Bid & tender writing glossary
Procurement runs on jargon, and the jargon trips up first-time bidders constantly. This glossary defines the bid and tender writing terms you’ll meet in UK public and private sector procurement — in plain English, with links to deeper guides where they help.
A
- Abnormally low tender
- A bid priced so far below others that the buyer may question whether it’s deliverable. Buyers can investigate and reject abnormally low tenders rather than risk a contract that fails mid-delivery.
- Award criteria
- The published factors a buyer scores bids against — typically a weighted split of quality and price. Reading the award criteria and weightings is the first step in planning any answer.
B
- Bid
- Any competitive proposal submitted to win a contract or funding. Often used interchangeably with “tender”, though “bid” is the broader term. See our bid writing service.
- Bid/no-bid decision
- The disciplined choice of whether to pursue an opportunity at all, based on winnability and fit. Our bid/no-bid framework sets out a scored method.
- Bid library
- A maintained store of reusable, high-quality bid content — model answers, case studies, CVs and policies — that cuts the cost and turnaround of future bids. See our bid library service.
- Bid manager
- The person who owns a bid end to end — plan, contributors, compliance and deadline. Larger submissions need dedicated bid management.
C
- Capture
- The pre-bid work of positioning, intelligence and evidence-building done before a tender is published. Covered by our pre-bid consultancy.
- CCS
- Crown Commercial Service — the UK government’s central buying organisation, running commercial agreements across many categories. See our CCS guide.
- CHAS
- The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme — a widely required health-and-safety accreditation and founding SSIP member. See our accreditations guide.
- Clarification question
- A formal query a bidder raises with the buyer during the tender period to resolve ambiguity. Using this channel well prevents costly assumptions.
- Compliance matrix
- A working document tracking every tender requirement against where and how the bid addresses it — the backbone of a well-managed submission.
- Constructionline
- A UK pre-qualification register that buyers search and that verifies supplier credentials at increasing membership levels. Covered in our accreditations guide.
- Contracts Finder
- The UK government portal where public sector contract opportunities and awards above certain values are published.
D
- DPS
- Dynamic Purchasing System — a procurement vehicle open to new suppliers throughout its life, where competition happens at call-off stage. Contrast with a closed framework.
E
- Evaluation
- The scoring of submitted bids against the published criteria, usually by a panel. Understanding how evaluation works shapes how you write.
F
- Framework agreement
- A multi-year arrangement appointing a panel of suppliers, from which buyers call off work by direct award or further competition. See our frameworks hub.
- Further competition
- A mini-tender run between suppliers already appointed to a framework, to award a specific contract. Fast turnarounds reward a ready bid library.
I
- ITT
- Invitation to Tender — the formal document inviting suppliers to submit priced, scored proposals. The difference between an ITT and a PQQ is explained in our guide.
M
- MEAT / MAT
- Most Economically Advantageous Tender (now “Most Advantageous Tender” under the Procurement Act 2023) — the basis on which buyers weigh quality against price rather than awarding on lowest cost alone.
- Method statement
- A written response explaining how you will deliver a specific aspect of the contract. Method statements are where much of a bid’s quality score is won or lost.
- Mobilisation
- The transition period between contract award and service start. A credible mobilisation plan — with named roles, dates and TUPE handling — scores heavily in service tenders.
P
- PAS 91
- A standardised pre-qualification question set for construction procurement, designed to reduce duplication across tenders. Often completed alongside selection questionnaires.
- PQQ
- Pre-Qualification Questionnaire — the selection-stage assessment of whether your business is fit to be considered, before the scored tender. See PQQ writing.
- Procurement Act 2023
- The legislation reforming UK public procurement, changing notices, procedures and terminology. Our plain-English summary explains the impact.
- Proxy value
- A financial figure assigned to a social value commitment under frameworks such as the National TOMs, used to score and compare social value offers. See social value writing.
R
- RAMS
- Risk Assessments and Method Statements — health-and-safety documents central to construction and FM bids, evidencing how work is done safely.
- Red team review
- A structured review where people who didn’t write the bid score it as an evaluator would, exposing weaknesses before submission. Core to our bid review service.
- RFP / RFQ
- Request for Proposal / Request for Quotation — private sector equivalents of a tender, inviting proposals or prices. Often less rule-bound than public procurement.
S
- Selection Questionnaire (SQ)
- The standardised UK public sector selection-stage questionnaire covering organisation details, exclusion grounds and selection criteria — a near-synonym for PQQ.
- Social value
- The wider economic, social and environmental benefit a contract delivers, weighted in scoring — often 10% or more. See our social value guide.
- SSIP
- Safety Schemes in Procurement — the umbrella enabling mutual recognition between health-and-safety accreditation schemes, so one certificate satisfies another’s requirement.
T
- Tender
- A formal, structured response to an advertised contract opportunity, usually scored against published criteria. See tender writing.
- TOMs
- Themes, Outcomes and Measures — a widely used framework for measuring and valuing social value commitments in tenders.
- TUPE
- The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, which transfer staff to an incoming contractor when a service changes hands. A frequent and heavily scored element of service bids.
W
- Weighting
- The proportion of total marks allocated to each criterion — e.g. 60% quality, 40% price. Weightings dictate where bid effort should go.
- Win theme
- A central, repeated message that runs through a bid, linking your strengths to the buyer’s priorities. Strong win themes turn ten separate answers into one argument.
Can’t find a term, or want it explained in the context of your own tender? Ask us — and browse the full resource library for in-depth guides on the topics above.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a bid and a tender?
In everyday use they overlap. “Tender” usually means a formal response to an advertised public or private opportunity scored against set criteria; “bid” is the broader word for any competitive proposal. Our bid writing and tender writing services cover both.
What does PQQ stand for?
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire — the selection stage that checks whether your business is eligible to be considered, before the scored tender. It’s closely related to the Selection Questionnaire (SQ). See PQQ vs ITT explained.
Is this glossary specific to UK procurement?
Yes — the terms and frameworks reflect UK public and private sector procurement, including changes under the Procurement Act 2023. Much of it applies internationally, but the named schemes and portals are UK-focused.