government flooring contracts, this guide will help give you a rough idea of what’s required.

Framework agreements

Framework agreements are commonly used for government procurement. A framework agreement is simply a contract agreement between multiple organisations to supply goods or services, sometimes in multiple locations.

Some frameworks can run for years at a time with the possibility of an extension. They can be lucrative opportunities for your business if you can secure a place. They can result in guaranteed pay and secure a pipeline of work, allowing you build up experience. This can place you in good stead for future contacts.

Framework agreements can use ‘Lots’. These allow businesses to work alongside other service providers in the contract. If a buyer is looking to procure multiple services, they may break it up into Lots. This means as a business you don’t have to be able to fulfil all the works. You need only apply to the lot that’s suitable for the goods, works or services your business specialises in.

An example of lots that could be available on government flooring contract framework agreements:

Lot 1 – Wood Flooring Supply and Fit

Lot 2 – Carpet Tiles Supply Only

Lot 3 – Resin Flooring Supply and Fit

Lot 4 – Entrance Matting Supply and Fit

Lot 5 – Contract and Domestic Grade Carpet Supply Only

If your business specialises in the supply and fitting of resin flooring, you’d apply for Lot 3. Some framework agreements allow businesses to apply for multiple lots. If successful, depending on the contract you could be awarded multiple Lots that you applied for. Although typically it’s never more than three at a time.

You must ask yourself before you apply to multiple lots if you have the capability to carry out the work if successful. There’s no point applying if you’re unable to provide the scope.

Economic and Financial Standing

A buyer will assess your economic and financial standing during the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) stage. It’s one of two ways the contractor assesses your business’ suitability for the contract. The other is your professional capability. Your business’ economic and financial standing is typically comprised of three things:

  1. Annual turnover – buyers assess this via your latest financial accounts.
  2. Financial ratios – This is usually found in your full financial accounts and can include the ratio of your assets to liabilities.
  3. Insurance – you want to ensure you’re aligned with the set requirements for insurance.

The minimum financial threshold for the contract is often stated within the specification. You must seriously ask yourself if your business meets this criterion. If it isn’t outlined, you are able to work this out yourself. It is unadvised to bid for projects that have a budget of more than half your annual turnover. For example, if your annual turnover is £150k, it’s not advised to bid for contacts that are more than £75k.

Case Studies

Government flooring contracts will often require you to include 2 – 3 case studies of contracts your company has fulfilled. You will likely be asked to provide details of the client, including work that’s similar in scope to the contract at hand. The examples should have been carried out within the last five years. It’s important to keep them relevant. Include examples of work within a similar geographical location is possible.

Backing these up with evidence and testimonials are two ways to impress the buyer. Depending on the required word count, you could also include how you overcame unexpected challenges. This enables you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills to the buyer and that you are flexible. Including the steps you took to avoid this could score you highly.

Timetable

A timetable is often required when writing your tender response. You may want to consider including the following within your timetable for government flooring contracts:

  • Preparation
  • General organisation of the site
  • Delivery of supplies
  • Detailed list of tasks
  • The duration
  • The various bodies and subcontractors if required
  • The means of identifying working personnel on site
  • Any minimum time constraints.

Qualifications

As with any government tender, the buyer will want to know that your business is qualified to do the job. They may ask for certain qualifications and accreditations that are relevant to the contract. Building and construction sites can be hazardous environments and accidents happen. The buyers want to be assured that your business is in keeping with best practice.

Some examples that could be relevant for government flooring contracts are:

  • CHAS
  • SafeContractor
  • CFA (Contract Flooring Association)
  • ISO 9001; 14001; 18001
  • RIDDOR
  • IOSH
  • Constructionline

MEAT

When tendering in the public sector, the construction contract is awarded to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). You should avoid undercutting yourself when pricing your services. The cheapest bid does not win. The MEAT allows the buyer to award the contract based on aspects other than price.

The buyer may take into account:

  • Environmental impact
  • Efficiency of the methodology
  • Quality of services
  • Quality of the proposed supplies
  • Accessibility
  • Customer service
  • The ability to deliver on time. 

Social Value

It’s important to note that there is a compulsory 10% weighting on social value for government contracts. One some contracts, it can hold a weight of up to 30%, so it’s not something to be overlooked. This will focus on the wider, positive impact your business will provide when delivering the contract. Organisations will be assessed on the economic, environmental and social aspects.

Public sector buyers wants you to demonstrate that your business is committed to a sustainable future. You may get extra points for aligning them with their own social values, so there’s no harm doing some research. Although bear in mind that they want to see you making pledges that you can actually keep.

Some examples of social value policies you could include in your government flooring contracts are:

  • How your business supports COVID-19 recovery.
  • How you’re creating new skills or jobs to help tackle economic equality.
  • The equal opportunity policies you implement.
  • The environmental considerations your organisation takes to fight climate change and reduce waste.

How we can help win your next government flooring contracts

Here at Hudson, we are tender writing experts. Our Bid Writers at our sister company, Hudson Succeed, have 50 years bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. We offer four tender writing packages to help you with your construction bids. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing any success in your own tendering efforts – we can help!

We have created four bid writing services that can help you see success with your next tender.

  1. Tender Mentor

If you’ve written previous government flooring contracts, but aren’t seeing any success, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Writers will assess and proofread your response in line with the spec. They’ll notify you of any errors or inconsistencies you may have before you submit.

  1. Tender Writing

Have you found a government flooring contract but don’t know where to start? You can send the specification over to our Bid Writers and they’ll take care of it all for you. They’ll write the response and even submit it on your behalf! They’ll also provide a full Tender Writing breakdown. This allows you time to focus on the more important things.

  1. Tender Improvement

Have you been tendering for government flooring contracts, but aren’t seeing any success? Our Tender Improvement package can help. During the course of the programme, our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and supporting documents. They’ll provide you with guidance and improve literature where necessary.

  1. Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for businesses who have never tendered for work before. This programme works with you, ensuring you have everything in place to tender successfully. You’ll have access to an expert Bid Consultant who can help your business grow.

Our Tender Ready and Tender Improvement packages include a 12-month subscription to our Construction Tenders portal.

Where can I find government flooring contracts?

You may be wondering where you can find government flooring contracts for your business. You likely don’t have time to trawl through hundreds of sites every day. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking platform that hosts hundreds of live construction leads from across the UK. We don’t rely on inaccurate CPV codes, our Opportunity Trackers manually upload opportunities to our portal. You’re then able to filter the results by keyword, budget, location and more.

A subscription with Construction Tenders includes:

  • Discounted bid support with Hudson Succeed.
  • Telephone support with Hudson Helpline.
  • Access to all private and public sector opportunities in the UK.
  • Daily email bulletins with government contracts uploaded that day.
  • A dedicated account manager on hand to answer any of your tendering questions.
  • And much more!

Here are just a few examples of government flooring contracts we sourced recently:

Aldersley Leisure Village Sports Hall Flooring

Wolverhampton City Council- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

22-01-2021

Flooring Contractor

North Star Housing Group LTD- North East- Budget: £45,000

25-01-2021

Hall Flooring

Marks Tey Parish Council- Eastern- Budget: £4,000

15-01-2021

MTC for Soft Flooring

Belfast City Council- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

29-01-2021

Pencoedtre High School – Soft Flooring Package

Bouygues UK- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

29-01-2021

Provision of Replacement Flooring to Bushfields’ Sports Centre

Peterborough City Council- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

05-02-2021

Book a demo with Construction Tenders

At Construction Tenders, we source opportunities for;

Book a free live demo to find out how we can help your business grow.

Road Safety Contracts: What to Expect & Where to Find Them

Posted on by John Hudson

A guide to road safety contracts and where to find them

Road safety contracts are constantly being released and large projects can be worth millions. The majority of road safety contracts are released by the public sector. They allow businesses to maintain and improve roads and transport links across the country.

Road safety contracts are great opportunities for SMEs as the government are actively awarding contracts to small businesses.

Road safety contacts, schemes, funds and grants

There are numerous schemes and grants released by the Department for Transport (DfT), Road Safety Trust and Highways England annually. These contracts can run for years at a time and provide lucrative opportunities for your business.

It isn’t just road safety contracts and schemes being awarded. The Road Safety Trust and Safer Roads Fund (SRF) often provide opportunities for grants and funding. The Road Safety Trust is re-opening their major themed grants programme on 25th February 2021. The objective questions how technology can be used to reduce road offences and improve road safety. Innovative and environmentally sustainable admissions are encouraged.

Highways England are always seeking to improve and repair hundreds of miles of England’s roads. They have a £400 million commitment to a Road Investment Strategy to specifically improve the quality of concrete roads. Most of England’s concrete roads were built in the 1960s and 70s. They have now stretched beyond their original design life, carrying up to 25% more traffic than intended.

Obviously, road safety is of the highest priority when carrying out expansions, repair works and maintenance. Over £10 billion was spent in the public sector on roads in the UK in 2019/20. As the UK’s roads are in constant need of updating, it can be assumed that there is a steady stream of road safety contracts. 

Framework agreements

Road safety contracts will often be in the form of framework agreements and schemes. They are released to procure a range of goods, works and services within construction. Traditionally, a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) will be released. This allows potential suppliers to submit a bid to provide their services. If they meet and pass the minimum eligibility criteria, they will then be sent an invitation to tender (ITT).

For framework agreements, multiple suppliers if successful, are awarded a place on the framework. Any time the buyer has a project, they can release a mini competition to those on the framework. Suppliers don’t have to submit another PQQ and can go straight to their ITT response. This saves both time and money for the supplier and buyer.

Framework agreements often include ‘Lots’. Lots can be a specific service, product or even locations. Some examples of framework lots that cover the supply of activities, materials, plant and labour are:

  • Accident Investigation
  • Land agent services
  • Infrastructure technical design
  • Road lighting
  • Risk assessments
  • Traffic signals
  • Anti-skid systems
  • Traffic regulation Order Drafting services
  • Waste management
  • Traffic surveys
  • Welfare facilities
  • Deliver incident response (rapid response)

Typically, for road safety contracts, potential suppliers can go for up to three lots at a time. Three is also the maximum number of lots that can be award to a supplier on a framework.

MEAT

As with any public sector tender, the construction contract is awarded to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). You must bear in mind that buyers look at more than just cost. The cheapest bid does not win here. The public sector is looking to get the most value for money when accepting a supplier. They will look at certain aspects individually or combined such as:

  • Environmental benefits
  • Quality
  • Innovation
  • Technical ability

Social Value

It’s worth noting that for any public sector contract, there is a mandatory 10% weighting on social value. This means when completing your response for road safety contracts, you have to consider the social, economic and environmental aspects. You must note how your organisation plans to address these, making commitments you can keep.

Within construction bids it is particularly important to note how you will achieve sustainable development. You must demonstrate how you will deliver:

  • Cleaner, more efficient production processes.
  • Reduce environmental impacts.
  • Effectively and sustainably manage waste and encourage recycling.
  • Shift towards works, goods and services with lower impacts.
  • The wellbeing of people and communities.
  • New jobs or skills to tackle economic equality.
  • Support of the recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your road safety contract response will likely need to have focus points on:

  • Quality Management System requirements with a focus on contract management.
  • Scope for innovation
  • Technological solutions
  • Health and safety
  • Equal opportunities
  • Relevant qualifications and accreditations
  • Staff and subcontractors contact information
  • Case studies of past work

Where can I find road safety contracts?

It is important that you are able to find the right road safety contracts for your business. It can take a large chunk out of your day searching hundreds of websites hosting a variety of sector opportunities.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have one central industry-specific portal that manually tracks and uploads relevant construction leads?

Enter – Construction Tenders!

Our Construction Tenders portal doesn’t rely on inaccurate CPV codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually upload hundreds of sources daily. You are able to filter the results by keyword, budget, location and more. This saves you a great deal of time so you can focus on running your business.

Here are some previous road safety contracts sourced on our portal:

Area 10 M65 Junction 2 Safety Scheme GPR, Trial Pits, Asbestos and Lighting

Highways England- North West- Budget: £25,000

24-07-2020

C1545 – Staple Lodge Road Local Safety Scheme – West Heath

Birmingham City Council- west Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

30-10-2020

Pavement and Safety Improvement Scheme

Kerry County Council- International- Budget: Undisclosed

12-10-2020

N56 Four Lane Road – N56 Four Lane Road Safety Improvement Scheme

Donegal County Council- International- Budget: Undisclosed

06-10-2020

Local Safety Schemes 20/21

Swindon Borough Council- South West- Budget: Undisclosed

16-12-2020

A subscription with Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • Access both private and public sector opportunities in the UK.
  • The ability to filter hundreds of road safety contracts by keyword, budget, location and more.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy every month with our bid experts.

At Construction Tenders, we source opportunities for;

Do you need help writing your road safety contract response?

Do you need some support with construction bids? Our sister company Hudson Succeed offers bid writing services. They have over 60 years of bidding experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re brand new to the tendering process, or you’ve tendered before – they have a service tailored for every need:

  1. A Tender Ready
  2. The Tender Improvement
  3. Tender Writing
  4. Tender Mentor

Joinery Tenders Explained

Posted on by John Hudson

Everything you need to know when applying for joinery tenders

Joinery tenders can be a great way to secure a consistent workload for your business. You may often find both carpentry and joinery tenders together.

Advantages of tendering as an SME

There are multiple benefits to tendering that you might be unaware of. If you’re new to the tendering world, it can be daunting. If you’re a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) it is a great way to secure a pipeline of work.

You might be thinking that tenders only go to large corporations, but that it isn’t the case. The UK government have actually implemented a scheme to award more SMEs tendering contracts. Their target is to spend at least £1 in £3 with SMEs. This means that public organisations are actively looking to award contracts to smaller businesses.

Below are some examples of joinery services that go out to tender:

  • First fix joinery
  • Second fix joinery
  • Internal joinery
  • External joinery
  • Door and window renovation
  • Stair installations
  • Replacements
  • Hardwood fittings
  • Metal joinery

Tendering not only opens the door to a greater number of joinery tenders, but it can bring more lucrative leads. Sole-traders and SMEs can bid for work on large joinery contracts as part of a framework agreement. These large contracts may enable you to work on a number of different projects in serval areas.

Public sector procurement

The public sector use tendering as their main way of outsourcing. Public sector businesses must put contracts out to tender if they meet or exceed the OJEU thresholds. Brexit has not changed these thresholds and they are set in place until 1st January 2022. Afterwards, a re-evaluation will take place by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Most of the joinery tenders available are for public sector organisations. These could range from educational institutions such as universities, to councils and domestic housing. There are joinery tenders in the private sector, but they’re more difficult to find. This is because they don’t have to go out to tender, unlike in the public sector.

When a business is looking to procure goods or services, they may put a contract out to tender. When the tender documents are released, a supplier can then apply. They can usually do this by completing the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). PQQs cover the status of your organisation. You’ll often be required to provide your companies finances, quality management and environmental, social and health and safety policies. A buyer may want you to provide additional case studies and testimonials. This is to ensure that potential suppliers are used to carrying out similar contracts and work.

Typically, the majority of joinery tenders can be found as part of framework agreements or Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS).

Framework agreements

Framework agreements are commonly used for joinery tenders. A framework agreement is simply a contract agreement between one or more organisations. Tenders often focus on a single supplier delivering the required services or goods. However, frameworks aim to establish a multi-supplier agreement. This is good news if you’re and SME because there are more places available.

Joinery tenders on framework agreements are often for longer term contracts that could last multiple years. Buyers release a framework opportunity and award places to the best suppliers. The majority of frameworks include ‘Lots’. This means a supplier doesn’t have to deliver every aspect of the contract. They need only apply for the relevant section.

For example, a large framework may entail the refurbishment of council housing across the UK. The contracting authority would set out the specifications of the framework and assign different Lots for the different services required. Each Lot could refer to a different area in the UK or subcategory. For example:

  • Lot 1 – London
  • Lot 2 – West Midlands
  • Lot 3 – East Midlands

Or:

  • Lot 1 – Plumbing
  • Lot 2 – Flooring
  • Lot 3 – Joinery

You can tender for one or multiple Lots, depending on where you’re based and the services your organisation offers.

DPS

A Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is essentially a supply chain list where tenders or other bid opportunities are published. These bidding opportunities are only published to specific members that have been successful in winning a place on the list.

They do this via completing a PQQ or SQ (selection questionnaire), similar to a framework agreement. This helps buyer narrow down the suppliers they are then going to give invitations to tenders to (ITTs). The supplier has to get into the DPS in order to be invited to tender. Once a place is secured, a supplier doesn’t have to keep doing the PQQ each time a tendering opportunity arises. Every time a new tender is published relating to joinery, if you’re on the DPS, you’re automatically invited to tender. This saves time for both the supplier and the buyer.

Qualifications and Accreditations

There are some qualifications and accreditations that are worth having when applying for joinery tenders. Some examples of these are:

  • ISO 9001; 14001
  • Construction industry Training Board (CITB)
  • Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)
  • British Woodworking Federation (BWF)

3 questions to consider before you begin writing joinery tenders

  1. Can deliver the contract of work?

This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many businesses don’t consider their resources prior to bidding. Although, in most cases, the buyer will be able to assess your capabilities in the PQQ stage. You need to ask yourself if you are able to deliver the contract if you are successful. Do you have enough resources? There’s no point wasting time and money on crafting a response if you can’t deliver. 

  1. Do you meet the financial thresholds?

Is there a minimum turnover threshold that you have to meet? Buyers will often set a minimum financial threshold in order to ensure the supplier can deliver the work. When writing your joinery tenders, you need to check if the financial threshold is outlined. If it is, do you meet it?

If it isn’t outlined, you are still able to determine whether you will meet the requirements. You shouldn’t bid for projects with a budget that’s greater than half your annual turnover. For example, if the buyer states that the contract budget is £200k, your business should turnover more than £400k. This is an easy way for you to work out if you can meet the financial threshold.

  1. Do you have the relevant experience and evidence?

You will most likely be asked to provide relevant case studies of past work that’s of a similar calibre. These examples are usually required in the PQQ stage. You’ll often be asked for up to three previous examples of contracts you’ve completed that are of a similar nature. Buyers want you to demonstrate that you can carry out the project at hand. You want to make sure that your examples relate to the specification. As a general rule of thumb, you should choose examples within the last five years.

How we can help you win your next joinery tender

Here at Hudson, we are tender writing experts. Our Bid Writers at sister company, Hudson Succeed, have an 87% success rate and over 40-years bid writing experience. If you are completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing any success in your own tendering efforts – we can help!

We have created four bid writing services that can help you win your next construction contract.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for businesses who are completely new to tendering. This programme works with you, ensuring that you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve already been tendering for work but aren’t seeing success, our Tender Improvement programme is for you. During the course of the programme, we’ll assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. Our Bid Writers will provide feedback and then make any amendments that will increase your chances of winning.

Tender Writing

Have you found a joinery tender you want to go for, but don’t have the time? Send it over to our Bid Team and they will write your response for you. They can also ask any clarification questions and let you know if they need any additional information from you. They’ll even submit the bid on your behalf!

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own joinery tender and want someone to double-check for errors, then Tender Mentor is for you. Our Bid Writers will assess your work in line with the spec. They’ll proofread it and point out any grammar errors, spelling mistakes or inconsistences within your bid.

Both our Tender Ready and Tender Improvement packages include a 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders.

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a live demo of Construction Tenders.

At Construction Tenders, we source construction leads and opportunities for;

Below are some past joinery tenders sourced on our Construction Tenders portal:

18 Otley Road, Keswick – Lot 2 Internal joinery, first fix and services

Allerdale Borough Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

22-12-2020

18 Otley Road, Keswick – Lot 3 External works, second fix M&E and joinery finishes

Allerdale Borough Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

22-12-2020

GB-Middlesbrough: ERDF – Presentation Portal and Integration Software for ERW Joinery

Teesside University- North East- Budget: £50,000

06-01-2021

Joinery repair and minor works for Mid Ulster District Council

Mid Ulster District Council- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

24-08-2020

Why not contact us today to find out more about how Construction Tenders can benefit your business.

Considerations for Housing Development Agency Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

The top 3 things to consider before bidding for housing development agency tenders

Housing development agency tenders are the most common way for buyers to discover suppliers who can undertake a housing project. But what exactly is a housing development agency tender?

The basics

In short, a tender is a notice that a buyer would like to procure goods, services, or works. These buyers often don’t have the skills or capacity to deliver the requirements themselves. In order to obtain these goods, services, or works, the buyer offers third-party suppliers a contract.

Due to the nature of tendering, buyers must select suppliers fairly, openly, and transparently. This is done in the form of a bidding process where suppliers will submit their individual bids. These bid responses will outline the specific advantages of using their business as a supplier. From here, the buyer can then begin to evaluate the responses. In most cases, the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) will win.

What is there to consider when bidding for a housing development agency tender?

Knowing the basics of tendering is the first hurdle to seeing success. The next is knowing which housing development agency tenders are suitable for your business. It can be quite tempting to jump in and want to go for all available tenders. However, if you follow our Hudson Insight Series, you will know tendering can be a time-consuming process. Before beginning the bidding process, you will need to have an idea of the tender’s suitability for your business. Make sure you have a process in place for qualifying opportunities. This can help you to avoid wasting time and effort and give you a greater chance of success. We know there is a lot to consider when tendering for work. So, here is a breakdown of the top 3 things to consider before bidding for a housing development agency tender.

  1. Budgets

A vital part of tendering is pricing. Although pricing is typically weighted less than quality on construction tenders, pricing that is too high may lose important marks. Make sure you look at the pricing guidance if this is available. This guidance will be the key to understanding if the opportunity will be suitable for your business. Is there enough money in this? Will you make a profit? Is it financially worth bidding for?

Buyers will often require that potential suppliers meet their financial threshold. This is often referred to as your economic financial standing. A general rule of thumb is to aim for opportunities that are half your turnover or lower.

If no budget is established with the buyer, then assess workloads as per the specification. This will provide an approximation as to how much is to be delivered (cost-wise). Ideally, you want to aim for the lowest price, that still makes a profit. 

  1. Evaluation Scope 

The most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) is the most common way for buyers to assess their potential suppliers. Each section of the response will be weighted in the form of a percentage of the overall tender score. The most common sections which are required from the buyer are quality and pricing.

Pricing describes the cost of the contract. As we have explained, you will submit your best price for the project. This will then be weighed against your competitor’s pricing.

Quality indicates your capabilities to deliver the contract.

Here the buyer can ask:

  • Pass/fail questions which cover the most essential requirements. If these questions are failed, you will likely be excluded from the next stage.
  • Your experience in the form of case studies.
  • How you plan to deliver the contract.
  • Your technical experience.
  • Your staff’s capabilities and CV’s.

Once you have submitted your tender it will be scored against the buyers weighting with the highest score winning.

An example

A buyer publishes an ITT. In your response, they will weight pricing as 30% of the overall tender score. Quality is weighted at 70%. This information tells you that in your response you should focus on your quality and technical expertise. The lower value of pricing says you can afford to be more competitive, however, you must have the quality to back this up.

  1. Scope of work

Another important factor when identifying housing development agency tenders is the delivery of your services. The scope of work gives you an idea of what is expected of you. When looking through this, you will need to consider:

  • The location- Are you close enough to this site to deliver the contract effectively? Will you need staff based in multiple locations? Will the buyer accept remote working where possible?
  • Your pipeline- Do you have any work lined up which will affect your delivery of this contract? Are there any possible extensions with this contract? If the work will not commence until a later date, will you have enough work in the meantime?
  • Staffing- Do you have enough available staff to deliver this contract? Do your employees have the necessary experience?

Having this checklist to hand can help you effectively identify opportunities to suit your business.

Is there still a need for housing development agency tenders?

In the UK’s current climate, it can be easy to assume tendering opportunities across all sectors will be limited. Between the pandemic and its aftereffects, Brexit, and recessions, is the economy able to justify new housing development agency tenders?

The good news is, in spite of everything that’s going on, the construction industry has been consistently releasing tenders.

An update from the National Housing Federation has revealed:

Ahead of publishing its consultation response in the spring, the government has advised that any policy changes and reforms arising from the Planning for the Future proposals will take time to implement, and that planners should not delay their delivery of local plans.

MHCLG has advised that it will publish its response to the Planning for the Future White Paper consultation in the spring, setting out its decisions on the proposed way forward including preparing for potential legislation in the autumn. The response will focus on developing the next level of policy detail, after having considered the feedback provided. Read our response to the consultation.

The reform set out in the white paper will take a few years to implement, and the government is therefore advising planning authorities not to delay their preparation regarding local plans. Planners are encouraged to progress the approval of development management decisions, including S106 agreements and the delivery of affordable housing through this means.

Where can I find these tenders? 

We can see there is still a need for housing development agency tenders. The next question is where can you find these tenders?

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking portal designed to be a time-saving tool for your business. We source from thousands of sites every week, making sure you have access to 100% of housing development agency tenders.

A subscription to Construction Tenders offers you:

  • A team of Opportunity Trackers sourcing public and private security bids from 1000s of sites.
  • A dedicated Account Manager on-hand to answer technical or tendering queries you may have.
  • No reliance on CPV codes or algorithms. Our team manually upload each tender, making sure that you have access to all public and private security bids.
  • The ability to filter bid opportunities by sector, keyword, budget, and location.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free live bid consultancy every month with our bid experts.

Here are some recent examples of housing development agency tenders we have sourced:

Proposed Housing Development at Convent Road, Doneraile, Co. Cork

Cork County Council- Republic of Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

27-10-2020

Construction of Five Flats and associated Works on Oakfield Road, Stapleford

Broxtowe Borough Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

26-10-2020

South and Mid-Wales Residential Construction DPS

LHC for the Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA)- Wales- Budget: £5,000,000,000

25-10-2020

New Development at Great Chesterford, Essex

Uttlesford District Council- South East- Budget: £1,900,000

02-10-2020

Better Homes – Affordable Housing & Supported Living Provision

Scarborough Borough Council- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

02-10-2020

How do you secure a housing development agency tender? 

Now you know how to find and identify your perfect tender, how do you succeed in securing a construction contract? Bid writing can be a daunting process. The process requires having CV’s, policies and case studies at the ready, and also answering some in-depth quality questions. It’s not uncommon to wonder if you need some extra support. Many successful suppliers look to outsource this process to the professionals to ensure maximum chances of success.

Hudson Succeed can help.

Hudson Succeed is our bid writing division. They support businesses who are:

  • New to tendering.
  • Struggling to see success from their tendering efforts.
  • Requiring assistance from expert Bid Writers through ad-hoc support for important construction bids.

Our team hold an 87% bid success rate. They have secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients.

Here are some examples of the services we offer:

Book a free demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to find all the best housing development agency tenders is through Construction Tenders. Why not contact us today to find out more about how Construction Tenders can benefit your business.

At Construction Tenders, we actively source construction leads and tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Contact us today and allow us to help you grow your business with Construction Tenders.

How to Win Building Contracts

Posted on by John Hudson

Our top tips on how to win building contracts

If you’re wondering how to win building contracts, you’ve come to the right place.

Building contracts cover a plethora of different areas within the construction world. So, it can be daunting knowing where to start. Luckily for you, this blog will guide you in the right direction in securing construction contracts in the UK.

Obviously, the main purpose when you write a tender is to win. If you’re not seeing the results you want, hopefully, this blog will help you win your next building contract.

Building contracts is such a broad term, so here are just a few examples of subsections within construction bids:

  • Bricklaying
  • Welding
  • Digging
  • Pipelines
  • Cementing
  • Flatwork
  • Flooring

Today, we will be looking into how to win building contracts. First, let’s look at the different types of building contracts:

  • Commercial building contracts

Commercial building contracts are the most common way in which buyers find suppliers in construction. Building projects are quite often large projects. A commercial building contract could seek suppliers to construct warehouses, shopping centres or office towers, for example.

To find a supplier, a buyer will publish a tender for building contracts. The buyer will then collect and analyse bids from competing suppliers and the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) wins.

  • Public and private sector tenders

Many public sector organisations appoint a framework of contractors to construct a package of projects. The public sector includes government works and there are often more building contract opportunities to be found here. There are also opportunities within the private sector, but these are more difficult to source.

A contract sets out the relationship and expectations between two parties. Building construction contracts for tender typically outline the allocation risk and price. Below are some additional popular building construction contracts for tender within the UK:

  • NEC (The New Engineering Contract)
  • CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building)
  • JCT (The Joint Contracts Tribunal)

PAS 91

The PAS91 is a standardised pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) for the construction industry. You have to pass this in order to be considered for the building contract. For this, you must provide policies and answer some questions regarding:

  • Health & Safety
  • Quality Assurance
  • Equal Opportunities & diversity
  • Environmental Considerations

Luckily, if you’re an SME, the PAS91 is designed with you in mind. It simplifies the process in order to encourage more SMEs to become suppliers. The PAS91 helps buyers identify the most suitably qualified contractors quicker, using fewer resources. Essentially, it ensures that suppliers are qualified and fit the minimum standards required for the contract. This is all to help the buyers achieve a more sustainable procurement.

Note: if you’re a Constructionline member, you are automatically PAS91 complaint for some questions. This does not mean you can skip this stage completely. You may still need to complete a few questions.

5 Top tips for how to win building contracts

Below are five tips on how to win building contracts. Primarily, you need to think about what the buyer wants. Then, you want to convince them that you’re the best organisation for the job.

  1. Be the MEAT

A MEAT doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest bid wins the contract. It simply means the buyer is looking for a contractor who can provide the best value throughout their bid. Contracts within the public sector are where a MEAT comes out on top.

Don’t make the mistake of deliberately pricing low-cost bids in an attempt to win. This could result in you making a loss after you’ve completed the project. This could also annoy your clients. Pricing lower cost bids could result in you failing to meet quality standards or having to then ask for additional funding. Neither of which, we’re sure you’ll want to do.

Instead, you should write your proposal to demonstrate how you will deliver an outstanding service to the client. Remember, you want to provide added value to the building works. This is frequently forgotten about. Below are some examples of what you could include:

  • Investment in the buyer’s customers. You could do this by employing local people or subcontractors to deliver the works.
  • Upskilling local communities via skills workshops, apprenticeships or work placements.
  • Planning work to minimise the project costs. You could do this by bulk ordering materials in advance to save on cost and avoid delays.
  • Reducing waste from your site by repurposing it.

  1. Be specific

Study the specification as if your life depends on it. It’s there to help and will tell you, in great detail, the requirements of the project. Buyers want to know exactly how you’re going to deliver the works.

Give as much detail as you can within the set word count or page limit. This suggests how much detail the buyer wants you to go into. If they’re asking for a 500-word response, simply writing a couple of sentences won’t be sufficient. There’s a reason the question is asking for 500 words. Go into as much detail as you can, both clearly and concisely.

  1. Demonstrate relevant past experience

In order to win a building contract, you need to demonstrate that you have past relevant experience. Buyers want to see how successful you have been in the past when fulfilling similar contracts. You want to demonstrate your proven track record of a project of similar complexity. You’ll likely get the age-old question that goes a little like this:

“Please provide 3 examples which demonstrate your technical capability in the market”.

When answering, remember to keep it relevant. Make sure you’re showing work of a similar calibre. Each bid should be tailored, compelling and fitting with the specification. You will usually be asked for three past case studies. It’s also worth noting the importance of timeframe when presenting your case studies. In our experience, you should provide case studies from the last five years, no later if possible.

  1. Be prepared to provide qualifications

Relevant qualifications and accreditations are often required with any building contract. Building and construction sites can be hazardous environments and accidents do happen. You want to make sure your organisation is in keeping with health and safety regulations. You also need relevant accreditations and qualifications to demonstrate a safe worksite. These could include:

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

  1. Prepare your social value responses

Social value is an important part of every government contract and proposal, no matter the industry. Social value now has a minimum weighting of 10% within any public sector contract. It can hold of a weight of up to 30% in some tenders so it’s not something to just brush over. The three main aspects you need to focus on and include are:

  • Environmental
  • Social
  • Economic

Your sustainable development goals should maximise and protect the social values and impacts mentioned above. Don’t be vague. Buyers want to see you making commitments that you can actually keep to in this section. For example:

  • The environmental considerations you will take to reduce waste and fight climate change.
  • How you’re creating new skills and jobs in order to tackle economic inequality.
  • The equal opportunity policies you implement within your organisation.

This section would be a good place to include your ISO 14001. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also important to mention how your organisation supports COVID-19 recovery.

If you’ve tried the tips above but still aren’t having any luck in winning building contacts, we can help.

We offer bid writing services

Now you understand how to win building contracts in practice, but do you actually have the time it takes?

Enter our sister company, Hudson Succeed.

They have over 40 years bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. The team provides four levels of bid writing support to maximise your success. Whether you’re brand new to the tendering process or you’ve tendered before, they have a service tailored for every need:

  1. A Tender Ready programme.
  2. The Tender Improvement package.
  3. Tender Writing Services.
  4. Tender Mentor support.

Where can I find building contract opportunities?

So, now you know how to win building contract, you’re probably wondering where you can find such opportunities. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through thousands of websites every day. If only there was one convenient, central portal that manually uploaded live building contracts daily. Well, look no further than our Construction Tenders portal.

Our 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 to save you countless hours so you can 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 of free consultancy every month with our bid experts.

Here are just a few examples of past building contracts we sourced recently:

Merchant Framework 2021-2025

EFFICIENCY EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED- East Midlands- Budget £90,000,000

16-11-2020

Supply and Delivery of Cycle Lane Defenders

Inverclyde Council- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

09-10-2020

Pylon Footbridge Concrete Repairs

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

12-10-2020

Proposed New Performance Auditorium at Conc na Gaoithe, Chapel Street, Tulla, Co Clare for Ceoltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

Tulla Comhaltas Development Committee- International- Budget: Undisclosed

19-10-2020

Bowmer and Kirkland – NUoP Phase 1 Early engagement / opportunity

Cambridgeshire District Councils- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

09-10-2020

Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT) – Off-Site Manufactured Housing – Market Engagement

Birmingham City Council- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

06-11-2020

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:

Contact us today and allow us to help you grow your business with Construction Tenders.

Finding Success with Infrastructure Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Infrastructure Tenders: providing the answers to your commonly asked questions 

How does tendering work?

Infrastructure tenders are published by a wide range of buyers, from public authorities to private organisations. Tendering for work creates an opportunity for you to secure contracts which can better establish your business. But how does tendering actually work?

The good news is infrastructure tenders are not a completely foreign concept. Large infrastructure projects often feature a principle organisation that manages the overall project. But for the work included within the project, you can find hundreds of subcontractors providing different resources and services. Infrastructure tenders are similar in that this principle organisation is searching for a subcontractor. They may be looking for a single contractor to undertake a project. They could even require a number of suppliers to provide services as part of a framework agreement. Either way, there is a need for specific works to be completed.

Is now a good time to bid for infrastructure tenders?

With the global pandemic leaving many businesses struggling, is now the time to tender for work?

If you follow our Hudson Insight Series, you will already know the advantages of tendering for work. From gaining experience to making new contacts, tendering is a fantastic way to grow your business.

The current climate may not have had as much impact on tendering as you would first think. Throughout the lockdowns in the UK, Construction Tenders has been uploading a record number of opportunities.

Recent infrastructure tenders we sourced include:

Infrastructure Works Between Pelaw and Bede Stations, Collectively Forming the Metro Flow Programme

Nexus- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

05-10-2020

WCCC20-443 – Supply, Delivery and Installation of Bus Infrastructure Portlaw, Co. Waterford

Waterford City and County Council- International- Budget: Undisclosed

02-10-2020

SBC – Project 1692 – Construction of a New Train Halt, Platform and Associated Structural Works on Southend Pier

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council- South East- Budget: £ 500,000

29-09-2020

Energy Recovery Facility (\’ERF\’) Construction Works including all Buildings, Infrastructure and Works for the North London Heat and Power Project (\’NLHPP\’)

North London Waste Authority- London- Budget: £ 683,000,000

11-09-2020

Gas Sub Duct Infrastructure Project

Lancaster University- North West- Budget: £ 200,000

31-07-2020

It is important to note that the public sector may end up putting more funding into infrastructure tenders. Insight from the International Monetary Fund has revealed:

Low-interest rates globally also signal that the time is right to invest. Savings are plenty, the private sector is in waiting mode, and many people are unemployed and able to take up jobs created through public investment. Private investment is depressed, owing to acute uncertainty on the future of the pandemic and the economic outlook. Thus, in many countries, the time is now to undertake high-quality public investment in priority projects. It can be done by borrowing at low cost.”

By increasing public spending with infrastructure tenders, the UK economy will benefit in the long-term. Infrastructure alone is essential for enabling high productivity in an economy. Now is the time to bid for infrastructure tenders.

Are you facing these common problems? – We have a solution.

Like anything business-related, it can’t always be smooth sailing. Bidding for infrastructure tenders can be time-consuming and stressful, to say the least. Although the benefits of tendering far outweigh the drawbacks, you may find yourself stuck and questioning how to move forward.

Our team of bid writers at Hudson Succeed know the strains that bidding for an infrastructure tender can bring. With an 87% success rate, our team have worked tirelessly to perfect their bidding strategy. If you’ve ever asked yourself one of these questions, Hudson Succeed has an easy and convenient solution.

Why is tendering so time-consuming?

Where do I start with tendering?

How can I be more efficient with infrastructure tenders?

Our Solution: Create a bid library and get Tender Ready

When you are first looking into tendering as part of your business plan, the process can appear longwinded. Once you have your head around what the buyer is asking, you have to submit a bid. With pre-qualification questionnaires, case studies, CV’s, and policies to create for each bid, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

If your bidding process is leaving you feeling this way, we have some good news.

Although each bid will have to be bespoke for the tender, you don’t have to start from scratch each time. Supporting documents such as case studies, CV’s and policies can be used for each bid. Once you have created these documents make sure you keep them filed in your “bid library”. This bid library will act as a base for each tender. It is comprised of a collection of documents and perfected responses used within your bidding strategy. It is important to note these documents may need a slight adjustment to suit the tender. However, having the base can save a lot of time. Ultimately having this bid library in place can save time, effort and improve your overall bidding efficiency.  

How can Hudson Succeed help me to get Tender Ready?

For support with your bid library try our Tender Ready programme. This is one of our most popular services as it ensures that you have everything in place to tender successfully.

This includes:

  • A 12-month Discover subscription to Construction Tenders.

This service provides you with access to all infrastructure tenders within the UK. With this, you receive a dedicated account manager and daily notifications via email of opportunities suited to you.

  • The development of an organisation-wide bid library

This includes developing new bid-specific content ranging from 3 Case Studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies. We provide a templated library for your team to manage all content easily when it comes to bidding.  We arrange all of your company credentials, undertaking a full bid library audit, and provide advice and guidance.

  • 3 days’ worth of bid consultancy: You can choose from one of the following options:

  1. 3 days of bid consultancy support towards one tender, private sector proposal or public sector framework.
  2. A bespoke proposal covering up to 5,000 words of boilerplate responses accustomed to your company. This is fully editable and designed on Microsoft Word.
  3. 3 days Bid consultancy, coaching and training with Hudson’s senior team.
  • Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals with over 40 years of bidding experience.
  • Support from dedicated bid consultants with the programme lasting up to 3 months.

To summarise, the Tender Ready package is an investment in your successful tendering journey.

Why have I not been successful in securing infrastructure tenders?

How do I improve my bid strategy?

What can I take away from my feedback?

The solution: Use your feedback to improve your bidding strategy.

Discovering you have been unsuccessful in securing an infrastructure tender can leave you feeling disheartened. As we have previously discussed, tendering can be a lengthy process. Not seeing results despite the time spent during the process can be difficult to process. To keep moving forward you must ask for feedback on the unsuccessful bid. Make sure you are aware of the strengths and weaknesses within your bid writing and use it to your advantage. With a few minor tweaks, you can find yourself seeing more success.

How can Hudson Succeed help me to improve?

Via Hudson Succeed we provide a Tender Improvement package. With this, we carry out full reviews on any unsuccessful tenders. By analysing previous tenders and giving bespoke feedback, you will have a clear understanding of how to improve your strategy. Similar to Tender Ready, you will also receive consultancy time and a 12-month subscription to Construction Tenders. This package will ultimately help you to improve your strategy and secure your chosen infrastructure tenders.

How can I get some confidence in producing a tender?

Where can I get an extra pair of eyes to look at my tender?

What can I do to produce an error-free bid? 

The Solution: Proofread your bid and get a Tender Mentor

When you are working tirelessly on an infrastructure tender, it can be difficult to notice small mistakes. Even when working within a team, errors often go unnoticed and can have detrimental effects on your bid. To find and correct these errors, you will need to enlist the help of a qualified proof-reader. However, finding someone who has the time and experience to proofread your tender can be a task in itself.

Can Hudson Succeed mentor me through the bidding process?

Our team at Hudson Succeed have over 40 years’ worth of experience in creating successful bids. They know better than anyone the importance of having an extra pair of eyes to look over your bid. Our Tender Mentor service was created with this in mind. With this service, you will not only have your work proofread but also get vital guidance. This guidance will ensure your bid for an infrastructure tender is perfected. Our team has experience in securing infrastructure tenders from a variety of sectors. They know how to make your business stand out from the crowd and produce an error-free bid. But most importantly, they know what it takes to secure a construction contract in the UK. 

Do I have the time to write this tender?

How do I ensure I secure this tender?

Who can I outsource this process to?

Solution: Enlist the help of professional Bid Writers

If you don’t have the time or resources to create construction bids in-house then look no further than Hudson Succeed. Our Tender Writing Service is used by clients who require bid support on a more ad-hoc basis. When you outsource this process to our team you will receive a fully developed bid submission. Our team are trusted by over 700 businesses globally and they proudly hold an 87% bid success rate. Maybe don’t have the capabilities to produce a bid. You may even want to make sure you secure an important bid. Whatever your dilemma is, Tender Writing is the perfect service for you!

Where can I find infrastructure tenders?

If you would like access to all available infrastructure tenders within the UK, then look no further than Construction Tenders! Our subscription service provides you with everything you need to discover construction leads and your perfect tender. Alongside the tenders you will also receive:

  • A dedicated account manager
  • Daily email bulletins with infrastructure tenders uploaded that day
  • Telephone support with Hudson Helpline
  • Discounted bid support with Hudson Succeed
  • And much more!

At Construction Tenders, we source opportunities for;

Book your free demo with Construction Tenders today!

Planning Tenders – Everything You Need to Know About Construction Planning Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Planning tenders – what are they and where to find them

Planning tenders is critical in construction and should be the first phase of any project. The planning phase is arguably the most important because it’s where you realise if you can materialise a project.

The general construction process can be broken down into four essential phases:

  • Planning
  • Pre-construction
  • Construction
  • Close out

What you need for planning tenders:

Communication

While planning tenders in pre-construction, the owner, architect and construction manager typically have a discussion about what they’re building. Then, they see if it is doable via the scope and quality assumptions. This is what architects usually refer to as the Conceptual Design phase. A robust communication strategy is essential for the success of the project. Collaboration and communication with stakeholders is paramount. Clear and precise communication throughout all levels of the project team is essential for the successful completion of any project.

Detail

It is imperative not to rush this planning stage. You will want to have as detailed a plan as possible as the devil is in the detail. The most successful construction projects start with a meticulously detailed and carefully conceived plan. Often people are eager to brush over it. If you do this, it may come back to bite you later.

Pre-construction and Design Management

When planning tenders and pre-construction, design management is a crucial step. The Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA) has a clear four-stage framework. This is a good place to start.

It includes:

  1. Preparation and brief
  2. Concept design
  3. Detailed design
  4. Technical design

A buyer will often state their Building Information Modelling (BIM) requirements. This is typically done in the pre-construction planning stage of a project. It’s at this point that you should mention any ISO accreditations you may have. You want to make sure that you’re conveying how you can deliver this.

What is a tender?

A tender is a submission made by a prospective supplier in response to an invitation to tender (ITT). It’s how many public and private sector organisations procure goods and services.

The ITT may follow the completion of the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) in response to an advert posted by the client. In construction, they are used by buyers as the first stage of selection. PQQs enable a buyer to create a shortlist of suppliers that are most suitable for the particular project in hand. It’s basically where you put down company information and check statements that you aren’t involved in collusion. The point of doing this is that it helps reduce inefficiency within the tendering process.

In the construction industry, it’s likely that you’ll come across a PAS-91. The PAS-91 has been developed by the British Standards Institute to save companies from filling out multiple PQQs. It’s a type of PQQ that’s slightly longer but has the same basic ‘what have you done’ approach.

There are two main benefits of the PAS-91:

  • For core modules, questions are standardised. Due to this, you can then develop standard responses to use every time.
  • If you hold the required accreditations, exemption is granted from some core sections. This will save you time in the long run.

The advantages of tendering:

There are many advantages to tendering, but it can seem a daunting process if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Here are just a few advantages:

  • Guaranteed pay (public sector)
  • Sustainability
  • Gain experience
  • Make contacts

6 things to consider when tendering

  1. How long you’ve been trading for can make a big difference

It has been known for new businesses to win construction bids tenders. However, in our experience, it seems that three years or more experience is best. This is because buyers can sometimes ask to see three years, or more, worth of accounts. So that’s something to bear in mind. It’s worth noting that these accounts often have to be presented in the name that your business currently trades under.

  1. Can you deliver the contract?

This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses apply for tenders without checking the requirements. In most cases, the buyer will be able to assess your capabilities based on the PQQ. So, it’s unlikely that you would be awarded a construction contract that you can’t deliver. It’s worth bearing this in mind. You don’t want to waste money, time and resources only to be eliminated down the line. If you read what is expected from you, it can be avoided all together.

  1. You must be competitively priced

Your proposed pricing must remain competitive. Although typically pricing is weighted less than quality on construction tenders, if your pricing is too high, you may lose out. When planning tenders, you want to aim for the lowest price, that still makes a profit. If you over charge for your services, then there’s little point in investing the time for your written response.

  1. Required financial threshold

Buyers tend to assess your economic financial standing during the initial stages of a tender. It’s primarily made up of three things:

  • Annual turnover

Buyers assess this via your latest financial accounts. You may be asked to attach these as part of the tender. It’s important to note that you should only apply to tenders that are 40 – 50% of your annual turnover.

  • Financial ratios

Asset test ratios might be assessed automatically through your attached accounts as part of your tender submission. You may be asked to input this separately within the document. Your accountant should be able to support you with this.

  • Insurance

You want to make sure you are aligned with the requirement set for insurance. Buyers will usually allow you to increase your levels of insurance if you don’t have these at the time.

  1. The buyer cares about the quality of your writing

No matter what industry you are in, the quality of your writing counts. Three things to keep in mind when writing your responses are:

  • Keep it concise.
  • Be assertive.
  • Utilise the word count.

By following these three simple tips, your quality of writing will be well on the way to scoring well. If the word count is 1,000, then the buyer is expecting you to provide a detailed response. The more detailed the better. The best way to achieve this is to plan your responses. The use of subheadings is a good way to get going on planning tender responses.

If you’re not a natural-born writer and you need a little help, take a look at our Tender Writing service. With this service, our Bid Writers will:

Call or email us for a free quote.

  1. You must have experience and evidence to back it up

Strong examples and experiences of delivering projects in the past is crucial. The buyers want to know that you have handled a project like this before and that you can deliver. A few things that can help you on your way are:

  • Three relevant past contract example case studies.
  • Good references from past clients.
  • CCS reports.
  • National awards and nominations are beneficial.
  • Before, during and after photos from previous projects.
  • Fully completed risk assessments and method statements.
  • Site audits and completed reports.

Preparing a selection of previous examples of your past work will result in a stronger bid.

Where can I find planning tenders?

Once you’ve taken all of this information into account, you might be asking yourself where you can find such opportunities. You likely don’t have the time to look through 1000+ websites every day but luckily for you, we have the solution.

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking platform where we source all the construction leads and tenders from across the UK. We then upload them in one convenient place to save you countless hours.

A subscription with Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • A team of opportunity trackers sourcing planning tenders from 1000’s of sites.
  • Access to all private and public sector opportunities in the UK.
  • A dedicated account manager on-hand to answer any queries or questions you may have.
  • The ability to filter opportunities by keyword, location, budget and more.
  • No reliance on CPV codes or algorithms. Our team manually upload each tender making sure that you have access to 100% of planning tenders.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy every month with our bid experts. 

Here are just a few examples of planning tenders we sourced recently:

The Production of a Masterplan for West Bromwich Town Centre

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council- West Midlands- Budget: £200,000

14-09-2020

Masterplanning Consultancy Services

National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway)- International- Budget: £1,200,000

07-09-2020

Multiversity Campus Blackpool: Masterplan and Delivery Plan

Blackpool Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

02-09-2020

Yateley Town Council Neighbourhood Plan

Yateley Town Council- South East- Budget: £12,000

21-08-2020

Urban Design and Regeneration Masterplanning Consultancy Services for Regeneration and Development of lands at Canal Avenue, Mullingar Co. Westmeath.

Westmeath County Council- International- budget: £300,000

10-09-2020

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a free live demo of Construction Tenders. Why not contact us today to find out more about how Construction Tenders can benefit your business.

At Construction Tenders, we source opportunities for;

Everything You Need To Know When Applying for Architectural Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

A guide to architectural tenders

(Updated May 2022)

In this blog, we go through everything you need to know when applying for architectural tenders.

What is an architectural tender?

Architectural tenders are an invitation to submit a bid in an attempt to be part of a project.

Applying for architectural tenders can seem intimidating at first for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Especially as the government’s definition of an SME excludes over 70 per cent of UK architecture firms. However, the government is making more of an effort in order to combat this issue. Their target is to spend £1 in every £3 with SME businesses, so don’t write off applying for that tender just yet. They want to guarantee the growth of SMEs, giving smaller companies a chance at winning. This means there has never been a better time to start bidding on tenders. Over the years, construction has continued to be the largest public sector expenditure by volume and value.

There are a number of things to consider when applying for architectural tenders. Luckily, we’ve made a list of the eight most important, so you don’t have to.

  1. Typical Weightings

The typical weighting of an architectural tender is roughly 70% quality and 30% cost. Although in 2018, via the Mayor of London’s Architecture, Design and Urbanism Panel (ADUP), there was a new section added. The weighting was of 70% quality, 25% cost and 5% equality, diversity and inclusion. This change appeared in some tenders, specifically in London, so it’s something to consider when looking into applying for tenders.

  1. Framework Management

When applying for an architectural tender, demonstrating your proposed framework is a given. The Royal Institute for British Architecture’s (RIBA) Plan of Work 2020 is a seven-stage framework for all disciplines on construction projects. It’s probably the best place to start and the best guide to follow.

A framework agreement usually asks for multiple suppliers to deliver goods and services under one contract. Frameworks can be a good place to start if you’re a new or small business. Subcontracting opportunities may not require as much experience or turnover as if you were the sole supplier on a contract.

  1. Cost Management

Although cost management could be weighted significantly less than quality it’s by no means less important, as prices are competitive. You should be considering the affordability, design fees and how you ensure project designs are developed according to affordability parameters. You might need to reflect on how you would handle a project that’s over budget. It may be worth including the lessons you’ve learnt from previous experiences and how you overcame challenges. This should be detailed in your case studies. Bear in mind that public sector buyers look for MEAT, (The Most Economically Advantageous Tender).

  1. Stakeholder Management

When applying for architectural tenders, it’s important that you consider the views of all stakeholders. Ensuring they share your design vision from the start is critical. Involving stakeholders and different groups of people in the process can help you establish and prioritise their needs. Drawing on your past experience and how you have considered them in past developments.

  1. Social Value

Social value is becoming an ever-important section of architectural tenders and Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs). The economic, environmental and social impact that the project will have is increasingly important. How you are planning on giving back to the local community? When bidding for central government contracts a 10% weighting or more will be placed on social value. In some tenders, it can hold the weight of up to 30%. Your sustainable development goals should maximise and promote social values. Don’t be vague. Buyers want to see you making commitments that you can keep. In this section, you should include your ISO 14001.

Within the UK, a new social value model has recently launched aiming to:

  • Encourage economic growth.
  • Create new jobs.
  • Promote skills.
  • Tackle climate change.
  • Level up the UK.

These changes are now in place. It means the central government will be required to go beyond the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to note that the following should also be taken into consideration:

  • How your organisation supports Covid-19 recovery.
  • How you’re creating new businesses, skills and jobs to tackle economic inequality.
  • The environmental considerations you take to help fight climate change and reduce waste.
  • The equal opportunity policies you implement and adhere to within your organisation.

  1. Relevant Experience

Demonstrating relevant past experience is key when applying for architectural tenders. If you can show a proven track record of projects with similar complexity, it’s a better indicator of capability. Although, you still want to keep it relevant and including past works in similar geographical areas is also a bonus.

Each bid should be tailored and compelling, fitting in with the specification and what is required. For example, if a buyer requires affordable housing in Coventry, include previous experience in designing such housing in a similar area. If you only have experience with designing high-rise educational institutions in Hong Kong, then it probably isn’t suited to you. This is because as you may not have the relevant experience they require. The recommended timeframe of previous experience is typically within the last five years, so it’s worth taking that into consideration.

  1. CVs

Architectural tenders might ask you to show you have the right, qualified professionals on your team to deliver the services. For this, you may have to create CVs of your employees. They need to include their job title, past experience and what they can bring to the project. Tailoring your CVs to the given opportunity and project specification you are given is crucial. You don’t want to simply copy and paste from previous tenders. Pay attention to the specification, mention any organisational qualifications, staff training and certifications they have.

However, developing your company CVs in advance is recommended. Creating the outline will save you time in the future and help you respond to tenders reactively. Remember to double-check the content and add any necessary information to tailor the CV to the specification before submitting.

  1. Flexibility

You can plan as much as you like, but we all know that changes to the scope are a given. Being able to demonstrate that you can be flexible is a must. Adjusting to changes along the way is crucial to succeeding when bidding for architectural tenders. Buyers want to see how you will deal with an unexpected spanner in the works.

3 Types of architecture tenders

When looking for architecture tenders, they usually fall under these three service categories:

  1. Design development

Architecture tenders that fall under this service sector means that you will be responsible for the creation of the design. This could be detailed drawings of what the new building or re-design will look like. It will most likely also include the schematics of the project, outlining materials, measurements, and any other requirements necessary. From this, a project manager will use the drawings to begin the project.

  1. Design preparation

Due to the nature of architecture services, architecture tenders can become the starting point for further bids. This means, that architecture services required by buyers may be used to produce documents needed for other work. For example, a buyer could seek an Architect to draw up specifications for a new project. In turn, this could then be used to create a new bid seeking construction services. It will most likely include cost forecasts, material sourcing, and sourcing construction services. It will also mean creating ‘construction-ready’ documents. This means that your plans are easily conveyed to others, beyond your services.

  1. Construction administration

Buyers could be seeking architectural services for full project development. This will involve everything mentioned above, but also includes project managing the whole process, from start to finish. It could also include producing bids for construction work and negotiating with suppliers. There will also be quality management services, site surveying and health and safety checks involved.

Let’s Summarise

Understanding your services and what you can provide to buyers is the first step when sourcing architecture tenders. The three types of architectural services buyers usually seek are:

  • Design development
  • Design preparation
  • Construction administration.

Once you have established which service sector you belong to, you can begin to bid on architectural tenders. Remember when beginning the bid process, the eight things you need to consider within your bid response are:

  1. What the weighting of the tender is
  2. Framework management considerations
  3. Cost management procedures
  4. Stakeholder management procedures
  5. Your social value
  6. Showcase your relevant experience
  7. Include CVs to show your qualifications
  8. Flexibility management

Now you should be in a better place to begin sourcing, and bidding on new architectural tenders.

Where can I find architectural tenders?

Once you’ve taken all of this information into account, you might be asking yourself where you can find such opportunities. You likely don’t have the time to look through 1000+ websites every day but luckily for you, we have the solution.

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking platform. We source all the tenders from across the UK and upload the construction leads in one convenient place.

A subscription with Construction Tenders offers your business:

  • A team of opportunity trackers sourcing architectural tenders from 1000’s of sites.
  • Access to all private and public sector construction bids in the UK.
  • The ability to filter opportunities by keyword, location, budget and more.
  • No reliance on CPV codes or algorithms. Our team manually upload each tender making sure that you have access to 100% of architectural tenders.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy every month with our bid experts.

Here are just a few examples of architectural tenders we sourced recently:

Architectural Services

East Anglia Reserve Forces & Cadets Association – South East – Budget: £200,000

Architect for the Redevelopment of Cliff House & Bath Tap Site

East Suffolk Council – Eastern – Budget: £75,000

Montrose Zero Four – Objective A – Architect Services

Crown Estate Scotland – Scotland – Budget: £160,000

3212/SW Architectural Services for Central Teaching Laboratory

University of Sheffield – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £1,500,000

Architectural Services for Additional Accommodation

Loreto Junior School (Scoil Muire Ogh 2 Dublin) – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £1,180,000

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a free live demo of Construction Tenders. Why not contact us today to find out more about how Construction Tenders can benefit your business.

Need help writing your next architecture tender?

If you do not 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 are new to tendering or 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 are already tendering but are not seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They will give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next architecture tender.

Tender Mentor

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

Tender Writing

If you have found the perfect tender but do not know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They will let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They will 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? Upgrade to Discover Elite…

Upgrade to Discover Elite to ensure you never miss a tender, even when you are 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 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 strategy.

The Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All 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 Discover Elite can work for you.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Excavation Tenders: Checklist for Bids

Posted on by John Hudson

Finding Excavation Tenders

Excavation tenders can help your excavation company grow to new heights (or should we say new depths?). Do you want to win work on shorter contracts, boost your experience, and get reputable credentials under your belt? An excavation contract out for tender may run for 2 months and look great as experience for future projects. Or, are you looking to secure work on sizeable, ongoing projects for years at a time? Framework agreements may comprise of multiple lots and run for 1 – 4 years or more! Either way, tendering for work is a no-brainer when it comes to winning a steady stream of construction work.

How can we help?

If you’re looking for tendering opportunities or advice on how to bid for excavation contracts, you’re in the right place. At Hudson, we’ve got expertise in both. Construction Tenders, one of our 11 Hudson Discover tendering portals, can save you time when sourcing relevant excavation tenders. And the bid writers at Hudson Succeed offer tailored levels of expert support to produce successful construction bids for your company.

So, what do our opportunity trackers and bid writers advise? Here’s a quick rundown of what type of excavation tenders your business could be sourcing, right now. We’ll cover how you can put your best foot forward and dig up brand new opportunities to grow your business. (That’s the last of the excavation puns, we promise…) 

What kind of excavation contracts are up for grabs?

Are you aware of the range of work available through excavation tenders? Excavation contracts can include many different techniques using various machinery, tools, equipment and explosives.

Excavation tenders may pertain to a number of processes, for instance:

  • Groundwork
  • Trenching
  • Wall Shafts
  • Tunnelling
  • Mining
  • Environmental restoration.

Most commonly in construction, excavation refers to the groundwork prior to a construction project. Groundwork essentially ensures the site foundations are prepared for building work, enabling the construction project to go ahead smoothly.

Examples of excavation tenders:

Excavation or groundwork may be defined by the type of material it involves. For example:

  • Topsoil excavation – This removes the surface layer of earth, including vegetation or decaying matter. Depth varies from site to site, but is usually between 150-300 mm. For example, a tender hosted on our platform sought topsoil excavation for a pervasive weed: Enabling works including groundworks and Japanese Knotweed removal for Cluid Housing Association.
  • Earth excavation – This involves removing the layer of soil beneath the topsoil. The removed material is often referred to as ‘spoil’ and can be re-used to construct embankments and foundations. For example, a tender hosted on our platform pertained to: Removal and proper disposal of spoil at the Menai Science Park for Bangor University.
  • Rock excavation – This involves using special excavation methods such as drilling or blasting with explosives. For example, a tender hosted on our platform sought contractors for: Quarry Drill and Blast Works and Explosives Supply for Forestry and Land Scotland.

Excavation can also be classified according to the purpose of the work. Here are few classifications along with examples:

  • Trench excavation is when an excavation’s length greatly exceeds its depth. Shallow trenches are usually considered to be less than 6 m deep, and deep trenches more than 6 m. For example, our Opportunity Trackers sourced a tender for: Trenching and base excavations for a new power supply – St James Car Park Cheltenham for Publica Group.
  • Road excavation involves preparation for roadworks. For example, Highways England recently signed a £35m contract with Wessex Archaeology Ltd for archaeology and excavation work. This is in advance of the main construction works on the A303, including a tunnel to divert traffic from Stonehenge.
  • Dredging involves excavating and removing material from below water level, commonly from the bottom of lakes, rivers, or harbours. For example, we hosted an excavation tender for: Crescent Quay – Dredging works for Wrexford County Council.
  • Basement excavation tenders may require auditing and assessment work prior to the building works. For example: Multi-Party Framework Agreement for the Provision of Basement Impact Assessment Auditor Services for Dublin City Council.
  • Bridge excavation involves the removal of material for the footing of bridges. Underwater excavations may require special methods of drill and blast. For example: Bracky Bridge Replacement including excavation adjacent to and in the river for the Department of Infrastructure

This is just a few examples of the types of construction contracts available for excavation workers. On Construction Tenders, we also host tenders for other excavation requirements, including the supply of plants (machinery), such as:

  • Archaeological excavation
  • Mains water excavation repairs
  • Proposed and post excavation assessments
  • Excavation, gritting and road sweeping
  • Supply of grave digging excavators
  • Supply of hydraulic excavators
  • Supply of compact mechanical excavators, and more!

How can excavation contractors boost their chances of success with a bid?

Much like excavation, the tendering process is all about evening the playing field for suppliers and creating fair, regulated competition. Also, at its core, tendering allows buyers to assess market pricing and find the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). So, when it comes to tendering, your company needs to prepare to be directly compared to competitors.

Who offers the best price? Who has the most competent workforce? Who has demonstrated the most past experience that is relevant to the project? And, ultimately, who has produced the best bid?

All of these things – and more – may be considered in your tender response, so you must demonstrate your competency clearly. It’s always worth considering – what steps could be taken to put our business in better stead against the competition? Here are a few steps you could take right now to increase your success rate with excavation tenders… 

  1. Use a sector-specific portal with a variety of opportunities.

Use a tendering portal that offers a variety of opportunities, while still being accurate and specific to your industry. Also, make sure you’re investing in a tendering service that supports you.

  • Accuracy.

A time-saving way to find excavation tenders is through a sector-specific tendering portal which offers keyword tracking and customer support. Construction Tenders focuses on opportunities in construction – and doesn’t rely on inaccurate CPV codes. Our Opportunity Trackers are real people who manually source contracts for our clients, who can then filter opportunities by:

    • Keywords
    • Sector
    • Budget
    • Location

Construction Tenders sources contracts both big and small, from Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) to single supplier contracts. When there’s a range of work to be won, you have a higher chance of finding something suitable for your services.

For example, we host opportunities for excavation work on framework agreements. If you’re a smaller company, this may be more suited to your needs. A framework agreement for a building project may be made up of ten lots. Lot 1 could be the groundwork, requiring excavation of site and preparation for the foundations. This experience could provide a manageable workload for your company and act as a stepping stone to bigger projects. 

  • Bid writing support.

Once you’ve found an excavation tender that’s perfect for your business, you’re not on your own! We have a bid writing division, Hudson Succeed, who can support with every step of the tendering process. They have a range support packages to help you see success in your tendering efforts:

  1. Prepare to tender with Tender Ready.
  2. Outsource a bid with Tender Writing.
  3. Improve your success rate with Tender Improvement.
  4. Get feedback on your current bid with Tender Mentor.

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

  1. Tighten up your bid with the relevant qualifications.

Getting your business ready to tender includes preparing any relevant documentation to prove your qualifications and competency. Excavation work can be highly dangerous. Large plants (machinery) are bound to be on site to excavate and remove heavy loads of materials. It’s not uncommon for accidents to occur, so watertight accreditations and health and safety regulations are paramount.

How can you demonstrate competence effectively?

  • PAS91 and accreditations.

Any construction tender will generally always require a PAS91. This is essentially a standardised Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the construction industry in the UK. Its purpose is to ensure that buyers only engage ethical companies with safe practices. Our blog on the PQQ and PAS91 can shed more light on this stage of the tender.

A Constructionline Gold membership will exempt you from most sections of a PAS91. Other accreditations – such as ISO or CHAS – allow you to bypass certain sections, too. Consider obtaining these relevant accreditations if you want to streamline the bidding process for future excavation tenders.

  • CPCS cards.

Another method of improving site practices and boosting your reputation is investing in the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS). This scheme is devised to prove the competence of plant operators and improve safety awareness. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) website hosts a range of excavation training courses to gain CPCS cards. The National Construction College (NCC) offers the following courses to gain a CPCS card for excavation machinery, for instance:

  • CPCS Excavator 180° Wheeled A10 and A12
  • CPCS Excavator 360° Tracked A59
  • CPCS Excavator 180˚ Wheeled and 360˚ Tracked Combined A12 and A59
  • CPCS Forward Tipping Dumpers A09
  • CPCS Lifting with Excavators A59C
  • CPCS Mini Excavator A58
  • Applicants can take the courses for up to 14 days if they have no prior experience. Or, if they have experience operating machinery but need a formal qualification, they can take condensed courses for as short as 2 days. Each course requires you have a CITB health, safety and environment test prior to attending. It’s worth considering if investing in further qualifications will put your company and employees in a better bidding position.

Need support preparing tender documents? The Tender Ready package helps your company prepare all the relevant documentation needed for a bid. Hudson Succeed works with your excavation experts to ensure your tenders are precise, concise and well-presented. Get in touch today to see how they can help. 

  1. Don’t skip social value.

Social value is becoming increasingly important in tender responses. Some things you can ask yourself in regard to this are:

  • Have you considered the environmental implications?

Excavation projects can be damaging to the scenery and landscapes. Can you demonstrate how you’ll minimise damage, and use environmentally friendly techniques and supplies? Always consider the local community and promote sustainability in your practices.

  • Can you make use of apprenticeship schemes and government initiatives?

Employing local people, apprentices, and relieving unemployment are all strong ways of demonstrating social value in a contract.

If you’re a company who specialises in excavation, you could be benefiting from apprenticeship incentives. The government currently offers payments to companies who hire new apprentices. For instance, gov.uk recently spotlighted excavation company C. Bamford Excavators Limited and their use of the apprenticeship scheme. They won The BT Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year.

Also, the government’s sector-based work academy programme (SWAP) gives recently unemployed or redundant people new skills. Gov.uk also highlighted how the scheme is giving learners up-to-date experience and knowledge in groundworks. For example, through college tutoring and work placements with Highways England. 

What are you waiting for? Start winning excavation tenders today!

Excavation tenders can open the door to a range of work, and buyers seek contractors for a wide variety of projects. Tendering can help you improve and evolve your practices and workforce, as long as you’re well-prepared and well-informed. So, now’s the time to unearth new opportunities and start growing your business! (Sorry – we couldn’t help ourselves!)

Why use Construction Tenders?

If you’re searching for excavation tenders, Construction Tenders, powered by Hudson Discover, will save you time and get you results. When you sign up, you’ll receive an email bulletin when new excavation tenders and construction leads are published, plus 24-hour portal access. Browse all the available excavation tenders, large and small, as often as you need!

At Construction Tenders, we source opportunities for;

Book a free live demo for a quick tour of our service. See how we can help your business grow!

How Easy is it to Secure Quantity Surveying Tenders?

Posted on by John Hudson

Quantity surveying tenders – the importance of securing a pipeline

Quantity surveying tenders are a great way to secure new business opportunities and contacts. Making sure that structures meet both quality, compliance and legal standards is an essential part of the construction process. Now more than ever there is a need for cost control and estimation within the construction sector.

But how easy is it to access these new opportunities? What is the importance of securing a pipeline? In order to know more about this, it would make sense to start with the basics.

What is a quantity surveying tender?

The most obvious question to start with is “what is a quantity surveying tender”. In a nutshell, tendering is one of the best ways to win new construction contracts and secure a pipeline of work. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find new contacts and keep current clients interested. Quantity surveying tenders offer a convenient solution to this common problem.

A tender is an invitation to submit a bid in an attempt to be part of a project. Buyers often have projects to complete where they need to outsource a quantity surveying role. Perhaps they don’t have the capacity to complete this in-house or have had to cut costs. Either way, there is a role which needs to be filled. Quantity surveying tenders are an effective way to go about this.

There is often a document released which details the needs of the buyer from the supplier.

These details can include:

  • Scope of Work– this contains the work required from the supplier and which areas they need to specialise in. It can also contain some background information about the buyer and their goals for the project.
  • Budget– an overview of what the buyer expects to spend on your services.
  • Financial Threshold– a guidance figure for what the supplier’s minimum turnover should be.
  • Location– where the project is located.
  • Timescales– the duration of the project and how long the supplier will be required. This can also include any potential extensions to the project.
  • Evaluative Methods– often shown as price vs quality in the form of a percentage. This will give an idea as to how much the buyer values cost vs detailed response and evidence of experience.
  • Selection Questionnaire– this provides an idea of the supplier’s level of experience, capacity and financial standing. There can also be additional quality/technical questions added onto this where a more substantial answer is needed. Case study examples of previous work may also be needed.
  • Pricing Schedule– enables buyers to assess the supplier’s idea of cost efficiency and where their money will be spent.
  • Submission Guidance– where to submit these documents and who to contact for advice.
  • Terms and Conditions– any legal assurances and contracts the buyer and supplier will need to have in place.

From here, suppliers will be expected to provide the information required for the buyer to assess their suitability. Buyers can then evaluate all the bids they have received and decide on a preferred supplier.

Why should I tender for work?

There are so many benefits to tendering, it’s hard to know where to start. So, here are our top 3 benefits of tendering for work:

  1. New Business Contacts

Arguably, the biggest reason why businesses turn to tendering is to secure new contracts. As every business owner will know, the key to a successful business is building relationships. Similarly, as a quantity surveyor, liaising with clients to identify their needs will be second nature. Without having access to these vital connections, you may not get a steady stream of work. This can ultimately result in your organisation’s decline.

We are living in a world where face to face meetings and word of mouth business is on the decrease. So, how are we, as businesses, expected to grow and secure new contracts?

Quantity surveying tenders pose an ideal solution. Having access to tenders can help build relationships with new clients. Even better, these clients are likely people who you would otherwise not have had access to. From here, there is an opportunity for inter-trading and collaborations. This will ultimately create an even more mutually beneficial relationship between yourself, as the supplier, and the buyer.

Continuing from this, many quantity surveying tenders call for a certain level of experience and case studies. Once you have worked with one buyer, and then have access to their contacts, the process will become significantly easier. From here you will have ample case studies and contract examples. This will result in a level of ease when securing contracts to build your pipeline of work.

  1. A Fair Process

The idea of a fair process is perhaps a more underrated benefit of tendering for work. Public sector tendering is well known for its structured process. This in itself has a range of benefits. Having a contract with terms and conditions, and a clear scope of work makes the process a lot easier for suppliers. In order to release a tender, buyers have to do a lot of prior research. Start and end dates need to be clarified, budgets need to be signed off etc… Automatically suppliers will know if they are suitable for the work.

Public sector buyers, and private buyers with higher budgets, are required by law to issue an “invitation to tender“. This is because tendering creates a fairer process. Buyers have to be clear about their value of price vs quality. There is no chance of a buyer spending their budget inappropriately. Similarly, there is a decreased risk of nepotism when awarding contracts. The evaluation criteria ensures the most suitable business will secure the contract. Public sector buyers have to be even more transparent as they are dealing with tax-payers funding. Ultimately the tendering process has to be fair and transparent as this information will be released to the public.

  1. Control Over Your Pipeline

Now onto the all-important pipeline. Tendering allows you to filter projects based on your preferences. Often when businesses rely on word of mouth, you can end up accepting contracts that aren’t suitable for your business. This can be out of fear there won’t be another opportunity that comes up. It can also be to keep a strong relationship with that business. With tendering this isn’t a concern. You will find a whole range of quantity surveying tenders at your disposal.

It’s important to note we aren’t suggesting you will win every contract you bid for. However, by having more choice you can effectively build a pipeline of work.

What we mean by “a pipeline of work” is that you will have a steady stream of work coming in. It may be very tempting to go for all the contracts which will have immediate benefits. Perhaps contracts with shorter durations where you will receive the money relatively soon seem more appealing. However, it is vital you know when one contract finishes, you have another waiting in the pipeline.

Here are some things to consider when building your pipeline:

  • Consider smaller contracts for interim periods.
  • Set time aside to review your pipeline.
  • Use Prior Information Notices (PIN) to get an idea of what is going to be released.
  • Plan ahead for proposals. It’s never a good idea to submit a rushed bid.
  • Hold planning meetings with your team to discuss your pipeline.
  • Establish relationships with buyers. This can give you an advantage through knowing their bidding cycle and potential future projects.

Did you know? – a top tip for SME’s 

Tendering for work as a smaller business can sometimes feel daunting. It may seem as though contracting authorities are only interested in big suppliers with years of contract examples. However, this is certainly not the case. The UK government has a target to help SME’s. Their target is to spend £1 in every £3 on SME businesses. This means that public sector buyers are actively seeking out smaller organisations to work and establish relationships with. Don’t price yourself out of the public sector market!

Where can I find quantity surveying tenders?

The next logical question to ask is “where can I find tenders?”. Like most businesses, you probably don’t have the time to go through 1000+ sites every day. It can be hard work knowing where to find quantity surveying tenders. Well, luckily for you we have a solution.

Construction Tenders is an opportunity tracking platform. We source all the tenders from across the UK and upload them in one central place.

A subscription with Construction Tenders offers you:

  • A team of opportunity trackers sourcing quantity surveying tenders from 1000’s of sites.
  • Access to all private and public sector construction bids across the UK.
  • The ability to filter opportunities by keyword, budget, location etc…
  • A daily email alert to let you know about the latest quantity surveying tenders.
  • No reliance on CPV codes or algorithms. Our team manually upload each tender, making sure you have access to 100% of quantity surveying tenders.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20 minutes of free consultancy every month with our bid experts.

How can I secure quantity surveying tenders?

Once you’ve found the perfect quantity surveying tender, how can you secure it?

Look no further than Hudson Succeed. Our team hold an 87% bid success rate. Last year alone, they secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients. They thrive in creating bespoke packages to suit your business needs.

Here are some examples of the services they offer:

Book a Demo with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a free live demo of Construction Tenders.

We actively source construction leads and tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Contact us today to find out more about how Construction Tenders can help your business.

Good News for Roofing Tenders: How to Make the Most of the New Green Scheme.

Posted on by John Hudson

Roofing Tenders Set to Soar Under PM’s Green Scheme – Here’s How to Make the Most of Investments.

There’s good news for roofing tenders! On 18th November, the government announced that the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme will be extended by a year. The scheme was previously set to end in early 2021. Now, however, vouchers can be redeemed for a further year, as long as work is completed by 31st March 2022.

Simple Energy Advice states 25% of heat is lost through roofs, and the Green Homes Scheme aims to tackle this. It provides homeowners and landlords with vouchers to encourage the installation of energy-efficient improvements to their homes. The vouchers cover two-thirds of the costs for improvements, up to a maximum government contribution of £5,000. (Or up to £10,000 through the low-income support scheme.)

This includes roofing procedures such as:

  • flat roof insulation
  • pitched roof insulation
  • room in roof insulation
  • insulating a park home

The previous time scale for the scheme proved highly inconvenient for many roofing contractors, so an extension is great news. Chief Executive of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NRFC), James Talman, summarised how this extension benefits the roofing industry. He said:

“The decision to extend the Green Homes Grant by a further year is a welcome relief for the industry. The previous timescale was completely unrealistic when many firms needed time to get the relevant accreditations. And most contractors and suppliers were already operating at full capacity. The government should now set out its future intentions on retrofit, beyond the next year, to give longer-term certainty to the market.”

Now, roofing contractors who’ve obtained the relevant accreditations can benefit from the scheme for the next 16 months. If not, there is still time to get the accreditations and take part in the scheme.

So, what are the relevant accreditations?

The government states that at the time of installing for the Green Homes Grant, the contractor must:

  • Be a TrustMark-registered installer;
  • Be registered for the Green Homes Grant scheme;
  • Meet Publicly Available Specification (PAS) standards, such as
  • PAS 2030:2017
  • PAS 2030:2019
  • PAS 2035:2019 (for park homes, high rise buildings and buildings that are both traditionally constructed and protected)
  • Meet Microgeneration Installation Standard (MCS) standards, and;
  • Be certified by a body that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Green Homes Grant installers can continue to work in homes through the second national lockdown, following the COVID-19 Secure guidelines.

And that’s not all!

The government’s announcement also outlines a £1 billion investment into making new and existing homes and public buildings more efficient. This presents a broad scope of opportunities for roofing tenders in the public sector.

This welcome news comes as part of PM Boris Johnson’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution. The green plan will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs. Point seven of the ten-point plan refers to greener homes and buildings. It contains the following objectives:

Point 7 – Homes and public buildings:

  • Making our homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient;
  • Creating 50,000 jobs by 2030, and a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028;
  • Extending the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme by a year;
  • Making public sector buildings greener, and;
  • Cutting bills for hospitals and schools, as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

These objectives put public sector roofing tenders in great stead for 2021. After all, greener buildings all need greener roofing to reduce 25% of their heat loss. The government’s energy-saving efforts, therefore, rely heavily on the adjustment of existing roofing and the installation of new roofing systems. All in all, roofing tenders are set to be readily available as this £1 billion investment rolls out.

How to secure work on future roofing tenders.

With roofing opportunities set to rise, it will pay to have a solid tendering strategy going forward. This will ensure you make the most of the surge in opportunity and win relevant roofing tenders. Our tendering experts at Hudson are here to help you succeed and grow your business! Here’s some up-to-date advice on finding and winning roofing tenders as we head into 2021.

  1. Find tenders via a sector-specific portal.

As roofing becomes a keen focus of government investment, make sure you’re using an effective tendering portal. You don’t want to miss out on valuable opportunities due to inaccurate CPV codes. So, first things first, make sure you’re using a portal that is optimised for your sector and uses manual tracking.

Construction Tenders offers a fully streamlined route to roofing tenders via manual tracking and keyword filtering. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search for the latest public and private sector roofing tender opportunities daily. This allows contractors to search for roofing tenders easily, using multiple filters to suit their needs. When you sign up to the portal, you’ll start receiving roofing tender opportunities straight to your inbox.

Book a free live demo to find out how Construction Tenders can benefit your business.

  1. Prepare for the two-step tendering process.

Roofing tenders, like most tenders in the construction industry, are made up of a two-stage process.

Stage 1: Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

The PQQ is a questionnaire to determine if a contractor can deliver the quality standards that the client requires. This reduces a large number of bidders down to a few suppliers who are clearly capable of delivering the project.

The construction sector’s answer to the PQQ is the PAS91, a standardised test for construction workers. You must provide policies and answer questions regarding quality assurance, health and safety, equal opportunities and diversity, and more. If you are a Constructionline member, you are automatically PAS91 compliant.

With any PQQ, you essentially need to prove that the following aspects of your business are up to scratch:

  • Your level of experience;
  • Your ability to complete the works successfully and assure quality;
  • and your financial stability.

Stage 2: Invitation to Tender

Roofing contractors who pass the PQQ and are shortlisted will then receive an Invitation to Tender (ITT).

An ITT for a roofing tender will likely include the following information:

  • Letter of Invitation
  • Invitation to Tender document
  • Form of Tender
  • Preliminaries
  • Details on the Form of Contract and Contract Conditions
  • Specifications
  • Design Drawings
  • Tender Pricing Document
  • Associated Appendices

This is your opportunity to fully demonstrate your company’s capability and capacity to deliver the required roofing works.

  1. Consider tendering for work on larger contracts.

An added benefit of using a tendering portal is that it opens up doors to larger projects. This could include work on a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) or a framework agreement. SMEs or sole traders in the roofing industry wouldn’t access these opportunities organically.

For example, Swindon Borough Council put out a two-stage tender for qualified contractors to undertake the Roofing Renewal Programme. This applies to many housing properties, and the overall contract period estimated value is £4.8 million over 4 years.

A large roofing contract like this is a good opportunity for suppliers who can provide multiple services. For instance, Swindon Borough Council requires roofing contractors to undertake a range of works, including:

  • the removal of existing roof coverings as required,
  • the supply and installation of new roof covering as required,
  • the renewal of associated items at roof level and below,
  • the provision of scaffolding required to carry out the works,
  • making good to the structure and finishing’s as required,
  • flat to pitch conversions,
  • gas flue safety check procedure.

With any tendering opportunity which requires scaffolding provision, you must also provide accreditations and case studies unique to providing scaffolding. Our advice on compliance for scaffolding tenders and insulation tenders may be helpful if you provide multiple services.

  1. Ensure your roofing tender stands out.

Often, a highly detailed specification requires a highly detailed tender response. Creating a fully compliant roofing tender response can feel overwhelming, but there are options for tender support. Hudson Succeed provides writing support and professional consultation to soften the burden and maximise your chances of success when tendering for construction contracts.

Our bid writing experts have extensive experience – and an 87% success rate at winning bids for clients. Whether you’re tendering for the first time or simply need advice on improving your success rate, there’s a service for you. Our four-levels of tender support are:

Here are some recommendations from our bid-writing experts on how to make your roofing tender stand out. We’ve highlighted some areas where you should ensure you’re taking extra steps to succeed.

  • Site visits.

Visiting the site is an opportunity to gain insight and strengthen your roofing tender response in several ways. You can assess the roofing work required, scout out competition, and gain further understanding of the buyer’s requirements.

Assessing a site first-hand allows a roofing contractor to quote their costs, materials and scope of work much more accurately. To make the most of your site visit and ensure your tender response stands out, be sure to:

  • Read all the specified requirements before deciding whether this is the right contract for you.
  • Make a list of all the information you need to learn and take it with you.
  • Be confident and ask clarification questions to show engagement with the buyer.
  • Look for visual clues relating to the buyer and their work culture.

  • Case studies.

Case studies hold great importance in a tender response. Proving to the buyer that you’ve successfully completed similar roofing work – with high client satisfaction – is essential. The PQQs usually require contractors to demonstrate 3 previous contract examples.

Our bid writing experts advise you to create at least three case studies for every service you offer. This will further strengthen your tender response. For instance, if you provide roofing, scaffolding, and insulation services, you should develop at least nine case studies.

Both our Tender Ready and Improvement programmes include creating effective case studies for your business. Our free Tender VLE masterclass also covers the essentials of case studies, with an easy to follow 4-step structure.

  • Health and safety.

Roofing is one of the most hazardous areas of construction because it involves work at height. In fact, roof work accounts for 25% of all deaths in the construction industry. Having a compliant Health & Safety manual is absolutely essential and it will likely be required during the tendering process. This may be required during the PQQ stage, or as part of your quality response.

Make your tender response stand out by creating a company-branded manual. This will give a great first impression of your brand to buyers. The Tender Ready programme can provide support with this. If you provide the relevant information, our bid writers can create a well-designed and clearly structured manual, guaranteed to impress.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offers an extensive range of advice and reading on safety regulations for roofing work. You should familiarise yourself with as much relevant information as possible. HSE advises that the principle elements of law relevant to roof work health and safety are:

  • the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974;
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005;
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;
  • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015;
  • Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998; and
  • the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

Always make sure you’re fully compliant with the health and safety regulations specific to the roofing tender.

  • COVID-19 secure guidelines.

Consider how you’ll effectively manage coronavirus and adhere to the most up to date guidelines in your tender response. This will likely depend on the site-specific assessment you complete via your site visit. This could pertain to:

  • Risk management of your workforce (i.e. alternating shift patterns, social distancing measures on-site)
  • Delivery of materials (i.e. reducing frequency to maintain regulations)

Providing supplementary supporting evidence to prove this can strengthen your tender further, such as a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) register. Make sure you’ve covered all bases!

Need any further support with the tendering process? Get in touch with Hudson Succeed to see how we can increase your chances of success.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Sign up to Construction Tenders today and receive a daily construction leads bulletin straight to your inbox. The bulletin contains all the relevant small, and larger, construction tenders that we have uploaded that day.

This includes the following:

And if you have any questions, your dedicated account manager will be on hand to help. What opportunities will you find? Contact us today, for a free live demo and find out how our exclusive member’s site help find and win construction bids.

How To Find Painting Contracts Available Near You.

Posted on by John Hudson

There are plenty of painting contracts available! Here’s how to find them.

Are there many painting contracts available right now? You might have found yourself asking this question recently.

It can feel like a rocky time for businesses across the board. But tradespeople and construction companies are continuing to work throughout the second national lockdown. This includes the 112,800 painters and decorators employed across the UK, whether they’re sole traders, business owners, or self-employed sub-contractors. What does this mean for painting contracts?

Updated guidance regarding painting contracts.

Further Government guidance has been added recently on the closure of non-essential businesses. This doesn’t affect construction sites or painting and decorating merchants without showrooms. It does, however, involve public showrooms for products used in painting and glazing. It also affects painting and decorating sub-contractors who work in people’s homes.

The key points include:

  • Each business should assess whether they are required to close having considered the guidance and regulations.
  • Tradespersons may continue to visit people’s homes for their work and should follow the safer working guidance. The government has released guidance on safe practices for both outdoor construction work and work in people’s homes.
  • Hardware stores and builders’ merchants can remain open for the supply of paint and paintwork tools. Where these stores contain showrooms in distinct sections, these areas should be closed to the public.
  • Showrooms for products used in home decoration should be closed to the public.
  • These premises are not closed to staff or other authorised personnel needed to maintain, secure, or prepare them to reopen.

While the guidance sets stricter boundaries, it still actively encourages painting and decorating sub-contractors to operate their businesses. And there’s great value in continuing to operate and source painting contracts right now. Alok Sharma, the Business Secretary, recently thanked the constructor sector directly for staying open. He stated: You are making an invaluable contribution in supporting the economy.

But what now?

This sentiment is all well and good if painting and decorating sub-contractors are able to find suitable painting contracts. And we’re here to tell you – there are painting contracts available! You just need to be smart with how you go about finding and securing opportunities when you can.

If you’re currently relying on word of mouth or local advertising, a tendering portal will open up more business opportunities. If you’ve tendered before, are you certain you’re tendering in the most effective way possible? You could, in fact, be wasting a lot of time and energy and still be missing out on opportunities. We’ll break down the best (and worst) tendering methods to assure you’re taking the correct steps towards finding painting contracts.

Why should I be tendering?

Tendering not only opens the door to a greater number of painting contracts, but it also brings more lucrative leads. For instance, SMEs and sole-traders can bid for work on large painting contracts as part of a framework agreement. Within a large contract, your work may cover a number of different areas and services.

For example, a large framework may entail painting work across a range of communal housing facilities across the UK. The contracting authority would set out the specifications of the framework and assign different ‘lots’ for different service providers. Each lot could refer to a different area of the UK, for example:

  • Lot 1 – London
  • Lot 2 – East Midlands
  • Lots 3 – West Midlands

You can tender for one or multiple lots, depending on where you are based and how far you’re willing to travel. The painting work required within this framework might also cover a broader range of services than smaller contracts, for example:

  • the complete redecoration of external surfaces and internal common parts to blocks and houses as detailed in the property list,
  • renewal of fascia and soffits where required (to match existing),
  • renewal of timber canopies where required,
  • pre-paint repairs,
  • timber window repairs/renewals,
  • renewal of communal floor finishes where required.

This kind of work gives you valuable experience and reliability through working with other service providers. Frameworks are therefore a great stepping stone to larger, sole supplier painting contracts to grow your business in the future.

So, how do I find available painting contracts?

Whether you are brand new to tendering for construction contracts or looking for tips to improve, we can help. Finding leads and tenders doesn’t need to be difficult. Certain methods of finding painting contracts for your business, however, can be a big waste of time and resources.

The following advice will demystify the process, and ensure you put your best foot forward on your tendering journey!

Trying to find painting contracts via CPV codes? Bad news…

Firstly, are you aware of Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes? Bear with us with this, we promise this is not as dry as it sounds. (Okay, maybe it is, but it’s important, so we’ll make it quick!)

All tenders in the UK are tagged via CPV codes. These are essentially 8-digit signifiers, followed by a classification number. CPV codes are used to classify the tender and make it searchable. If you’ve tendered before, you will have seen them on every tender. Any painting contracts available for tender should, in theory, be tagged with one of the following codes for painting work:

  • 45442100-8 – Painting work
  • 45442110-1 – Painting work of buildings
  • 45442120-4 – Painting and protective-coating work of structures
  • 45442180-2 – Repainting work
  • 45442190-5 – Paint-stripping work
  • 45442121-1 – Painting work of structures

However, painting work may also fall under several other umbrellas within the CPV code library. For instance, these CPV codes all fall under construction work:

  • 44800000-8 – Paints, varnishes and mastics
  • 45400000-1 – Building completion work
  • 45440000-3 – Painting and glazing work
  • 45442000-7 – Application work of protective coatings
  • 44800000-8 – Paints, varnishes and mastics
  • 45453000-7 – Overhaul and refurbishment work
  • 45451000-3 – Decoration work

And the following codes fall under roofing work:

  • 45261200-6 – Roof-covering and roof-painting work
  • 45261220-2 – Roof-painting and other coating work

You get the point, there’s a lot of codes to work with for painting opportunities…

But what’s the problem with CPV codes?

In theory, if you search using these CPV codes, you’ll find all the up-to-date painting contracts available in an instant. Right? If that sounds too easy, that’s because it is…

Even if you’re searching via all of those painting related CPV codes, you’re missing countless painting contracts. Around 30% of tenders are tagged with inaccurate CPV codes.

For example, this week one of our Opportunity Trackers, for Construction Tenders, came across a large tender for Refurbishment Works. This contains potential opportunities for painting contracts, among other renovation services. However, this refurbishment tender had been mistakenly tagged with the CPV code for Installation (computers). 

Obviously, this is completely unrelated – so no one searching for refurbishment contracts will see this opportunity! Countless tenders are being missed, every day, because of this flawed system. It’s not uncommon for painting contracts to slip through the cracks, despite the vast amount of painting related CPV codes.

Clearly, a procurement manager can tag a painting tender with a computer-related code before their morning coffee. Easy mistake – in fact, there is a pesky CPV code for ‘Painting software development services’ (72212327-7). But unless you’re considering a drastic career change, that’s no good for a painter and decorator…

Finding painting contracts via manual tracking? That’s better!

You might be asking, what’s manual tracking? As I said before, one of our Opportunity Trackers spotted the CPV code mix-up. That’s because they’re real people, skilled at sourcing relevant tenders for our clients and correcting inaccurate tags.

After finding the Refurbishment Tender, for example, our Opportunity Tracker posted it onto our portal, Construction Tenders. This tender is now categorised using industry-driven keywords and is easily searchable for interested suppliers. Our opportunity tracking team do this for 1000s of Construction leads on a daily basis. Easily filtering by keyword, location, budget, etc saves time and money when finding painting contracts available near you.

Construction Tenders makes finding painting contracts far more efficient than portals which rely on CPV directories. We also host construction opportunities that are exclusive to our portal. Book a free live demo to see the live opportunities.

Found painting contracts available near you? Time to prepare to tender!

  1. Know the rules.

Make sure you have all qualifications and certifications in line with construction working guidelines. All painting contracts and decorating works in the UK are measured in accordance with certain rules, such as:

  • Standard Method of Measurement (SMM7)
  • New Rules of Measurement (NRM2)

It’s important that painting and decorating sub-contractors are able to measure painting and wallpapering works in accordance with SMM7 or NRM2. This can be via drawings either provided as ‘hard copy’ or electronic formats.

  1. Know your rates.

Some projects may be priced from a bill of quantities (BoQ) provided by the contracting authority of a tender. The painting and decorating sub-contractor must insert their own unit rates in order to calculate the overall tender price. Sub-contractors must, therefore, be prepared to calculate their unit rates for all types of painting and decorating works.

  1. Put together a winning bid.

Once you know your rates and have your certifications and qualifications ready to go, you’re ready to tender. At this stage of the process, we can support you every step of the way. Our blog directory offers plenty of helpful information about tendering in construction.

For further support, our Hudson Succeed team offer expert bid writing assistance. From writing support to help maximise your bidding success, to fully outsourced bid writing to save you valuable time. Our bid writers have extensive experience delivering construction tenders – with an 87% success rate.

We also offer free Tender VLE masterclasses, teaching you useful tender tips, such as how to break down a tender.

Whether you are tendering for the first time or have tendered before, we have four services tailored to your needs:

Get in touch to learn how you can succeed with us.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today and receive a daily construction leads bulletin straight to your inbox. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction tenders that we have uploaded that day.

This includes the following sub-sectors: