powered by

Tag: Hudson Succeed

5 Benefits of eTenders Construction Businesses Should Know About

Posted on by John Hudson

Why are eTenders construction’s best friend?

In construction, eTenders are simply procurement processes which occur entirely online, through online documentation and communication.

In short, a buyer posts details of a construction job online and uploads any documents needed. Relevant suppliers register on an online portal, such as Construction Tenders, to express their interest and download documents. Suppliers can submit bids for the work digitally, without needing to print or post any documentation. Construction bids can be submitted either directly to the buyer via email or via an online portal.

We’ve looked at the benefits and shortfalls of eTendering in general and how to build construction contracts for tender. Now, we’d like to take a sector-specific approach and ask: What are the ramifications of using eTenders in construction bids? And how can the features of eTendering help make a construction bid as strong as possible?

eTenders: Construction’s new normal?

Firstly, you might be thinking: eTendering sounds a lot like ‘normal’ tendering, doesn’t it? You’d be right – these days, eTenders are very much the norm across all industries.

Now, the vast majority of construction tenders are carried out almost entirely online. This includes the Invitation to Tender (ITT) at the start of the process, right through to the final stages of completion. Generally, pen, paper and postage are becoming a thing of the past in tendering. Perhaps the procurement manager will print out tender documentation for their own ease of reading. You can consider formatting bids with print or branding in mind, as our design masterclass on Tender VLE explains. However, design is rarely an important factor in construction bids, where strict formats are stuck to.

Here at Hudson Succeed, the percentage of requests we get for postal submissions is less than 5%. Obviously, this is a small fraction. The majority of our tendering work is carried out online. Because of this, we’re always looking at how to make the process of eTendering more efficient at every stage.

The benefits of eTenders that construction workers should know about:

When it comes to the rise of eTenders, construction is one of the industries that benefit the most. The Government recognised the importance of eTenders in construction as part of their Construction 2025 report, back in 2013. They predicted eTenders would deliver much greater productivity by 2025 and major efficiency gains from the earlier engagement of supply chains. This has certainly come true in recent years.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of an eTender in construction can be defined by how well the procurement process is completed. Also, whether the specification and response accurately reflect the intentions of the contracting parties. All of this is a lot easier with eTenders.

So, how exactly has eTendering revolutionised construction contracts?

  1. It allows for Dynamic Purchasing Systems and online portals.

A Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is a supply chain list where tenders are published to specific members. A DPS is a completely electronic process.

We’ve streamlined eTendering through our 11 sector-specific tendering portals, including Construction Tenders. Opportunities on our portals can be filtered according to the needs of the user. This makes sure users only see tenders that are relevant to their specific industry and sector. Ultimately, the user avoids having to trawl through irrelevant tenders. The process for buyers is also streamlined, as they can publish competitive opportunities to actively engaged suppliers.

  1. You can collaborate effectively with your team.

Having a secure online platform where tender documents can be distributed, amended and submitted helps streamline the procurement process further. This saves time, money and resources and allows for ongoing collaboration as you create your construction eTender.

The ‘Tasks’ function on our portal allows multiple users to work on a tender simultaneously. You can set tasks for different team members regarding different elements of the tender, such as pricing or quality. You can then view each member’s progress, whenever you need to, and when milestones are hit, you can alert participants.

  1. It allows for clearer, more accessible contracts and terms.

Construction tenders are highly complex. There are often multiple buyers, multi-tier supply chains, and very detailed specifications to think about. With eTenders, constructions bids and proposals are a much clearer and more accessible process, for both buyers and suppliers.

A construction tender is often a very large document. For instance, we’ve talked about the trials of setting out tender rates in construction, which can be a long process. The schedule of rates (SOR) alone may contain 100+ pages, 50+ headings and countless sub-sections and pricing units. eTenders allow construction contractors to use software to properly price their works and boost the chances of effective tender management.

eTendering also allows for early engagement between buyer and supplier and encourages ongoing communication. If something needs to be clarified or negotiated, it can be done so fairly easily. This helps reduces tender cycle times and lowers transactional costs.

Easy and streamlined communication between contractor and sub-contractor is an often-overlooked blessing of eTendering compared to past methods (postage). Good communication is always essential when it comes to multiple companies collaborating effectively!

  1. There’s less room for errors (and more time to fix them…)

Eliminating the need for pen, paper and postage also removes the need for a lot of extraneous physical processes. This, in turn, leaves a lot less room for human error.

Imagine, for instance, you’ve filled out the 100-page SOR document and made a mistake on page 56. Previously, it could have been printed and sealed inside an envelope in time for postage. Now, however, multiple team members can have online access to a digital document, 24 hours a day. This is a lot more likely to be spotted and changed before submission. The eTender can also be checked over and amended right up until the deadline for submission.

In turn, staff members who would be burdened with extraneous jobs can focus on more important tasks. For instance, knowing the ‘scope of works’ is perhaps the most important aspect of the procurement process in construction. eTenders give the buyer more time to define the contract terms, and the supplier more time to understand and negotiate them. Extra time to make the contract and tender documentation more accurate is valuable and will reduce the risk of errors.

If you need any support with construction eTenders, our Hudson Succeed team is happy to help. We can give expert writing support to maximise your success. 

  1. eTenders in construction allow for automation.

eTendering allows for automation which drastically speeds up elements of the tendering process. For instance, the automatic submission of a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). The PAS 91 is the construction industry’s answer to the PQQ. Sites like ConstructionLine can be used to prove you are PAS 91 compliant. Essentially, once suppliers have completed one PAS 91 questionnaire, the same set of standard responses can be used again.

But is automation always the best method?

While moving online has simplified many stages of the tendering process, this comes with a major issue, seen in CPV codes. Automation doesn’t always provide the best outcome. A major downfall with eTendering and online portals is the widespread dependence on CPV codes to source tenders. Up to a third of CPV codes are used inaccurately, causing many businesses to miss relevant tenders.

To avoid this, all opportunities on Construction Tenders are sourced and tagged manually. In this area, it’s clear that humans are still beating robots! 

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:

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:

Finding Construction Job Leads – What’s the Best Method?

Posted on by John Hudson

Evaluating Methods of Finding Construction Job Leads for Your Business 

Finding the best construction job leads for your SME, or as a sole trader, can be tricky. In an ideal world, you’d always be able to find good leads as often and as quickly as you needed. Ideally, the perfect construction job leads would find their own way to you!

In reality, tradespeople and construction SMEs often waste a lot of time searching for construction contracts in the UK. Does this sound like you? Maybe you’ve struggled to find relevant construction job leads and worried that you’re looking in the wrong place. Or are you simply waiting for leads to come to you? A surprising percentage of tradesmen (75%!) say word of mouth is their top strategy for finding construction job leads. This strategy looks a lot like waiting around and wasting time, once you know what you could be doing.

How to find construction job leads.

Here are three ways to increase the amount of construction job leads you find. We’ve evaluated each method based on how much it can help SMEs and sole traders to grow their businesses.

  1. Get construction job leads via a tendering portal.

Searching online for construction job leads in your sector will provide you with opportunities. You might find hundreds of construction job leads this way. But, as you probably know, it’s never that simple. Very often, the construction job leads you come across don’t suit your business. Once you’ve looked at the specification, there’s a number of ways a lead might not be right. The contract’s size, budget, location, length, requirements, or sector could all be the wrong fit, for instance. Frustrating, we know. 

But tendering portals make finding construction job leads that are sector-specific and relevant to your business easy. So, if you want to save time and resources that could be focused on growing your business – start tendering.

How do you tender effectively?

Access a sector-specific portal.

  • Construction Tenders sources public and private sector opportunities across the UK, in a range of sub-sectors. At any time, you’ll find 900+ live construction tenders in one central portal. You can rest assured that 1000+ sources across the web have been manually searched for you. Our opportunity trackers will send the relevant results straight to your inbox.

Filter by keywords.

  • Our unique method of manual keyword tracking allows you to search for results accurately by keywords. You can filter tenders by:
  • Budget
  • Location
  • Services
  • Sector

Access an account manager.

  • You will always have on-hand advice and guidance to help you find relevant construction job leads.

Access tender writing support.

  • We also have free tender-writing master classes or four levels of personalised tender-writing support from on-hand bid writers.

Is tendering worth it?

Absolutely. Not only do you find relevant construction job leads, but you access a wider variety of leads than other methods. Construction Tenders connects you with buyers you couldn’t connect with organically and tenders you never would have found searching yourself.

Especially important for sole traders or SMEs, tendering can secure ongoing work on large construction frameworks. For instance, a relevant roofing contract that’s part of a much larger build can be a stepping-stone for smaller traders. This experience increases the roofing company’s chances of winning larger, more rewarding projects with future construction bids.

You’ll only see new construction job leads that are relevant to you on Construction Tenders. This sets us apart from other portals which rely on inaccurate CPV codes to track opportunities. Ultimately, tendering in this way ensures the best results for your business, and helps you reclaim valuable time.

  1. Get construction job leads via referrals.

Improving your customer service to get more referrals is an often-touted method of getting more construction job leads. How does it work?

Boost your customer service.

  • Go above and beyond with your customer service to secure great reviews. Show you care about your work. Ways to improve your customer service include:
  • Always be reliable and punctual with work and calls
  • Always be polite and professional with customers
  • Operate a tidy and organised workspace

Ask for reviews.

  • Always ask for reviews when a job is complete, so you’ll have testimonials to prove the value of your work. Improving your customer service will make this much more fruitful. You can request reviews on Google My Business by sending an URL to customers after a job is complete. Google also promotes local business by showing them on Google maps results, voice search, and normal searches. For instance, anyone searching for a bricklayer will see local bricklayer business pages at the top of the search results. This is a great place to procure your strongest reviews.

Incentivise referrals.

  • Incentivise referrals by offering rewards to those who refer you.

Are referrals worth it?

Improving your service will, in turn, generate better reviews and future referrals for your company. Nothing bad will come of improving your services and caring more about your customers. However, this is a slow-burning strategy for finding new construction job leads and depends heavily on others supporting you.

  1. Generate construction leads via an online presence

Building your online presence is a popular method of generating construction job leads in the digital age. You can do this in the following ways:

Create a website for your business.

  • Make sure your construction business’ information is accessible to others at all times. Be sure to include:
  • Contact information;
  • A personal touch, i.e. images of you and your team, images with clients, if permitted.
  • Case studies and high-quality images of past projects that you’re proud of, including before and afters, if possible;
  • Testimonials from past clients;
  • Your credentials and accreditations.

Set up email marketing for your business.

  • Set up an email newsletter for customers to get the word out there about your business. You can include the following:
  • Reminders of your company and the work you do;
  • News and updates on your business;
  • Share tips, ideas, and trends that are related to your specialised trade – i.e. DIY projects.

Set up social media pages for your business.

  • Gone are the days of the yellow pages, and word of mouth simply doesn’t cut it anymore. You can instead boost your online presence through social media.
  • Create your own Facebook or Twitter page.
  • Engage with potential customers.
  • Network with other construction companies who are non-competitors. For example, connect with a roofing company as a bricklaying business and share your customer base.

Is online marketing worth it?

Creating an online presence for your company can be great for exposure and might score you small and relevant jobs. However, a snazzy website won’t do the legwork for securing work on large projects, frameworks or ongoing jobs. Implementing the above strategies in your company can also be time-consuming and expensive. You’re looking for construction job leads after all, not a career in digital marketing…

So, which strategy generates the best construction job leads?

Overall, referrals and online marketing are both valuable strategies, but they only go so far. They still largely depend on construction job leads finding you. Also, they don’t ensure you find the maximum number of leads possible, nor do they advance you onto bigger projects. Ultimately, this isn’t the best way to grow your company.

So, scrap waiting around for referrals, or website clicks, and don’t waste time searching for construction job leads manually. With the vastness of online results, this can essentially be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. If you want to grow your business sustainably, rather than depending on reputation or self-marketing, tendering is the best method.

What’s the current climate for construction job leads?

Despite the recent impact of Covid-19 on the construction industry, there is a bounce-back and ongoing investment.

For instance, the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund Forward Funding (HIF FF) offers some good news to the industry. After surpassing £1.8bn of investment in early November 2020, it will deliver another £1bn of investment in construction, country wide. These investments, delivered by Homes England, will help to deliver up to 300,000 new homes across England. It provides local authorities with funding for new infrastructure and brings new construction jobs leads to offset the pandemic’s impact.

Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, described the scope of the investments:

“In order to build more homes, we need to provide the infrastructure and public services to match. This investment will help to build homes where we need them the most. It also supports existing communities by ensuring they get the new roads, schools and other public services that are needed.”

Case studies of the HIF funding scheme include:

– Cambridge City Council was allocated £227m to deliver around 8,000 homes and 20,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.

– Greater Manchester Combined Authority received approval for £51.6m to unlock the first phase of 5,557 new homes.

– Cumbria County Council was awarded £134m to build new infrastructure to unlock land on which to build 10,325 new homes.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

If you want to start receiving construction job leads, straight to your inbox, we can help. Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders. When you sign up, you’ll receive a daily bulletin when new construction jobs are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant opportunities that we have sourced that day.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

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

How to Find & Win Inspection Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Seeing Success with Inspection Tenders; It’s Easier Than You Think 

Inspection tenders are the perfect way to secure a pipeline of work and expand your business. Thousands of businesses use tendering as their regular development strategy. This not only secures work but also helps build lasting relationships with buyers. But the world is continuing to recover from the ongoing effects of COVID. So, shouldn’t there be a decrease in the number of opportunities available?

It would be easy to think there should be a significant reduction in inspection tender opportunities. After all, the economic impact of COVID is hard to ignore. Businesses are facing mass redundancies, budget cuts, and a decrease in productivity. All of this paints quite a bleak picture of tendering for work in the current climate. You may find yourself wondering how it’s possible to secure work when it seems as though business development in the UK has come to a complete standstill.

Well, the good news is there’s really no need to worry. It may surprise you to know there has been a continued steady stream of inspection tenders. Even at the peak of lockdown inspection tenders were still coming through. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) have even reported on this. They stated that almost half of SME construction businesses were experiencing an increase in demand as of Autumn 2020.

What does this mean for inspection tenders?

An increase for businesses within the construction sector can only mean good things for inspection tenders. Construction projects and building works involve a large volume of employees, materials and apparatus. This means inspection is arguably one of the most crucial parts of the process. Inspecting a construction project ensures it will progress in terms of health and safety, compliance and quality.

The need for routine inspection is an essential part of construction projects. Working safely and responsibly is more important than ever in a post-COVID world. But don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too much, if any, strain on your existing services. The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has plans which will introduce consistent and concise regulations for construction projects. This will ensure projects will feel comfortable to remain in line with the Government’s everchanging policies and recommendations. This includes social distancing measures which will ensure employers and employees make every effort to comply and stay safe whilst working.

Now it’s just a case of finding the inspection opportunities. As the demand for construction work increases, so will the need for independent assessors. It can certainly be said that now is the time to take your first steps in the procurement world.

How has COVID impacted this?

Unfortunately, many industries have not been so lucky in seeing this increase in opportunities. For businesses in the hospitality and events sectors, they are facing a crisis where they are often forced to change the nature of their business.

In comparison, inspection tenders haven’t really been impacted by COVID. The construction sector is recovering from the economic impact and opportunities are increasing. So, is there anything you should consider when searching for inspection tenders in the current climate?

A Digitally Focused Approach

Perhaps the most important thing to consider is that where companies are going to discover new pipelines of work. Many companies have shifted away from face to face meetings and word of mouth when securing new business. Instead, they are moving toward a digital approach, with remote working and online meetings.

For the construction sector, taking a more digitally focused approach to securing work may feel impossible. When the main part of your job is being on-site and inspecting your surroundings, is there really room to incorporate remote working?

Good communication is an essential part of inspecting a site. The ability to verbally communicate what you have witnessed is vital for compliance. This will then be relayed to the project manager and, ultimately, could affect the next steps of the project. As a part of your job, you may have to attend progress meetings. Here you can discuss any reports as an effective way of controlling potential hazards.

Converting to a digital method of communication is likely to be vital as we shift towards a post-COVID world. Businesses are being encouraged to work and keep relationships remote where possible. This not only boasts practical advantages but also environmental benefits.

So, face to face meetings are on the decrease. What better time to start expanding your business and client base through tendering for work?

What are the benefits of securing work through tendering?

It’s all well and good saying now is the perfect time to secure inspection tenders. But should we really be focusing more on this method of securing work?

A straight-forward enough question, right? And the straightforward answer is yes.

At present, it’s so important to continue business as usual to the best of your ability. With more and more people working remotely it is vital that businesses continue developing their business strategies. Tendering is the perfect opportunity to grow your business.

The advantages include:

  • Developing new relationships with clients,
  • Gaining invaluable experience with both public and private buyers
  • Securing a steady stream of work
  • Building your pipeline
  • Having the ability to work remotely and avoid face-to-face meetings

With that being said, it can be a daunting experience when attempting to secure inspection tenders for the first time.

Here are 5 top tips for first-time tenderers:

  1. Think of your advantages: It can often feel as though buyers want bigger businesses with more tendering experience. However, this is not the case. Make sure you remind yourself of your business’ unique selling points and advantages over competitors.
  2. SME’s are not at a disadvantage: similarly, if you are a smaller enterprise, this is not an automatic disadvantage. The government are currently aiming to spend £1 in every £3 with SME’s. Private buyers may also be looking to establish relationships with smaller businesses.
  3. Build a pipeline of work- it may be tempting to delve into the tendering world and want to secure the opportunities which are in the here and now. Reactive work is on the increase but having a pipeline is vital when tendering. When one project comes to an end, make sure you have another following this. Don’t wait for the project to finish before seeking your next stream of work.
  4. Have a checklist– there is a range of factors you need to consider when looking at tenders. Do you have the minimum financial threshold? Can you successfully deliver the work? Do you have relevant experience? Make sure you have a checklist tailored to your business. This will ultimately save you from wasting time and effort with tenders that are not right for you.
  5. Framework agreements– if you do not have a lot of contract examples or experience, framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems (DPS) are the perfect way to build this experience. These contracts tend to be over a longer period and have multiple providers. Not only does this increase your chances of success, but it also helps build that all-important pipeline.

How do I find Inspection Tenders?

Now you know the benefits of tendering, the next stage is sourcing these tenders. Due to the large volume of inspection tenders from a variety of buyers, it will feel impossible to know where to start. Websites and platforms dedicated to tendering are the best way to go when looking for tenders. Here you will have access to a range of opportunities.

Unfortunately, not all tendering sites are created equal. Some platforms offer more perks and support than others.

Here are some things to consider when looking to discover tenders:

  1. Don’t rely on CPV codes or algorithms
  2. Make sure you can search by keywords, locations, and budget
  3. The site should manually keyword tenders
  4. It should specify in your sector
  5. You receive daily updates so you don’t miss out on an opportunity

Luckily for you Construction Tenders provides all this and much more! Our opportunity trackers source tenders from 1000’s of sites. They upload all available tenders manually too. You don’t need to worry about CPV codes sending irrelevant tenders. You also won’t miss out on tenders due to incorrect coding. Daily alerts are sent straight to your inbox, giving you details of the newest tenders uploaded within your sector.

Our aim is to save you time and money.

How do I secure Inspection Tenders?

Once you’ve discovered your perfect tender, how do you succeed in securing a construction contract?

Our big writing division, Hudson Succeed, can help here.

We 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. Last year alone, they secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients.

Here are some examples of the services we offer:

Find Inspection Opportunities with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a free live demo of Construction Tenders. Our clients benefit from access to all public and private sector opportunities. They also receive a daily bulletin straight to their inbox with all the recent tenders and construction leads which have been sourced that day. And don’t worry about CPV codes or algorithms! Our opportunity trackers keyword every opportunity manually.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

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

What Really Matters in Commercial Building Tenders?

Posted on by John Hudson

How to Focus Your Commercial Building Tender on What Matters

What is a commercial building tender?

Commercial building tenders are the most common way in which buyers find suppliers to construct buildings for commercial purposes. The term covers a wide range of building projects that are, quite often, large contracts. For instance, a commercial building tender could seek suppliers to construct office towers, warehouses, or shopping centres.

Put simply, a buyer will go to the external market with a commercial building tender. This could be part of a specification for building a new leisure centre. This buyer then collects, analyses and nominate bids from suppliers, and the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) wins.

What are the best practices when writing commercial building tenders?

Writing commercial building tenders requires a lot of industry-specific knowledge and skill. Large construction contracts, like commercial building tenders, often involve multiple suppliers operating collaboratively under a framework agreement. Watch our free Tender VLE masterclass on Framework Agreements for more information on how this works. Commercial building work itself is highly technical and costly, therefore the tender needs to be exhaustive. In order to respond effectively to the tender specifications, you need in-depth knowledge of the regulations and legislative examples.

Read our advice on the best practices for general bid writing and creating a water-tight argument for your business. We also have a successful bid writing division, Hudson Succeed. If your business needs to outsource the writing and submission of technical tenders, or simply needs advice, get in touch.

This blog will focus on, arguably, the most important aspect of your commercial building tender. This is its social value, i.e. how you consider the wider community impact of the project. We’ll explain why demonstrating social value can make a BIG difference in whether or not you win a bid.

Public opinion on commercial building tenders

Despite the breadth of commercial building, it is a less recognised sub-sector of construction.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) reported that the British public underestimates the importance of commercial building tenders. When quizzed on what they think is the most important element of the construction industry, the public emphasised roadwork. Roadwork is the defining sub-sector of construction in the public imagination. Significantly, roadwork also came top when the public was asked where the government should spend more money in construction.

However, roadwork accounts for a relatively small proportion of activity compared to commercial building, educational building and leisure construction projects.

Why does public perception matter?

Well, firstly, it’s important that the construction industry – and those who make policy decisions – take public opinion into consideration. To do this more effectively, they need to know where the public lacks understanding of construction and correct these misconceptions. Otherwise, much-needed budgets for commercial building tenders could be slashed due to misconception. In short – more budget for commercial building tenders, please, not roadworks!

Also, commercial builds can often get a negative reception when they are made public. A commercial building tender for a large warehouse nearby could upset local people if they’re worried about the natural landscape. Opinions could change, however, if the build provided social value by hiring locally and offering work experience to young people.

An example of this is seen as plans to build a 12,500-capacity Gateshead Arena on Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s quayside has caused pushback. Some residents have complained over the obtrusive design of a hotel proposed in the plan. The project, however, is planning to work with local partners and add over 1,000 jobs to the regional economy. Ultimately, this will make the area more attractive to residents, visitors and investors.

Public tensions make it especially important to emphasise positive social value in your commercial building tenders. Getting the local community on your side is a great way to increase funding and your chances of winning.

Where exactly can social value come into a commercial building tender?

Social value has become a much more prominent aspect of commercial building tenders in recent years.

Demonstrating social value in construction bids is essentially detailing the contribution your work will make to society and local communities. This can be boiled down to the following:

  • reducing inequality;
  • promoting wellbeing;
  • decreasing the impact on the environment.

With each aspect of social value, there’s a variety of ways to prove how you can positively impact the local community. For example, will you employ local people? Great. This can demonstrate social value in each of the following ways:

  • It could create fiscal saving for the Government if these people were previously unemployed.
  • You could improve these people’s livelihoods and future prospects.
  • It could increase public health by reducing dependence on public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdowns.
  • It could positively impact local education if you have apprentices in your supply chain.
  • You could boost local trade if your procurement process prioritises local suppliers.

See? You can showcase social value in a multitude of ways in commercial building tenders, once you know what to consider!

Make sure to always use figures to back up your claims. How many local people will you employ, in how many miles radius of the site? It’s important to be realistic and specific with any assertions in your commercial building tender. Watch our free Tender VLE masterclass, Evidence is Key, for more insight on adding evidence to your tender.

Why does social value matter more in commercial building tenders?

It’s particularly beneficial to consider social value when pitching for a commercial building tender rather than, say, excavation tenders.

Why? Well, in short, commercial builds create public spaces. Once completed, most commercial projects will see large public footfall in their lifetime, whether this is staff or customers. For instance, commercial builds like leisure centres and local shopping centres will form community ‘hubs’. Lots of people use them and they can become a regular part of local life. (This extends to pubs, bars, even bingo halls!)

Therefore, the winning suppliers of commercial building tenders will often end up having indirect, yet significant, impacts on local life. It’s very important to consider the bigger picture and wider community carefully when tendering for commercial work.

Using social value to improve public opinion in a commercial building tender doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a good example that does so simply and effectively.

  • Willmott Dixon’s build of The Evolution Centre at Oaklands College in St Albans. The site team emphasised Willmott Dixon’s ambition to be net zero carbon by 2030. To do this, they created electrical connections to the grid. This meant diesel generators were not needed for the tower crane, site and welfare facilities. The project also publicised its use of local community wood recycling to ensure any surplus timber was reused rather than wasted.

Future prospects for commercial building tenders

It’s an uncertain time for business, as we find ourselves in national lockdown again heading towards 2021. One thing is truer now, more than ever, for commercial building tenders. Companies that prioritise local economic and social value are in the best stead to see investment and continue operating successfully.

You will see increased success with this in mind.

Looking forward, the CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) sees a bounce back in commercial construction growth. It predicts an annual average growth rate of 1.2% until 2023, with the number employed rising over the period. It also forecasts new construction activity in London to expand by an annual average of 2.1%. New commercial building will play a part.

So, are you looking to secure commercial building tenders right now? If so, we can increase your chances of finding relevant tenders with our sector-specific portal, Construction Tenders. Our Opportunity Trackers ensure much higher accuracy than CPV codes used on other portals.

And if you need help writing a commercial building tender, we have 4 levels of support to fit your needs.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. As a client, you’ll receive a daily bulletin straight to your inbox when new tenders are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction leads that we have sourced that day.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

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

The Future of Carpentry Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

What Will Brexit Mean for Carpentry Tenders?

Securing work through carpentry tenders is a great way to get diverse experience in a specialised trade. If your business specialises in a sub-sector of construction, you need to consider the implications of Brexit while tendering. Do you import materials from countries in the European Union (EU), or employ EU nationals? Or are you simply concerned about business prospects post-Brexit, and going forward into 2021?

Here’s a guide on what you should be doing (right now!) to secure carpentry tenders as we head towards Brexit.

When is Brexit?

You’re likely aware that Brexit is fast approaching. But when actually is it?

Currently, the UK is in a transition period until the end of the year while we negotiate new arrangements with the European Union (EU). January 1st, 2021 is the official date that the transition period ends. This is regardless of whether we reach a trade deal with the EU. Businesses must prepare for changes as we leave the customs union and single market.

Over the past month, business secretary, Alok Sharma, has urged businesses to prepare. He advised: “Businesses must act now to ensure they are ready for the UK’s new start come January … There will be no extension to the transition period, so there is no time to waste. Businesses have a crucial role to play in ensuring a smooth transition, and we will be there to support them.”

It’s understandable to be concerned as a business owner as we head towards the uncertainties of Brexit. Not to mention we’re in the middle of a second national lockdown. But, thankfully, we have some reassuring news regarding carpentry tenders.

Is now a good time to find carpentry tenders?

As long as you’re up to date on changing regulations – yes!

Construction will stay open for business during the second national lockdown and over the threshold of Brexit into 2021. The Construction Leadership Council has advised that construction sites should remain in operation. Sites should review their social distancing measures and remind their workforce to comply with Site Operating Procedures at all times. This means new carpentry tenders will be available.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) also confirmed that training courses will continue, and test centres will remain open. Should they need to, workers can still undertake their Health, Safety and Environment assessments, for instance.

Looking beyond Brexit, the CITB also announced a detailed strategic plan to invest in and incentivise the construction industry. Going forward, the CITB will fund ‘hubs’ to train and develop new labourers. This will help relieve the immediate problem of replacing labourers who previously came from the EU.

What are the figures?

As of November 2020, the number and value of construction contracts overall are increasing. Here’s how carpentry tenders are bouncing back after the devastating closures of Spring 2020:

  • October 2020 saw 482 construction contracts awarded, worth £6.8 billion. This is a 10% increase from September 2020 and the highest figures since April 2020.
  • Construction tender opportunities in October were spread more widely across the UK in comparison to September. While a third of expenditure was in London (£2.3 billion), regions right across the nation saw large spends. For example, Scotland (£635 million), West Midlands (£534 million) and the South West (£515 million).

So, as we head into a post-Brexit 2021, it’s a promising time to seek carpentry tenders and secure business opportunities.

How do I find carpentry tenders?

To speed up the process of finding relevant carpentry tenders that can grow your business, try our Construction Tenders portal. We source construction contract opportunities on a daily basis, from thousands of buyers. We manually search for business opportunities in the public and private sector, across the UK, so you don’t have to. All you need to do is filter by relevant keywords, budgets, industry sectors and locations.

You’ll receive daily alerts when tenders are released for relevant services. Private buyers also post projects direct to our portal to source suitable suppliers from our subscribers. Book a free live demo today and see how we can help you find and secure carpentry tenders.

Will I need to adjust my business to win carpentry tenders post-Brexit?

Potentially, yes. And the sooner the better.

On January 1st, changes will be made to the way businesses do the following:

  • Import and export goods
  • Hire workers from the EU
  • Provide services in EU markets.

But don’t fret. We’ve compiled the main points highlighted by the latest government advice and the latest weekly industry report from Build UK. The following points should be relevant to your business if you’re interested in carpentry tenders. You should, however, also seek personalised advice on how your business will be affected by Brexit. To do this, use the governments ‘Check, Change, Go’ tool on www.gov.uk.

You may need to reconsider the following things to meet regulations and secure future carpentry tenders.

  1. Importing goods

Your business risks not being able to bring or receive goods or materials from EU countries if you don’t prepare. You should take the following steps to prepare for 1st January:

  • Check the new rules on importing and exporting goods from the EU. For example, timber imported into the UK is currently governed by the European Timber Regulations (EUTR). From 1st January 2021, it will be governed by the UK Timber Regulations (UKTR) in England, Scotland and Wales. If your carpentry business imports timber from the EU, it will incur the responsibilities of an ‘Operator’ under the new regulations. In 2021, your company will have to undertake due diligence to show that there is ‘negligible risk’ that the timber was illegally harvested.
  • Get an EORI number that starts with GB to move your goods into or out of the EU. This can take up to a week to receive. It is essential for moving goods, going forward.
  • Check the UK Global Tariff that will apply to imported goods and decide how you will make customs declarations. Will you need to get someone to deal with customs for you?
  • Check the rules for reporting unfair trade practices using the UK’s new trade remedies service.

  1. Employing workers from the EU

You risk not being able to employ workers from outside the UK if you do not take the following steps:

  • If you plan to recruit workers from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you will need to obtain a sponsor licence, which can take up to eight weeks. (This does not apply to workers from Ireland or people with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.)
  • Encourage your employees to check if they need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
  • If you have workers from the EU who wish to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021, advise them to apply for settled and pre‐settled status.
  • If you have workers who travel to the EU for work purposes, they may need to apply for a visa or work permit from 1 January.
  • Familiarise yourself with the new points‐based immigration system.

How can I increase my chances of securing carpentry tenders?

When tendering, it’s very important to keep up to date with changing regulations in regard to Brexit and COVID-19. Carpentry tender opportunities may be more difficult to secure in a changing climate. |t’s therefore important that you put your best foot forward with all tenders that are available and suitable for you!

A successful carpentry bid requires in-depth knowledge about tendering and procurement processes. Alongside our Construction Tenders portal, we also offer dedicated bid writing support via Hudson Succeed. The Succeed team has supported and secured construction bids for many clients in the industry. They’re on hand to help you complete carpentry tenders if you don’t have in-house the resources to do so.

There are four levels of tender writing support depending on your needs:

Send the tender specification to our bid writers. They will write the carpentry tender response and submit the bid on your behalf.

Our bid writers will assess your previous tender responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Our team will analyse your content and check for any errors before you submit your tender response.

The 4-week programme consists of creating and branding your corporate literature and helping you to identify opportunities.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. Clients receive a daily bulletin straight to their inbox when new tenders are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction leads that we have sourced that day.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

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

A Guide to Finding the Best Construction Bid Sites

Posted on by John Hudson

How to Choose the Best Construction Bid Site for Your Business 

Using the best construction bid sites is a vital step in finding relevant tenders and growing your business.

You might be wondering, what is tendering? And why is it important to the construction sector? You’re not alone – many construction businesses miss out on construction leads simply by not utilising the tendering process. In short, tendering is the most common way in which a buyer finds the most appropriate supplier for goods or services. Including tendering in your business strategy allows you to secure contracts from buyers you may never have connected with otherwise. This is invaluable when it comes to growing your business sustainably.

If you’re new to tendering, finding the best construction bid site can seem like a daunting task. What exactly should you be looking out for, anyway? When you search ‘best construction bid sites’ in Google, the results can be overwhelming. Plenty of sites will provide you with reams of opportunities from countless buyers. Job done! Right? Not quite.

You’ll often find yourself wading through tenders with requirements that don’t suit your business in the slightest. Finding a construction bid site with tenders that are specific to your business can become a stressful and fruitless process. Unless you know exactly where to look!

What to Look for In Construction Bid Sites?

What should you be looking out for to find the best construction bid site for your business? We’ve created a quick and comprehensive guide so you can rest assured that you’re looking in the right place: 

Here are the top 7 things you should look for to find the best construction bid site and secure relevant contracts:

  1. The portal doesn’t rely on CPVs.

There’s a fundamental problem with the way most construction bid sites source tenders for businesses – CPV codes.

CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary. A CPV code is an 8-digit code which allows buyers to classify what they are procuring in a succinct way. In theory, suppliers should be able to use CPV codes to source perfect business opportunities quickly and effectively.

Sound too easy to you? You’re right. In practice, this doesn’t happen.

Studies show that close to 30% of CPV codes are tagged inaccurately. It’s easy to make a mistake when tagging a tender with a complex 8-digit code. Many buyers also don’t understand the requirements of CPV codes and so they use them incorrectly, or not at all.

So, what does this mean for your business? Well, this is particularly harmful in a sector as varied as construction with such a broad range of sub-sectors. On most construction bid sites, clients are not finding all of the tenders that are relevant to their specific services. Even if you’re searching via relevant CPV codes, you’re missing out on countless contracts that could grow your business.

For example, imagine an Architecture firm registers to a portal that tracks tenders via CPV codes. To use the portal effectively, the firm would need someone in their team with a comprehensive understanding of CPV codes. Even then, up to 30% of the results they come across could be tagged incorrectly. They could end up trawling through tenders for contracts such as the supply of bedding plants or website development services. Obviously, these tenders would be completely irrelevant to the Architecture firm’s services. This ultimately defeats the purpose of a tracking portal which should save you time when sourcing new business opportunities.

  1. The portal uses manual tracking.

The best way around the shortfalls of CPV codes? Manual keyword tracking.

At Construction Tenders, we don’t rely on CPV codes to source tenders for our clients. Instead, our dedicated team of Opportunity Trackers manually search thousands of sources every day. They read the requirements of every buyer and manually tag each tender with the correct industry-driven keywords. This avoids the problem of sub-sectors being mislabelled with the wrong CPV code. It also eliminates the need for someone in your firm to comprehensively understand CPV codes. We handle all of that for you.

When you sign up to Construction Tenders, you can simply enter the keywords that best describe your services. Search these keywords and you’ll be able to access relevant opportunities instantly. It’s that easy. Every tender you see on our portal is manually tracked, and therefore relevant to the services you offer. No exceptions.

Ultimately, our manual tracking saves you countless hours of searching through irrelevant tenders and gives you instant results.

  1. The system focuses on your industry.

Most bid sites source tenders for all industries so there’s always a high chance of seeing irrelevant opportunities. You could find plenty of tenders for video production, but this is no good if you’re a roofer.

With Construction Tenders, every opportunity is sector-specific. Our focused approach is the most effective way to provide you with relevant tenders.

Our Opportunity Trackers source specific opportunities for a range sub-sectors, including:

  • Refurbishment
  • Building Works
  • Civil Engineering
  • Surveying
  • Demolition
  • Masonry, and many more.

  1. It allows for remote working in teams.

Remote working has changed the way businesses operate in a lot of ways. Tendering remotely is a lot easier when you have access to a portal which allows you to work in teams.

We’ve designed our tendering portal specifically to make remote working easier. Our portal allows you to give multiple colleagues access to your business account. Each colleague can then assign tasks and add tenders to their favourites page.

  1. You’re supported by an account manager.

If your business is new to tendering, we understand that you might need some extra support. With the right support, scouring the web for the best construction bids becomes a much less daunting task.

Via access to an account manager, you will always have on-hand advice and guidance to help you find relevant opportunities. You might waste time applying for a tender that isn’t right for you or that you’re unable to carry out. You might miss opportunities that are perfect for your business by questioning your ability to win a bid. This can all form a stressful process.

But it doesn’t have to be.

With our Construction Tenders portal, you will be assigned a dedicated account manager throughout your subscription. It’s their job to answer any questions you might have, regarding tendering, while using the portal.

An account manager will support you in a range of ways;

  • Maximising the way you use our tendering portal;
  • Advice around tendering and procurement;
  • Connecting you to other Hudson support services;
  • Queries around a bid that you require support with;
  • Alerting you when exclusive opportunities are published that are perfect for your business, and;
  • Ensuring you receive an email alert when new, relevant tenders, are uploaded.

Clients can always contact their dedicated account manager by phone or email, at any time throughout their subscription. This means you’ll always have a solid understanding of where you stand throughout the tendering process.

  1. You have access to virtual learning.

Great! You’ve found the best construction bid site and, consequently, the perfect contract to bolster your business. You now see that the buyer has asked for a technical and in-depth response. Bids can sometimes require over 10,000 word responses with stringent requirements. Even if you have time to do this – which, let’s be honest, who does? – can you show why you’re irrefutably the best business for the job? Do you know how to write a winning bid?

If not, don’t worry. We’ve created Tender VLE specifically to eliminate the confusion around tendering and procurement. Tender VLE is a free service which gives your business expert advice on the ins and outs of tendering. Through video masterclasses, fact sheets, blogs and templates, you’ll learn how to create a winning tender and secure the best contracts.

  1. You can outsource bid writing if needed.

Some people just aren’t natural-born writers. A good bid writer can transform the way buyers view your business – and give you exponential results.

We have developed Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division, to carry our clients through the bidding process every step of the way. Our team are exceptional Bid Writers who assist businesses in multiple sectors to write compelling and technical narratives. With the help of Hudson Succeed, countless construction sector companies have grown their businesses effectively. The team holds an 87% bid success rate and are trusted by over 700 businesses, globally.

How do I get started?

If you’re looking to secure construction contracts UK, Construction Tenders can save you countless time and money that you’d spend manually searching. You’ll instead gain new business opportunities that are specifically relevant to you. Unlike other construction bid sites, we’ve humanised tendering at every level – from manual tracking to account management. This high level of attention to detail secures the best results for your business.

You will receive daily alerts when tenders are released for services in your sector as well as 24-hour access to our Construction Tenders portal. Book a free live demo of the portal today and see how the portal can help your business grow with construction leads. You’ll see all of the current opportunities available and understand how the system will work for your business.

Below are previous construction bids sourced on our portal:

Fender Pile Replacement Works

Fenland District Council- Eastern- Budget: £90,000

Dunnikier Business Units, Kirkcaldy – Steelworks, Roof and Wall Cladding Works Package

Fife Council- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

Communal Floor Replacement

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

Asbestos Removal Services

Yorkshire and Humber Police Procurement (Y&HPP)- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £1,500,000

Roofing Repairs (Framework)

Nottingham City Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

We source tenders for services including: