Guides: winning public contracts

Getting started: the SME track

Written for smaller suppliers who want a share of UK public sector work and no jargon on the way in. Buyers tender, suppliers bid; these guides cover the rest in plain English, in the order most firms need it. Each one is kept up to date, and the update date is shown on the page.

1. Getting started: selling to the public sector

   The UK public sector buys almost everything, from catering to software, and publishes its contract opportunities on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. This guide explains who buys, where tenders appear, what the value thresholds mean in practice, and the first three steps a small firm should take.

2. How to find tender opportunities

   Public tenders in the UK are published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and the devolved portals for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This guide covers search technique, CPV codes, email alerts, the difference between frameworks and open tenders, and how to read a notice in five minutes.

3. Bid or no bid: deciding what to chase

   Most losing bids were lost at the decision to bid. A disciplined bid or no-bid check covers fit, the incumbent, margin, capacity and evidence before any writing starts. This guide gives a practical qualification checklist and makes the case for walking away from tenders you cannot win.

4. How frameworks and call-offs work

   A framework is a pre-approved supplier list; a call-off is a contract awarded under it, either directly or through a further competition. This guide explains how suppliers get onto frameworks, how work actually flows through them, what open frameworks and dynamic markets change, and the traps to avoid.

5. Social value: what buyers actually want

   Social value questions ask what your contract will contribute beyond the specification: jobs, skills, environmental improvement, community benefit. They routinely carry ten per cent or more of the marks. This guide explains where the requirement comes from, what scores well, and the generic promises that score nothing.

6. Writing your first bid response

   A first bid response succeeds on discipline, not polish: read every document, answer the exact question asked, evidence every claim, respect word limits and submit early through the portal. This guide walks through the process from download to submission, with the habits that separate scoreable answers from brochures.

7. The Procurement Act 2023: what changed for suppliers

   The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for most new procurements in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This guide explains what practically changed for suppliers: one-time registration, new notices, the competitive flexible procedure, MAT, and debarment.

8. How to read a tender pack

   A tender pack is the bundle of documents a buyer issues to run a competition: the contract notice, invitation to tender, specification, selection questionnaire, pricing schedule, conditions of contract and the award criteria. This guide explains what each document does, the order to read them in, and how to decide quickly whether to bid.

9. How bids are scored: award criteria and MAT

   Public buyers score bids against published award criteria, usually splitting the marks between quality and price. This guide explains weightings, scoring scales, how price is scored on a relative model, the Most Advantageous Tender test that replaced MEAT, where social value fits, and how moderation reaches a final mark.

10. Dynamic markets and DPS, explained

    A dynamic market is an open list of qualified suppliers that buyers run competitions through, introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 to replace the older Dynamic Purchasing System. Suppliers can apply to join at any time, unlike a closed framework. This guide explains how they work and how to get on them.

11. Selling technology to government: G-Cloud and the technology frameworks

    G-Cloud is the UK government's framework for buying cloud hosting, software and support, with approved suppliers listed in an online catalogue that public buyers search. This guide explains how technology firms get listed, how buyers make direct awards, the other Government Commercial Agency technology frameworks, and where the Procurement Act 2023 changes the process.

12. Debarment and the debarment list: what suppliers need to know

    Under the Procurement Act 2023, exclusion is a buyer keeping a supplier out of one procurement; debarment is a central listing that applies across all of them. This guide explains the mandatory and discretionary grounds, who maintains the published debarment list, how self-cleaning works, and how to reduce your exclusion risk.

13. The National Procurement Policy Statement, explained

    The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets the government's strategic priorities for public procurement. The Procurement Act 2023 requires most contracting authorities to have regard to it when they buy. The current statement, in effect from 24 February 2025, frames three priorities around value for money: economic growth and SMEs, social value, and commercial capability.

14. Bidding as a consortium or subcontractor

    Smaller firms that cannot win a large contract alone can still take part: by forming a consortium or joint venture, joining under a lead supplier, or being a named subcontractor. This guide explains how each route is treated in a bid, how buyers assess combined capacity, how exclusion and associated persons work, and the paperwork involved.

15. Challenging a contract award decision: standstill, remedies and legal challenge

    Yes, you can challenge a UK public contract award, but the clock starts the moment the award notice is published. This guide explains the eight-working-day standstill period, the 30-day deadline for court proceedings, automatic suspension, and what remedies a court can actually order.

16. How to read a contract award notice: contract value, award criteria and CPV codes explained

    A contract award notice is the public record of who won a contract, at what value, and how it was classified, published on Find a Tender under the Procurement Act 2023 before the contract is even signed. This guide explains what 'contract value' means, how CPV codes work, where notices are published, and how suppliers use awards for market intelligence.

17. How NHS Contracts Are Awarded: The Provider Selection Regime Explained

    Since 1 January 2024, most NHS health care contracts are awarded under the Provider Selection Regime, not the Procurement Act 2023. This guide explains what the PSR covers, its three selection processes, how it differs from the rules for goods and non-clinical services, and where suppliers find live opportunities.