How we helped a UK SME win a spot on a major Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework

Securing a spot on a major government framework is an excellent way for SMEs across the UK to increase revenues. We provide professional bid writing help to businesses across the UK and in this case study, we explore how Jason and our team here at Tsaks Consulting UK helped an SME in Manchester navigate the complex application process and win.

The Challenge: Completing the framework application.

Our client had a strong but small presence in the construction and maintenance industry in Manchester. They mostly serviced the private sector and had acted as a sub-contractor on a number of government projects. However, they had never held a government contract and had limited success in framework applications to date.

They had no internal capabilities or experience completing an SSQ or framework application and were intimidated by the process. They also had limited supporting documentation since this was never requested by their private sector clients.

They identified a framework with CCS for building maintenance services for buildings in the Manchester area. This was fell directly within their scope and capabilities and the deadline was in 3 weeks. They contacted our team here at Tsaks Consulting to provide professional tender writing services for public sector, and specifically, CCS procurement help. They needed a full bid and tender writing service from strategy to writing and submission. The client had limited existing content and documentation.

The strategy: A tailored bid and tender writing consulting for the CCS framework

We worked with the client to create a tailored strategy for them to win the tender and be appointed to the CCS framework. We then implemented the SME framework bidding strategy and helped the client write the tender. We did this by:

• Identifying their key win themes. Our client had strong quality control in their building process, a great safety track record. They also had a strong focus on innovation and equipment. We integrated these through the response as win themes.
• Writing a tailored response to the ITT / framework. The client had no existing content. This was excellent as it allowed us to develop a highly tailored response for the opportunity. We sat with key SMEs and wrote a tailored response which was direct and evidence based.
• Compliance gap analysis. The framework requested the usual compliance documentation that covered finance, safety and quality. There were mandatory framework thresholds and our client had the financial and insurance documentation but lacked the safety and quality documentation. We created the required documentation from scratch and ensured it aligned with all regulatory requirements.
• Writing detailed responses to qualitative questions. From methodology to equipment and other questions on innovation we worked with them to deconstruct each question, develop a framework for a comprehensive response and write each response.
• Social Value development: The idea of social value in tenders and frameworks was foreign to our client although they did do a lot of practical social value initiatives. We worked with them to put these initiatives on paper, quantify them and write a comprehensive social value plan and response.

The result: A 100% compliant and winning CCS framework submission with a total score of 92.

Our comprehensive bid and tender writing process here at Tsaks Consulting UK resulted in a win for our client for the first public sector tender they had submitted in the construction and maintenance sector. They were extremely happy with the outcome, and it was a three-year framework with CCS.

Key features of the outcome:

• The application was fully compliant.
• Our client scored well in all questions including 18 out of 20 in Social Value.
• They were awarded a place on the CCS framework.
• They are leveraging on this experience to apply for more public sector work.
• All of the supporting documentation was deemed compliant.
• They have access to call-off contracts.

A quote from our Director, Jason Cooney:

“Navigating CCS framework bids can feel like learning a completely different language. At Tsaks Consulting, we take the stress out of the process, helping UK businesses translate their real-world expertise into high-scoring tender submissions. We are experts at CCS submissions and applications.”

How a London-based building and construction contractor won their first multi-million dollar pound public sector tender framework

Winning a public sector contract with the NHS, CCS or other public entity is a dream for many builders across the UK who operate in the private sector. There is significant complexity, increased compliance requirements and a focus on Social Value. Our team often helps contractors step into the public sector space. In this case study, we will explore how we partnered with a building and construction contractor to win a three year contract in London and take a look at the strategies we employed to win.

The situation: skills and expertise but no paperwork or public sector experience.

Our client had a strong reputation in the private sector across London and greater London in both the commercial and residential construction sector. They had a broad range of internal capabilities in construction including electrical and plumbing. They had significant depth of resources and equipment. However, they were heavy reliant on repeat business and marketing. Most of their jobs and projects were short to medium term and they didn’t have supply certainty. They wanted to win a public sector construction tender. 

The other challenge is having been in the private sector since inception, they had limited paperwork, quality assurance documentation and safety documentation. Our client had used Find A Tender to look for tenders, however, there were too many opportunities and it was overwhelming for them to firstly identify an opportunity, and secondly comprehend all the documentation requirements.

Identifying tender and bid opportunities and writing a winning bid

We helped the client submit and win a quality tender by:

1. Helping them identify a suitable bid. This was critical as there were over ten frameworks they were thinking for applying for at once. We reviewed the ten bids they had considered and assisted the client to narrow these down based on mandatory criteria to three framework opportunities. Once we had reviewed the mandatory criteria, we conducted a detailed review of three opportunities and cross-checked the questions and framework specifications against our clients capabilities. We then identified one strategic opportunity. The opportunity was for a social housing refurbishment framework for a period of three years. The contract was approximately 30 Million in value over multiple lots.

2. Preparing the supporting documentation. The bulk of the work was preparing the requirement supporting documentation for the bid. We worked with the client to create a checklist of the required supporting documentation. It was extensive and the usual WHS, Quality and other documents were required. We worked with the client to not only create all the necessary documents, but also tailor the safety documents to the requirements and scope of the specific tender.
3. Reassuring the government our client could manage the contract. Our client had the capability and resources. However, they had limited experience in managing a framework, limited reporting procedures and simple IT systems. We worked with them to put all these procedures in place and communicate this in the bid. This resulted in a bid which presented them as a construction contractor with strong reporting and communication procures and a history on delivering to clients in the commercial sector with similar requirements to government.
4. Creating a social value proposal. Our client was locally based but failed to communicate their social value. After detailed discussions with their team, we identified many social value initiatives they were part of. They were simply ‘shy’ to talk about them or even boast about them. We created an evidence-based, measurable social value response.

Outcome: Their first public sector tender framework success

The result was a win. Our client won their first construction sector framework. Key features of the contract included:

• Contract value: 30M across all lots with an estimated 2M revenue for them.
• Scoring an average of 8.7 across all questions.
• One happy client.

Upon receiving the news they were awarded the tender they wrote:

“ Dear Tsaks Consulting team, thank you, thank you, thank you. We were not expecting success in public sector tenders so early in the process and we couldn’t have done it without your help. It was a demanding experience since we had only serviced the private sector and they don’t require all the safety and quality documents.

Jason and the team were great in managing both the bid writing process as well as our emotions and psychology. This will be a real underwriter for our team and if we tried to complete it ourselves we probably would have been non-compliant. The Tsaks Consulting Team are fantastic and we are glad we googled and found your team and for all the help you have given us”.

Managing Director – London Based Building and Construction Firm

Need helping finding and winning your first public sector DPS, tender or framework?

Contact our team here at Tsaks Consulting UK to discuss how we can help you take the first step. We help businesses across the UK including in London, Manchester, Birmingham and beyond write and win their first public sector frameworks.

By Jason Cooney, Director, Tsaks Consulting UK

The public sector is a key source of income and revenue for construction firms, trade contractors and facilities management (FM) businesses across the UK. There are a broad range of projects and tenders available from large infrastructure projects to long-term maintenance contracts for government buildings and other assets. Our bid and tender writers at Tsaks Consulting help UK based construction and FM businesses tender for and secure contracts and frameworks across the UK.

A quick summary of what construction, FM and trade businesses to do win more tenders and frameworks?

1. Demonstrate you are a reliable, low-risk option.
2. Evidence your experience and expertise
3. Show how you overcome challenges
4. Focus on social value and local value
5. Talk about whole of life cost.

Contact the team at Tsaks Consulting UK for help.

What can we do to win more tenders and frameworks?

The sector is highly competitive, and to be successful businesses need to:

1. Demonstrate you are a reliable, low-risk option. You need to demonstrate how you de-limit risk for the client and are the most reliable choice. For example, Jason and the team recently wrote a tender for a small to medium sized contractor bidding for a large government project. They were successful, simply because we demonstrated in the bid that although they were a small to medium player, they were a more reliable service provider because of their strong local knowledge and operating history in the area the project is located.
2. Evidence your experience and expertise. This is key as many businesses put forward a range of different claims about experience and project, however, they provide limited detail and write generally. You need to quantify what you say, use facts and figures to give your bid or tender credibility and weight. By incorporating facts and figures and quantifying and evidencing your claims, you will strengthen your bid or tender…
3. Show how you overcome challenges. The government will want to know that you can overcome challenges and be solutions focused. You need to demonstrate the challenges you have encountered in the past and how you have overcome them. This shows that you will be easy to work with as a supplier. For example, we recently completed a tender for a construction client where they were bidding to provide maintenance works to a school. Our client had a strong track record and needed to demonstrate that they understood the education environment. We did this by writing about how our clients worked around the clock over the school holiday break to complete substantial works regarding the removal of hazardous materials from the school and associated rectification works. Our client engaged specialist contractors and worked on a 24/7 basis in order to complete the works.

4. Focus on Social Value and Local Value. These now go hand-in-hand. Social value needs to have a local focus or flavour so that you put forward initiatives that are not only measurable but are also going to deliver downstream benefits to the local community in which the project or works will take place. In addition, your bid or proposal needs to demonstrate that you understand local, specific challenges and are committed to supporting the local economy in which you will operate.
5. Talk about whole of life cost. This is another critical point – it’s not good enough to simply deliver the service or project anymore. You need to show that you are innovative and forward thinking business that will deliver value over the long term. One of the ways you can do that is through whole of life cost. Regardless of if it is an FM contract or construction, explaining how the materials and methodology you employ will reduce the whole of life cost of the project is important and adds value to your bid. For example, we recently wrote a successful bid for a plumbing maintenance business for a three-year contract. They were the incumbent and wanted to show that they weren’t getting complacent with the contract. In the bid, we talked bout the materials that they use when undergoing plumbing maintenance particularly the use of copper pipes and specific tapware. The tapware came with a ten-year guarantee – a key focus of the tender proposal even though it was only a three year contract. This helped us justify slightly higher pricing and show that it reduced maintenance costs in the long term.

Why our professional tender writing service will help you win:

• At Tsaks Consulting, our win rate in construction, trades and FM tenders is over 90%.
• We take the hassle out of project managing the bid response.
• Our review and audit process ensures you are not only compliant but put forward a compelling proposal with win themes interwoven throughout your bid.
• We know what you need to do to win and what best practice is. We ensure you incorporate evidence and quantify statements made in your bids.
• We assist with bids to all public sector departments such as Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and the NHS. Our service expands across the UK from London to Birmingham and Scotland.

Speak to our team for help with your next tender or framework

For more strategies on how to write winning bids, proposals and tenders in the construction, FM and trades sector, call our team of bid and tender writers here at Tsaks Consulting and speak with Jason Cooney, our construction and FM sector specialist.

Written by Jason Cooney – Director – Tsaks Consulting

A strategic opportunity for Tankering and Industrial Cleaning businesses

Are you bidding for the United Utilities Tankering and Cleaning Framework? It’s a high-value, strategic and long term opportunity that is well worth it for companies operating in this sector. With a substantial total value, eight year term, and three distinct lots, this is a strategic opportunity which will be highly competitive. Our bid and tender writers are experienced in helping industrial services contractors across the UK, including in North West England, write and win United Utilities tenders and bids.

What you need to know about this opportunity

• Highly specialised – three lots: Tankering, Industrial Cleaning and Water Sludge Services
• Total value of £392,400,000 including VAT over eight years
• Focus on North West of England. United Utilities services Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
• Due date: 24 July.
• Our bid writers here at Tsaks Consulting UK have the experience and expertise to help you create a compelling bid.

The three lots include:

• Lot 1 – Tankering Services: the collection and disposal of liquid waste and sewage from United Utilities’ network and treatment sites.
• Lot 2: Industrial Cleaning Services: high-pressure jetting, confined space cleaning, and associated industrial cleaning activities across United Utilities’ operational estate.
• Lot 3: Water Sludge Cake / Water Sludge Services: the handling, processing, transport, and disposal or beneficial use of water treatment sludge.

Strategies from our expert bid writers to help you win

• Bid for the lots you excel and specialise in. It’s perfectly acceptable to only bid for one of the lots especially if that is the service you specialise in. You should play to your strengths as bidding for one of the lots which you don’t have adequate experience in can hurt your credibility and prospects.
• If you are going to bid for multiple lots, make sure you tailor the response to the requirements of each lot. Do not cut and paste the response from one lot to another.
• Ensure you demonstrate your ability to comply with regulations specific to the utilities sector. You need to demonstrate that regulatory compliance is built into your policies, procedures and thinking / culture.
• Show that you can service the entire North West Region and have the geographic spread and mobilisation capability to do so.
• Focus on water and utilities experience if you have it and highlight this in your bid.

Contact our team here at Tsaks Consulting UK to get expert bid writing help with this bid. Our Director, Jason Cooney, has strong experience in the water and utilities sector. 

Our team of professional bid and tender writers based in the UK will help you:

• Write your bid or tender.
• Conduct a bid/no bid decision.
• Review your drafts and provide expert advice on how to improve your bid.

Article written by Jason Cooney

3 June 2026

Summary of the ComIT 4 ICT Solutions Framework

• Released by the Mid South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
• Estimated value: £7,200,000,000 including VAT
• Four year term
• Single lot framework covering all of enterprise IT such as hardware, software and managed services.
• Deadline: 10 July 2026

Tsaks Consulting UK bid and tender writers have experience in both IT and NHS tenders and are available to help technology businesses bid for and win this opportunity. This framework is an excellent public sector opportunity for IT businesses across the UK giving them access to call-offs from organisations across the NHS and public sector in general, not just this specific trust.

Why being a single lot tender makes ComIT 4 ICT Solutions Framework a substantial opportunity?

This is a single lot opportunity. The scope of the tender covers all aspects of IT including:

• Hardware
• Software
• Cloud Services
• Cybersecurity
• Managed Services
• IT consultancy
• Emerging technologies including AI, automation and robotics.

Strategies to help you win include:

• Focusing on the categories you are strongest in and are able to demonstrate your expertise and experience.
• Providing evidence for your track record, particularly in delivering any value- added services.
• Show that you can scale your services and grow organically with the contract. You need to detail your procedures and processes and explain that they are designed to handle a higher volume of work than you currently handle. This ensures you can handle the breadth of the contract and potential growth.

Advantages of this policy include:

• It covers multiple service areas. If you are an IT business that is focused on software and cyber for example, this contract would enable you to expand into AI or hardware.
• There is a substantial budget and access to a range of NHS and public sector organisations.

A review and advice on bidding for the ComIT 4 ICT Solutions Framework

Speak to our bid writing experts today to discuss if this framework is worth bidding for and how we can help. Our writers have experience in both NHS tenders (a 90% success rate) and ICT tenders (85% success rate) and help businesses across the UK bid for these types of frameworks.

You can find the link to the tender on Find Me a Tender.

Contact our team today to discuss how we can help you write your bid.