Bid writing guides & resources
Long-form, genuinely useful guides written by working bid professionals — the same advice we give paying clients, free. No gated PDFs, no fluff: practical method you can apply to your next tender today — from finding opportunities to pricing the bid.
How to Write a Winning Bid
The complete process — qualifying, planning, evidence, plain English, social value and scoring, with checklists.
Read the guide →PQQ vs ITT Explained
What each procurement stage is for, how they differ, and how to pass both first time.
Read the guide →Social Value in Tenders: the 10% Rule
How social value is scored, the National TOMs, and commitments that win without overpromising.
Read the guide →Bid/No-Bid Decision Framework
A scored go/no-go test for choosing the tenders you can actually win — with a worked example.
Read the guide →Common Reasons Bids Fail
The mistakes evaluators see every week, ranked by frequency — and how to avoid each one.
Read the guide →UK Public Procurement Statistics
The size of UK public spend, SME share, frameworks and what the data means for bidders.
Read the guide →Procurement Act 2023: What Changed
A plain-English summary of the biggest procurement reform in a generation, and what bidders must do.
Read the guide →How Tenders Are Evaluated & Scored
Scoring scales, price/quality formulas and moderation — how marks are really awarded.
Read the guide →Bid Writing Costs: In-House vs Outsourced
What bid support costs in the UK, and the honest maths of hiring versus outsourcing.
Read the guide →How to Find Tenders in the UK
Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, regional portals and framework pipelines — and how to filter for what you can win.
Read the guide →How to Write a Method Statement
Structure, evidence and win themes for the answers where most quality marks are won — with a worked example.
Read the guide →Tender Pricing Strategy
How to price a bid to win without losing money — formulas, weightings and the lowest-price trap.
Read the guide →Carbon Reduction Plans for Tenders
When tenders require a Carbon Reduction Plan, what it must contain, and how to make yours credible and score.
Read the guide →Free Bid & Tender Templates
A bid/no-bid scorecard, compliance matrix and method statement planner — print or save as PDF, no email needed.
Open downloads →Bid & Tender Writing Glossary
PQQ, ITT, DPS, TUPE, social value — the jargon of UK procurement, decoded.
Read the guide →Where to start
New to tendering? Begin with PQQ vs ITT explained to understand the stages, then how to write a winning bid for the full method. Bidding already but not winning? Common reasons bids fail and our guide to how tenders are scored will show you where the marks are going. Not sure where to look for work? Start with how to find tenders in the UK. And grab our free templates, or keep the glossary open for the jargon.
From reading to winning
Guides take you a long way, but a real bid has a real deadline. When you want the work done — or just an honest second opinion — our services run from a one-off bid review to fully managed bids. Or simply upload a tender for a free, no-obligation quote.
Frequently asked questions
Are these guides really free?
Yes — no email wall, no download form. We publish our method openly because informed clients make better bidding decisions, and because it shows how we think. If you want the work done too, that’s what our paid services are for.
How often are the guides updated?
We revise them as procurement changes — the Procurement Act 2023 guide, for instance, reflects current rules. Always confirm time-sensitive details (thresholds, framework dates) against official sources, which we link where relevant.
Can you write a guide on our specific issue?
Possibly — we add topics our clients keep asking about. Tell us what you’re stuck on; if it’s a common problem, it may become the next guide.