Tender Breakdown: what a tender asks, before you commit
Every question, weighting, word limit, pass/fail rule and date from one tender pack, in plain English, with the buyer's award history from published notices.
Who it's for
- You've found a tender and want to know what it asks before you spend days on it.
- You're deciding whether to bid, or whether to write it yourself or have us write it.
- You bid often and want the same summary for every tender, in the same order.
What you get
- Every scored question, with its weighting and word limit.
- The pass/fail requirements (turnover, insurance, accreditations, policies) as a checklist.
- A compliance checklist of the buyer's instructions: format, attachments, declarations, deadline and portal.
- Key dates.
- Pitfalls in the pack that commonly get bids marked down or rejected.
- The buyer's award history for similar work, from published award notices.
- A bid or no-bid checklist you complete with what you know about your firm.
Illustration
| Question | Weight | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Managing responsive repairs, including out-of-hours calls | 20% of quality | 1,000 words |
| Social value | 10% of quality | 750 words |
Pass/fail: Gas Safe registration; public liability cover of £5 million. Pitfall: the method statement must follow the buyer's own headings, in order.
What we need from you
- The tender pack: every file the buyer published. If we already hold the public documents for that tender, there's nothing to upload.
Our guarantee
- If the breakdown gets something in the pack wrong, tell us within 14 days of delivery and we correct it, or refund the fee if we can't (terms 2.3).
- It's a guide to the tender pack, not advice, and it never covers pricing.
Full wording in our terms of business.
Who checks it
Nobody, before it's sent: it's an automated summary of public information, labelled as automated (terms 6.1). Everything we write or check for you is different: we're appointing experienced UK bid writers; every bid we write or check is reviewed before it reaches you, and nothing is delivered until a reviewer is in place. See how a bid is checked.
Questions
Is a Tender Breakdown checked by a person?
No. It's prepared automatically from the public tender pack and published award notices, and labelled as automated. Every bid we write or check is reviewed by a person; this summary of public information is the exception (terms 2.3 and clause 6.1).
Can other bidders buy one for the same tender?
Yes. It's built only from public information and contains nothing from any client, so it isn't exclusive. Our writing services are: one firm per lot.
Does it tell me what to charge?
No. We never write or advise on pricing. The breakdown lists what the pricing schedule asks for, so you don't miss a form.
Is it included in anything?
Yes. While your Bid Desk is running, Tender Breakdowns are included at no extra charge (terms 4.7).