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

Posted on by John Hudson

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

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

1.    You aren’t using relevant case studies

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

How to improve:

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

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

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

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

How to improve:

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

3.    You missed the deadline

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

How to improve:

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

4.    You aren’t checking eligibility before bidding

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

How to improve:

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

5.    Your costs are inaccurate

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

How to improve:

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

Summary

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

1.    You aren’t using relevant case studies

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

3.    You missed the deadline

4.    You aren’t checking eligibility before bidding

5.    Your costs are inaccurate.

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

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

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

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

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

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

Examples of tenders for roofing work found on our portal

Ramsey Grammar School East, Phase 1 Replacement Flat Roof

Isle of Man Government – International – Budget: Undisclosed

Bunscoill Rhumsaa, Replacement Perspex to Canopy Roofs

Isle of Man Government – International – Budget: Undisclosed

Roof Repairs

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

Roofing Replacement Programme 2022-2027

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

Summer Works Scheme 2022 – Glanmire Community College – Roof Works

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

Need help writing your next tender?

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

Tender Ready

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

Tender Improvement

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

Tender Mentor

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

Tender Writing

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

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

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Check out some of our other blogs:

5 Tips for Quoting Accurate Tender Rates in Construction Bids

Posted on by John Hudson

Tender Rates in Construction

Tender rates in construction are essentially the rates, or pricing, presented by the contractor at the time of tender. These rates should cover the total cost of the construction project and the mark-up price.

Sounds simple enough, but tender rates in construction can be difficult to pin down. Especially because an estimate won’t do. A quotation is required when it comes to presenting your tender rates in construction bids. This means that the price will be fixed from the time of tender. There is often little room for negotiation later down the line. So, you need to be certain you’ve presented the proper costs for the requirements of the tender.

How can we help?

At Hudson, we employ experts in all stages of tendering, from sourcing construction tenders (Discover) to writing winning bids (Succeed). And while we can create quality, compliant tender responses for you, you must prepare accurate tender rates prior to this. It’s important to have accurate tender rates ready to go when it comes to tendering in construction. Even if you wish to outsource the tender.

We understand that quoting tender rates in construction can be a burden for suppliers, and we want to help. So, we’ve created this quick guide to cover the basics of tender rates in construction. Here are 5 things to look out for, so your business can be one step closer to winning bids!

5 tips for quoting tender rates in construction!

1. Don’t miss any indirect costs.

Buyers will always consider the rates of your services as part of the evaluation process. Some tenders put more weighting on price than others, for instance, they might weight 70% on pricing and 30% quality. In this case, the focus falls on the lowest price.

Even if price is not always the main focus of a tender, the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) will always fair well.

To help you consider all costs, there are two main elements to tender rates in construction:

  1. Direct Costs.

These are the specific costs incurred to provide the product or service on the construction site. For example:

  • Materials used;
  • Machinery and equipment used;
  • Salaries for staff and supervisors throughout the project;
  • Subcontractor invoices.

  1. Indirect Costs.

In short, this covers everything else! These are costs that are directly related to construction, but not the specific project or construction site in particular. For example:

  • Project management
  • Training programmes for staff
  • Research and development
  • Contract supervision
  • Temporary buildings or premises
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Quality control and inspection
  • Insurance
  • Repairs and maintenance

When considering tender rates in construction, it’s common to focus on direct costs and obvious, physical aspects of the site. It’s easy to neglect aspects of the pricing that aren’t immediately obvious. For instance, an indirect cost such as the salary of a project manager working on multiple projects in the office.

Make sure you take a holistic and detailed approach when considering all factors of your final rates.

2. Be realistic.

Make sure you are realistic when setting your tender rates. You may be tempted to lower your prices to ensure you’re the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. However, this isn’t good practice for several reasons, for instance:

  1. The buyer might doubt the legitimacy and quality of your service if your bid is especially low. This could mean you lose the bid.
  2. Once you’ve set your tender rates, you must carry out the specification as required. You may even be legally bound to the contract conditions, so you should make sure they’re realistic. You may get a chance to negotiate your price through an Invitation to Negotiate, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, most public-sector Invitations to Tender (ITTs) state that there won’t be any post-tender price alterations.
  3. You may manage to carry out the project at a lowered price. However, you’ll then find it difficult to increase the tender rates with this buyer for any future contracts.

It’s always better to price your tender as realistically as possible and avoid running into future problems.

What do current tender rates in construction look like?

You should always ask yourself this question when ‘being realistic’ with your tender rates in construction. Consider the current landscape of the construction industry. For example, the average tender rates in construction have deflated in 2020 due to the effects of coronavirus. Global consultancy Arcadis, however, reports an optimistic outlook on the long-term future of UK tender rates in construction. They forecast tender price inflation at 5% for 2024/25. This reflects a large potential pipeline of work in the coming years, plus a reduction in the UK labour force.

In a recent letter to the construction sector, Business Secretary Alok Sharma praised the resilience of the construction industry. He touched upon adapting to the contraction of tender rates in construction, saying: The industry has had to innovate and adapt, changing the way it operates on sites, finding more efficient ways of delivering projects.

How are construction companies like yours delivering projects more efficiently? It’s worth researching and monitoring changing rates across the industry as a whole and in your specific sub-sector. This should be an ongoing process, each time you tender. 

3. Check (and re-check!) the specification.

Construction tenders contain very detailed specifications. You need to read and understand it all in order to begin accurately quoting tender rates in construction bids. There’s little room for error here, as prices often can’t be revised if you spot a mistake after submission. The only choice may be to decline the contract offer if you are awarded it, which is not an ideal situation to be in.

The Invitation to Tender (ITT) may offer applicants the chance to survey the site of construction. If this is a possibility, you should always take the opportunity to survey! Gain as much information as you can to allow you to consider all aspects of pricing, as accurately as possible.

4. Don’t solely focus on driving down tender rates in construction bids.

Tender rates in construction are important, but as we mentioned earlier, pricing isn’t always the main weighting of a tender. Leave time when tendering to research the requirements and consider what wider benefits that you can provide to the project.

One way to do this is to consider the social value of your services. Social value is becoming increasingly important, and it should be part of your approach to tender rates in construction. For example, have you made environmentally conscious decisions in your supply chain? An increase in cost may allow you to dispose of materials sustainably. This environmental consideration could benefit your tender more than a cheaper, yet irresponsible, alternative would.

So, can you implement high-quality service and demonstrate social value? If this is the case, buyers could choose your bid despite it being priced higher price than your competitors’. Now, that’s a win!

5. Find out which resources are available.

You may use a bill of quantities (BoQ) or a schedule of rates (SOR) when pricing your tender. Both are used to obtain prices from contractors, depending on your procurement route.

  1. A bill of quantities: This provides project-specific, measured quantities of the items specified in the tender documentation. It helps tenderers prepare tender rates in construction. This is appropriate in projects that have been designed in great detail, with precise quantities set out in the specification.
  2. A schedule of rates: This is essentially a price list, setting out the rates for staff, labour and machinery that a contractor will use. This doesn’t contain specific quantities and is appropriate when the nature of the work can’t be quantified. You may need to insert your rates into the SOR, while others will have pre-filled prices. A handy feature of a SOR is that it sometimes shows the evaluation weighting against certain items. This means you can tailor your rates and aim to be more competitive on highly weighted items, and selective with others.

You could also invest in online services that help you set out tender rates in construction contracts. For instance, the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) is a service designed to help you produce specific estimates.

Another useful resource can come from always requesting tender feedback from previous bids. Ask for feedback on how you compared to competitors when it comes to failed bids, in particular. From this information, compare your tender pricing and quality to other bidders, and adjust your rates accordingly for future bids.

Need bid-writing support?

We appreciate setting out tender rates in construction bids can be very time consuming, in and of itself. (This guide only touches on a fraction of the information available for tender rates and pricing!) And this all comes before the process of writing a fully compliant and detailed bid to put your rates in.

Our Hudson Succeed team can take the pain out of bid writing and save you a lot of valuable time. We provide writing support to help maximise your bidding success. Our dedicated team of bid writers have extensive experience delivering construction tenders – with an 87% success rate.

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

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

Do you want to save time when sourcing construction tenders?

Our Construction Tenders portal gives you a sector-specific service that is tailored to your business. Our opportunity trackers manually search for all the latest construction tenders, so you don’t have to. Every result you see will be relevant to the services you offer. You’ll receive updates straight to your inbox. And if you have any questions, your dedicated account manager will be on hand to answer them.

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:

Shovel-ready projects & the £1.3 billion investment

Posted on by John Hudson

Shovel-ready projects receive a £900 million investment

Shovel-ready projects will account for over £900 million of the Government’s £1.3 billion investment in homes, infrastructure and jobs. £360 million will be used to build 26,000 new homes. Overall, the funds are predicted to deliver up to 45,000 homes and create up to 85,000 jobs. The work will also help to upgrade skills and infrastructure, contributing to building a greener economic recovery.

What is it?

The Housing Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick, announced the nearly £1.3 billion investment earlier this month (August). The project will see the build and implementation of vital infrastructure across England.

Over 300 projects throughout the country have been told that they will be receiving a share of the £900 million. This is being referred to as the ‘Getting Building Fund’. The fund was announced by the Prime Minister in June as the COVID recovery plans stepped into action.

The Housing Secretary said:

“As we get Britain building, we are also laying the foundations for a green economic recovery by investing in vital infrastructure for local communities, creating jobs and building environmentally-friendly homes with a huge £1.3 billion investment announced today.

This Government is determined to level up all parts of the country and this funding will not only give a much-needed boost to our economic recovery, it will help build the good quality, affordable homes the country needs.”

What is the goal of the projects?

Not only focussed around infrastructure, the shovel-ready projects are also in aid of boosting the economy as we recover from the pandemic. Whilst creating around 85,000 jobs, the projects offer a chance to boost skills in the construction industry.

Creating a greener England is also one of the main aims of the work. It is expected that the new infrastructure will reduce around 65 million kilograms of CO2 emissions across the country.

The successful projects

Some of the 300 successful shovel-ready projects include;

  • Mayfield Park in Greater Manchester. They were granted £23 million for the first phase for the development of commercial space. The project is predicted to open 3,200 jobs and attract around 1 million visitors per year.
  • The National Brownfield Land Institute was granted £14.88 million. The project aims to create a leader in sustainable construction to drive levelling up across the region.
  • Support for a high-speed railway station in Thanet, Kent. The project was funded £12 million and aims to improve transport infrastructure in the area, as well as creating 800 jobs.
  • A total of 21 projects in the North East have been granted a combined £64 million. These projects include the Gateshead Quays convention centre and the development of a new business park. These schemes are expected to create over 4,200 jobs and safeguard a further 3,500.

In total, the successful shovel-ready projects are expected to deliver;

  • 85,000 jobs;
  • 1 million sqm of commercial space;
  • 45,000 homes;
  • Almost 1 million sqm of the public realm or green space (improved or created).

Developing 26,000 new homes

The government has also confirmed a further £360 million investment in Mayoral Combined Authority areas. This investment will help to develop 26,000 homes, whilst protecting greenfield sites.

Additionally, another £8million of funding has been confirmed for brownfield sites. The funding will speed up the build of new homes on these sites. These leaves £40million of funding remaining, for which the Government is now inviting ambitious bids from Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Green Homes grant scheme & required accreditations

The new Green Homes grant scheme will see the government offer £2billion of funding. This will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements for over 600,000 homes.

However, please be aware that tradespeople must register for a TrustMark accreditation in order to take part in the scheme.

The Business and Energy Secretary, Rt Hon Alok Sharma said:

“Green home improvements will save people money on their energy bills, help to cut carbon emissions, and create new work for many thousands of builders, plumbers and other tradespeople.

Our TrustMark scheme will guarantee that building work is completed to a high standard by accredited tradespeople, ensuring consumers are fully protected.”

Households on low incomes can receive vouchers which will cover 100% of the cost of their home improvements. This support carries a maximum of £10,000.

Are you looking for new construction projects?

Does your  business need to secure new construction contracts in the UK? We know that the opportunity tracking process can be time-consuming. There are numerous tendering portals available to you that can make the process more efficient. However, when we conducted research, we found that over a third of the opportunities on these portals were tagged with incorrect CPV codes.

In a nutshell, CPV (common procurement vocabulary) is how the algorithms on these portals find and identify tenders. The problem is that buyers don’t always know which CPV codes to use when publishing tendering opportunities.

We decided to eradicate this process altogether. When we developed Construction Tenders, we decided not to rely on CPV or to leave decisions at the mercy of computers. Our team of Opportunity Trackers manually searches thousands of sources every day. They identify new opportunities in the construction sector and upload them to one central system. They then tag the tenders with industry-specific keywords. This means that all the tenders you see are relevant to your business. No more searching and scrolling through endless, irrelevant contracts.

But don’t just take our word for it. Book a free live demo and trial the system for yourself. The demo will allow you to access the system, see the current opportunities and understand how the portal can help your business.

We source tenders for services including;

Refurbishment Tenders

Do you need bid writing support for a construction tender?

We understand how important the process of tendering is to the construction industry. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, houses our five dedicated bid writing services. The Succeed team has vast experience with writing and winning construction bids. They proudly hold an 87% bid success rate and are trusted by over 700 businesses globally.

Each service was created to ensure that the team can support businesses of varying sizes with different levels of tendering experience.

For example, the Tender Ready package was designed to support those who are new to tendering. During the service, our bid writers will work with you to develop the corporate literature you will need when you begin tendering for work. Not only that, but our Bid Designers will also ensure that your documents are professionally branded and stand out from your competition. They will then help you to identify the right tendering opportunities for your business. Then, they will offer to write your first bid on your behalf or guide you through two.

Tender Writing is the perfect ad-hoc solution if you require support with a one-off bid. The team will write your tender responses, attach the required documents and then submit the bid on your behalf. They will work with you to respond to any technical questions to ensure that your bid showcases your business in the best light.

Tender Improvement was developed to help you see success from your tendering efforts. During this service, our consultants will assess your previous tender responses and identify any areas of improvement. They will also assess your corporate literature and either create or re-develop any necessary documents. Once this is complete, the team can either write your next bid or guide you through two.

Further support  

For further support or more information about how we can help your construction business grow with a steady supply of construction leads please get in touch. Our team will be happy to take you on a tour through our Construction Tenders portal or discuss your tendering strategy in more detail.

The North London Heat and Power Project

Posted on by John Hudson

The £600million North London Heat and Power Project 

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has called for bids to develop a world-class Energy Recovery Facility (ERF). The work comes as part of the North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP) to modernise Edmonton EcoPark.

The government originally granted development consent for the project in 2017, with work consisting of a new energy recovery plant to replace the incinerator which has been in place for almost 50 years. During this time, the park has diverted over 21 tonnes of waste from going to landfill.

The impact of the project will have the same carbon impact as removing 110,000 cars off the road each year.

For workers in the construction industry, this contract offers an array of opportunities due to the various services required.

The Chair of the NLWA, Councillor Clyde Loakes, said: “The procurement of the ERF is our biggest contract to date and marks a crucial step forward in delivering this nationally significant infrastructure project for our two million residents.

“In the first phase of construction we’re also investing £100m in flagship recycling facilities which are vital for boosting North London’s recycling rates.”

What does the contract involve?

The modernisation work will take place over the next 10 years. The project is to develop a sustainable waste hub, involving substantial investment in state-of-the-art recycling facilities.

The North London Heat and Power Project requires the construction of an Energy Recovery Facility. The successful supplier will be responsible for all risk for;

  • Design;
  • Engineering;
  • Procurement;
  • Construction;
  • Commissioning;
  • Testing;
  • And operator training.

The new development will utilise the most up-to-date technology to control emissions. This means that the facility will be capable of using 60% less than the current limits for nitrogen oxides.

The site will have the capacity to treat up to 700,000 tonnes of household waste every year. The radius will cover the boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

The process

The project is divided into four stages.

Stage 1 – The preparatory works which are due to end in 2021.

Stage 2 – The building works which will continue until 2023.

Stage 3 – The Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) construction and commissioning. This work is due to begin in 2023 and end in 2025

Stage 4 – Post-ERF works consisting of the decommissioning and demolition of the existing facility. This stage is due to begin in 2027 and finish in 2031.

Creating jobs

The NLWA has committed to boosting local employment by 25%. Throughout the development, the project will provide approximately 100 apprenticeships. At least 90 of these opportunities will be directly associated with the Energy Recovery Facility.

NLHPP’s Programme Director, David Cullen, has claimed: “Overall, the construction of the NLHPP will generate 2,500 jobs.

“We’re working with the constituent boroughs of the NLWA and education providers to ensure that job opportunities and wider project benefits reach the local community where they are most needed.”

Why is the project important?

The facility will be part of NLWA’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for waste reduction and improvements to recycling. The North London Heat and Power Project forms the wider plan which includes Low Plastic Zones, clothing swaps and the London Upcycling Show.

The new development will be crucial to managing non-recyclable waste in the area sustainably. When the project is complete, the ERF will ensure that increasing waste levels can be managed responsibly for years to come. For the first time ever, residents will be allowed to bring their household waste to the EcoPark. The items will then be processed through the facility, lowering the usage of landfill sites.

Overall, the NLHPP project will see the development of;

  • The Energy Recovery Facility;
  • A Resource Recovery Facility;
  • A Reuse and Recycle Centre;
  • And EcoPark House which will include a visitor and education centre.

Finding construction opportunities

Are you looking for new construction contracts to help your business grow? Our Construction Tenders portal is dedicated to your industry.

Construction Tenders is our opportunity tracking portal. We know that opportunity tracking for tenders is a full-time job because we have a team who is solely responsible for this every day. They source new contract opportunities from thousands of sites to ensure that you never miss out.

Once the tenders have been sourced, they are then uploaded to our portal and categorised with industry-led keywords. This allows you to log into the system, select the services you provide and instantly find all the relevant opportunities. You can also filter the results by location, budget and sector.

Below are previous heat and power tenders sourced on our portal:

GB-Colchester: Planned Renewal of Heating Systems

Colchester Borough Council- Eastern- Budget: £1,000,000

CAT1 Gas Works: Heating Upgrade Works – Rosary College, Armagh Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12

Rosary College (Crumlin)- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Emergency heating works to Mary Queen of Ireland

Mary Queen of Ireland National School (Toberburr)- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Upgrade of LV Panels at Solihull Hospital

Sunderland City Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Heating Installation and Associated Works

South Tyneside Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Book a free live demo of our portal. The demo will allow you to access the system, see the current tenders and understand how the portal can help your business with construction leads.

We source tenders for services including;

Construction sector bid writing services

Once you have sourced the perfect tendering opportunity, you may need support with writing the bid. Bid writing requires a set of specialist skills, not to mention time and resources.

Our team at sister company, Hudson Succeed, have experience with writing and winning tenders in the construction sector. They have been helping business to see success from their tendering efforts for almost two decades and they support over 700 businesses globally. The team proudly holds a bid success rate of 87%, so you can rest assured that your bid is in safe hands.

No matter the size of your organisation or experience with tendering, Hudson Succeed can support you with your construction bids. The team offer five dedicated bid writing services;

  • Tender Writing: A fully managed bid writing service. The team will handle everything from writing your tender responses to submitting the final bid.
  • Tender Ready: A full preparation service for businesses who are new to tendering. This service involves the creation and branding of your corporate literature, support to find your first tender opportunity and the option of a bid writing service or guide and review support.
  • Tender Improvement: The perfect solution for increasing your success rate. During this service, our consultants will assess your previous tender submissions and advise on areas of improvement.
  • Tender Mentor: An expert second pair of eyes. This is the perfect final stage before submitting the bid. Let our experts review your responses and provide guidance to ensure you submit an error-free bid.

Call or email the team for a free consultation.

Government Construction Contracts

Posted on by John Hudson

Winning Government Construction Contracts

Over the years, construction has continued to be the largest public sector expenditure by volume and value. Almost 16% of UK construction spend is by the public sector. Budgets bidsfor government construction contracts are vast, meaning there is an opportunity for business of all sizes. There are several reasons for this. The UK government is keen to encourage Small, Medium Enterprises into government supply chains in order to improve value for money within the public sector.

Although tendering for government construction contracts is highly regulated, the advantage is that no matter how small your business, there is always an opportunity to supply the government. Their remit extends across all major areas of the UK construction sector.

Additionally, the government has to be transparent in the way they are spending public money. This means there are no grey areas during both the tendering process and any time spent under contract.

Most Economically Advantageous Tender

Nearly every government construction bid will be evaluated in the same method. This is known as ‘MEAT‘ and it stands for: Most Economically Advantageous Tender. 

What this means, is the client is looking for a contractor who can provide the best value throughout their bid. Therefore, this gives the best chance of delivering a successful project.

It is important you don’t misunderstand what this means for your bid. Being economically advantageous does not necessarily mean ‘cheapest’.

Do not make the mistake of deliberately pricing low-cost bids in an effort to win. This will result in you risking two outcomes:

  • You may end up completing the project at a loss, meaning you lose money instead of making it!
  • Annoying your clients by either failing to meet quality standards or having to request additional funding later on or, at worst – breaking contract and/or getting thrown off-site!

Instead, you should write your bid to demonstrate clearly and concisely how you will deliver an outstanding service to the client:

  1. Completing the construction to meet the client’s specifications.
  2. Provide a quality construction team who can safely deliver the works.
  3. Provide added value to the construction works.

Let’s break this down… 

1. Meeting Specifications

When bid writing for a construction sector tender you should clearly demonstrate how you will deliver the required works:

  1. Show the client you know how to will meet the needs of the works.
  2. Give examples of your track record achieving similar specifications.
  3. Provide references and testimonials for each example where possible.

2. Provide a quality construction team who can safely deliver the works.

Demonstrate in your bid that the team delivering these works have the capability and experience to guarantee a successful project. This can include:

  1. CVs
  2. Summary introductions to team members
  3. Provision of qualification documents
  4. Examples of previous projects
  5. Examples of track record working together with the Client and or contract partners

The key point to remember is you need to provide confidence to the client that your team know what they’re doing and will deliver the project successfully

As part of your bid, you may be invited to interview before the award stage. This is a chance to introduce key people to the client and let them showcase their expertise, providing confidence in them, and your bid.

3. Provide added value to the construction works

This is an important (and often forgotten) part of your bid. Writing about how you can provide added value to the construction contract is a big part of being economically advantageous. What you can offer will vary from bid to bid, but examples of what it can include are:

  1. Planning works to minimise project costs e.g. ordering materials in bulk to save cost and well before they’re needed to prevent delays.
  2. Reducing (or removing altogether) waste from your site by repurposing it. E.g. turning waste wood into outside seating for a local benefactor.
  3. Investment in the Client’s customers e.g. employing local people or subcontractors to deliver the works?
  4. Upskilling the communities where you work with work placements/skills workshops etc.
  5. Increasing quality of life for local residents by providing free to access events and resources. Examples of this include coffee mornings for local elderly residents, hosting soup kitchens for rough sleepers or donations to local food banks.

Types of Government Construction Contracts

Typical with most government construction contracts, opportunities are subject to a legal framework, in the interests of promoting fair, transparent competition and value for money. Contract opportunities can come in the form of:

Standard, direct, winner-takes-all contracts, in which one supplier will be appointed to deliver the specification. An example of such a government construction contract currently available to tender is:

  • Contract Title: South Ferriby, Skinners Lane Car Park Resurfacing
  • Buyer: North Lincolnshire Council
  • Contract Length: 2 months
  • Value: £10,000

Framework agreements, in which multiple approved suppliers are utilised, often on an ad-hoc, call-off basis. An example of government construction framework currently out to tender is:

  • Contract Title: London and Quadrant Housing Trust – Paving Products Framework 2020 – 2024
  • Buyer: L&Q Construction
  • Contract Length: 4 years
  • Value: £6,000,000

Dynamic purchasing systems (DPS), with extended deadlines so you can apply at any time, with workstreams following similar to that of framework agreements. An example of a current government construction DPS out to tender is:

  • DPS Title: DPS for the Supply, Delivery and Maintenance of Leakage and Data Logging Equipment
  • Buyer: NI Water and its Subsidiaries
  • Contract Length: Ongoing until 2028
  • Value: £5,000,000

Regardless of its form, opportunities can substantially increase turnover and profits, allowing your business to develop further.

HS2

Getting involved in public sector construction can reap awards, as this sector often represents numerous high-value contract lots. Perhaps the most well-known ongoing opportunity for the procurement of government construction contracts is HS2. HS2, or High Speed 2, is a landmark project proposed by the government, which began in 2009. The project involves the design and construction of brand-new high-speed railway tracks and stations. They will connect Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London. HS2 is the biggest project of its kind in Europe and continues to provide numerous opportunities to secure government construction contracts.

Despite the issues and rather significant financial stumbles surrounding HS2, the project will be running long-term. As of 11 February, prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that the full project will be followed through. Getting on board could very well be profitable for your business.

Here’s why:

  • HS2 contract opportunities are in full supply for large businesses and SMEs alike. HS2 place particular focus on making project work more accessible for small or medium-sized enterprises. This is a unique opportunity to build contract experience on a national, government framework. This can typically be challenging and inaccessible for SMEs.
  • The tier system HS2 ltd uses for procurement means a fairer opportunity to tender for projects. Bidders can apply as a Tier 1 direct supplier for high-value opportunities. Contractors who gain work as a Tier 1 contractor are required to advertise relevant supply chain opportunities, which benefits SMEs. This amounts to thousands of government construction contract supply chain opportunities.
  • HS2 contract experience will be invaluable for demonstrating experience in future tenders. Showing a clear commitment to UK infrastructure.

Where to Find Government Construction Contracts

Government construction contracts can be found in several places. There are quite literally thousands of procurement portals. Knowing where to find tenders that suit your service offering can be impossible.

Tender tracking can consume your businesses, time, resource and money. Which is why Hudson has developed Construction Tenders. A product designed to help you source and secure new construction leads for your business via the public procurement process.

How does it work?

Hudson’s Construction Tenders portal is constantly updated with the latest large and small construction tenders. The portal allows you to filter through new tenders by simply entering keywords, locations, sectors and budgets.

These filters allow you to tailor the portal so that it becomes completely bespoke to your service offering. This feature is particularly relevant to small construction tenders, enabling you to filter works based on value and scope of works. Ensuring only suitable opportunities are presented to you and your business.

Once the tenders have been sourced, our team upload each tender manually. They then tag the tenders with relevant keywords that match the opportunity. This means that our clients can simply enter their keywords (i.e. small construction bids) into the search field and instantly see all the live tenders in their industry.

Get in touch

Sign up to Construction Tenders today and receive a daily bulletin straight to your inbox, containing all relevant small construction tenders uploaded that day. 

Below are previous government construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Effective Transition from Children’s to Adult’s Mental Health Services

Local Government Association- London- Budget: Undisclosed

Engagement Strategy for Settlements (OxCam Arc)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government- London- Budget: £50,000

Chester Street Car Park – Fencing Alterations and Fall Prevention System Installation

Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Charter for ROV Survey of Offshore Infrastructure

Scottish Government- Scotland- Budget: £10,000

Provision of Home to School Transport between Ulverston and Grange Over Sands

Cumbria County Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

Our Opportunity Trackers upload government construction contracts from multiple websites across the UK. You’re able to filter the results by location, budget, keyword and more. This can help save you even more time when tendering for government construction contracts.

This includes the following: 

If you would like to have a free demo of our live tendering site, to see the construction tenders we have currently, please do not hesitate to contact our Hudson Discover team who will start your free trial today.