Why your UK public sector bids and tenders keep losing (and how to fix your tenders scores to start winning)
By Jason Cooney, Director, Tsaks Consulting
Losing high-value frameworks and UK public sector tenders is disappointing and frustrating. Especially when you know that the winning company has inferior service delivery, technical capability, and pricing to you. When you receive a rejection notice of contract tender on Contracts Tender or the Find the Tender service portal, you normally receive tender feedback. The most frustrating aspect of this feedback is that sometimes it lacks detail and can be vague. It’s difficult to read between the lines and understand the real reasons why you are unsuccessful.
With the Procurement Act 2023 coming into force in February 2025, UK contracting authorities are required to evaluate submissions based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MAT) rules. That means that they don’t only look at price but they also assess experience, capability, expertise, and other key factors. If your technical responses are receiving low marks, such as 2 out of 5, then you need to take an analytical and constructive approach to improving them.
In this article we will discuss why business lose public sector bids and ways to improve your technical responses so that you don’t keep losing tenders.
Key points:
- Compliance doesn’t mean you will win. It just gets you in the running with the other businesses.
- Social Value is critical – and one reason for losing critical points given PPN 06/20 ratings often being 30% of the evaluation score.
- General marketing talk: Evaluators can see straight through it. It must be backed up with evidence.
- Price doesn’t win it. Under the MAT framework, you need to score well on non-price factors such as experience and social value.
1. Identifying why your technical ITT, PSQ and framework scores are stuck at 2/5 or 3/5.
Fundamental reasons for scoring so low (which generally means you were technically compliant only) include:
- Submitting a response that complies but does nothing else. This is a mistake many businesses make. You need to explain how you will provide the services and your methodology for providing the services for the specific project you are biding for.
- Making generic marketing statements. Writing that you are an ‘industry leader’ and ‘thought innovator’ generally doesn’t score well. You need to provide evidence on what makes you an industry leader and examples of thought leadership initiatives you have put in place.
- Addressing sub-criteria. When responding to the questions, sometimes the sub-criteria are missed and you don’t answer the questions comprehensively. It’s important to respond to the points in the sub-criteria to ensure you don’t miss out on valuable marks.
So how do you score well and avoid this mistake?
Use a structured approach to writing responses that score well. When developing an answer we recommend covering:
- Process: Detail your operational methodology.
- Evidence: Provide evidence such as case studies and SLA data.
- Impact: Make you the illustrate the benefit(s) to the client. These need to be both qualitative and quantitative.
2. Missing the Social Value threshold (PPN 06/20)
For a detailed explanation on how to score well in social value responses, please refer to our article here. Social value is one of the key reasons businesses lose public sector tenders. Common mistakes which make you score poorly include:
- Generic pledges to assist: This generally doesn’t work and you can’t cut and past a social value or CSR policy. You need to tailor your social value policy to the opportunity or project in order to score well.
- Commitments that aren’t concrete or quantified. These will not score well and aren’t recognised as credible by procurement personnel. You need to put numbers and timelines on your commitments so that they can be measured.
- Unrealistic commitments: when you put forward high-level hard-to-achieve commitments or initiatives, the readers can become sceptical. You need to put forward commitments that are realistic and that you are able to achieve so that the procurement team takes them seriously.
How to fix it and score well:
- Focus on local employment: Identify exactly how many local jobs or apprenticeships with contract will create and what type of roles.
- Quantify the percentage of your supply chain that will be based in the local area and what percentage will be SMEs.
- When you are putting forward environmental initiatives, ensure they are tailored and focused.
💡 Preparing an upcoming Public Sector tender or framework?
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Book a Free 15-Minute Tender Strategy Session with Tsaks Consulting
3. Decode and understand vague evaluator feedback
If your tender is rejected you will be provided with feedback. However, sometimes the feedback is hard to understand or changed are difficult to implement. We outline below some standard procurement feedback, as well as how to interpret it and implement changes.
| Standard Evaluator Feedback | What they mean | What you need to improve and change |
| “Response lacked sufficient detail or operational methodology.” | You described what you will do but you didn’t focus on execution or provide a tailored methodology detailing what you propose to do for them. | Provide step-by-step instructions of your methodology and name the people who will be carrying out each task. |
| “Social Value proposal was not sufficiently localized.” | Your Social Value submission was standardized and wasn’t tailored to the local geographic area. | Research the local borough plan and gain an understanding of the challenges facing the local area. Come up with Social Value proposals that directly address those local issues. |
| “Claims made were unevidenced.” | You didn’t provide enough supporting documentation, evidence, or case studies. | Insert metrics, timelines, and quantified case studies that show detail and evidence your experience. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much does a UK bid writer cost?
At Tsaks Consulting, our UK bid writing services are offered via transparent fixed-fee quotes or hourly rates starting at £110 + VAT per hour. Fixed fees depend on the length, complexity, and scope of the ITT or framework application.
Can you check my previous submissions and tell me why we keep losing?
Yes. We can review your previous tenders, as well as the evaluators feedback, and provide you with a detailed summary. We help businesses from all industries understand why they lose tenders including health, medical, construction, community, professional services and IT. Our services spans across the UK including London, Manchester, York and across the UK.
Request your Free 20-minute tender loss review
Send us your evaluator feedback breakdown and failed submission. Our senior consultants will conduct a free, confidential review to highlight:
- Exactly where and why you lost points on the evaluator’s rubric.
- Practical fixes to boost your technical and Social Value scores.
- How to structure your bid library for upcoming opportunities.
Call our team today for help winning more tenders with the UK government such as CCS and the NHS.