Tsaks Consulting | Tender Writers & Bid Writers UK

Win More Contracts

Frameworks

Tsaks Consulting UK

Our bid and tender writers help you:

  • Identify framework opportunities
  • Write framework applications
  • Win more frameworks and expand your business and contracts

How to search for framework opportunities

Framework opportunities are advertised through procurement portals. The main / most common procurement portals across the UK are TED, FTS and Contracts Finder. The process for searching for a framework (and mostly applying for one) is the same / similar to searching for a one-off contract. In addition to the above, you can search for framework opportunities on industry specific websites. For example, there is the NHS portal which has framework opportunities for the NHS sector and the healthcare industry overall.

If the framework you are interested in isn’t open to new suppliers, it’s good to keep a note of it and set an alert. Most frameworks will tell you when they are going to be re-opened for new suppliers, and you can plan your resources to make sure you are ready to apply.

With many frameworks, they are not designed for one specific client. Instead, the framework is designed so that a number of public sector organisations are able to use it as an avenue for procuring services.

How does the framework bidding process work and how can we help you win more ITTs and SSQs

The bid and tender writing process for frameworks is similar to an individual contract. You generally need to complete a Questionnaire on compliance and how your company approaches service delivery. More often than not, compliance with the questions in the Questionnaire is mandatory.

Essentially, they are checking on your business to make sure you have the correct documentation and tick all the basic boxes. They often ask for insurances and ensure you have the right documentation in place about quality control and safety.

Our team of bid writers are specialists in writing framework submissions. We can help you through the process to get awarded on a framework. Once you are awarded onto a framework, you will then be required to bid for each mini project. The good part is that you will only have to detail your program, experience, etc and you won’t have to provide the standard information all over again.

Strategies to prepare your business to bid for a public sector framework

  • Research the different types of frameworks that may suit you. You need to research the frameworks that may be suitable to your business. Take an open view to this as there are many frameworks for many different services. For example, the building and construction industry – lots of frameworks with CCS and many other are tailored directly to building and maintenance. Once you find our which frameworks suit you, it’s a good idea to then create a schedule for when they ‘open’ and you can apply for them.
  • Develop a bidding win strategy – This is important. You need to look at the framework requirements, and then decide which of your best businesses attributes align to the framework requirements. These will become your ‘win themes’ and you will focus on them.
  • Ensure you create a bid that is compliant. This is important for frameworks as if you are not compliant, you will not be awarded to the panel. Make sure you tick all the boxes. Most frameworks will have a set of bidding guidelines and you should follow them. Here at Tsaks Consulting, when we create a bid for a framework for one of our clients, we develop a compliance checklist at the start, and ensure it is complete prior to submission.

What resources or experience do I need in order to bid for a public sector framework contract and be awarded it?

Having helped hundreds of companies and businesses across the UK write winning applications for public sector frameworks, our experience tells us some of the critical components you need to win include:

  • An understanding of the framework so you can be certain that it is aligned to your business and you meet the requirements.
  • An understanding of what the clients are looking for. Most public sector organisations go through a framework because their needs align to the framework. It’s important to provide a service that meets their requirements as well as addresses their underlying needs and motivations.
  • Experience and a track record of delivering results in the sector. You need to have some experience in the sector so that you understand how the sector operates and can put forward solid experience in your application. If you have experience from a previous firm, and are a newly founded business, you can discuss this experience and put it forward as your personnel experience to strengthen your application.
  • A well-structured, and sufficiently detailed submission is needed. You need to write concisely and professionally. The reviewers do not want to read general information. Instead, they want to read concise, detailed and relevant information in each response.
  • The appropriate supporting documentation. Your supporting documentation needs to be compliant. As part of the review process, they will read your supporting documentation to ensure it is on-point. Therefore, a simply cut and paste is generally not enough and you need to tailor any supporting documentation to your organisation.

Examples of public sector frameworks we have assisted our clients to be appointed to include:

JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) – This is a publicly funded platform used by higher education institutions to procure a broad range digital goods and services. These include network and IT services, Digital infrastructure, IT and Digital consulting services and procurement consulting. They also operate the Janet network. For IT and Digital Services businesses across the UK, the JISC is an excellent framework to apply for and be appointed to in order to drive business growth.

Yorhub: Established in 2008 Yorhub is a framework that focuses on economic regeneration, efficiency, employment and sustainability. There is a very strong focus on the construction industry with a strong focus on civil engineering frameworks, consultancy and building and construction. Tsaks Consulting has helped a number of engineers and building and construction practitioners to be appointed to the panel over the years. More information on our ability to help with these bids is available here.

KCS Procurement Services: This is owned by Kent Country Council and it brings together a broad range of different services, contracts and framework agreements. The majority of our clients who have bid for these frameworks are from the higher education sector.

PAGABO: This has a very strong focus on Social Value in the UK. This framework is critical and a real driving force for directing the money and opportunities which are created by public procurement back into local communities. It is focused on upskilling personnel in local areas and helping local charities. In order to be appointed to this framework, we encourage all of our clients (and help them) to propose real, practical, social value solutions. You need to evidence all of your claims about social value in your bid and provide real, quantified examples of what locals will benefit and how. More information on how we can assist you to write a bid to a PAGABO framework is available here.

LHC: The LHC brings together over 700 publicly funded organisations across the UK for their procurement needs. They operate a number of frameworks (over 19) across different services including professional services, energy efficiency, property protection and maintenance, building maintenance, refurbishment and roofing. More information on our experience helping clients win LHC framework bids is available here.

ESPO: This is one of the UKs largest professional procurement organisations. They offer a very broad range of goods and services – and service over 150,000 public sector organisations annually. When we assist our clients to write successful ESPO applications, they are delighted and often shocked by the sheer number of public sector organisations they gain access to. There are ten categories and some of the public sector customers include schools, colleges and the NHS. Further information on our experience in ESPO bids is available here.

School’s Buying Club

NHS: This is one of the largest framework organisations and more information can be found at our designated NHS blogs and pages.

FUSION 21: This is another public sector framework which offers enormous opportunities for our clients. For further information on how to write winning Fusion 21 Applications read our guide to the Fusion 21 Framework (such as G-Cloud 14 Framework | here: Fusion 21 Framework |.

Crown Commercial Service: Otherwise or more commonly known as the ‘CCS’ framework, is the larges public procurement organisation in the UK. It leverages on its commercial knowledge to help buyers across all forms of government and quasi government (third sectors) to procure nearly everything and anything. The buyers use the CCS because they get highly competitive prices, have access to lots of potential suppliers across different industries, and have access to businesses of all sizes. More information on our capabilities to help you write bids to this framework is available here.

North West Construction Hub: This hub services a broad range of clients from man different groups including Local Government, Universities and Blue Light Authorities. They are split into different levels of value. From our experience, this is a great framework for smaller businesses who are looking to bid for a framework they have a good chance of being awarded.

UKUPC (Universities Partnership Consortium): There are over 112 frameworks withing the UPC with thirty new frameworks per year. Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity for small and medium enterprises to break into the education sector and sell to the higher education sector.

SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium): A non-for-profit hub focused on helping universities gain efficiencies in their procurement. This is another good opportunity for a range of businesses who service the education sector, to apply to the framework and sell to high education institutions across the UK.

YPO – Yorkshire Purchasing Authority – This framework body has many frameworks built into it, from many different industries and services such as construction, emergency services, energy and furniture. It acts for a broad range of public bodies across the UK and is suitable for different businesses of all shapes and sizes to apply for. Our bid writers have helped many businesses apply for and be appointed to YPO frameworks. Further information is available here.

Network Rail – a procurement body with substantial annual spend (over 3bn). They own and operate railways across the UK and conduct a lot of other works. They are a major employer and procure a very wide range of services. Therefore, many of our clients have applied to be appointed to Network Rail Frameworks from a wide range of sectors and services including consultancy, gardening and maintenance and HR training.

Efficiency East Midlands (EEM): This is a not-for-profit procurement organisation that represents a wide range of public sector stakeholders including Councils, NHS Trusts and education institutions. We have helped clients write tenders and bids, frameworks and one off ‘call-offs’ for Efficiency East Midlands and they have seen significant growth when they secured placement or contracts. For further information our experience writing EEM bids click here.

APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges): This organisation manages many different tenders and bids. They represent a number of quasi-government organisations as well and run a procurement process in Scotland – and across the UK. Our team of Bid Writers at Tsaks Consulting have helped plenty of businesses get appointed to APUC.

TUCO (The University Caterers Organisation): Many higher education buyers and organisations procure their catering, food and drink supplies through TUCO. Many of our catering clients complete these tenders and bids and it is a great avenue to grow your catering or food and beverage business.

NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium): is a procurement body which is jointly owned by 24 different universities. From tenders, frameworks and mini-competitions, they conduct the purchasing of a range of different services for the education sector.

PfH (Procurement for Housing): This is a housing consultancy for the housing sector. They offer suppliers to the housing sector with an outstanding opportunity to get work through frameworks and tenders. They manage tenders, develop frameworks, and employ DPS agreements.

NEPO: Detailed information on how we can help you win NEPO Frameworks bids is available here.

Our team of bid, tender and application writers help businesses across the UK get awarded to key frameworks. Further information on individual frameworks and how we can assist are provided here:

The types of businesses our writers have helped to get appointed to public sector frameworks:

Businesses from all industries can find opportunities on frameworks. Examples of businesses from industries we have helped include:

  • Accountants
  • Lawyers
  • Recruiters
  • Other professional services
  • Manufacturers
  • Construction and maintenance
  • Building
  • Electrical
  • Plumbing
  • Air-conditioning
  • Demolition services
  • Civil and infrastructure
  • Fire maintenance
  • Health Services
  • Transport and storage
  • Social work and social services
  • Emergency responses services
  • Many others

We have helped businesses from around the UK apply for Frameworks, write bids and respond to SSQs and ITTs from the following areas:

  • London
  • South East (including Brighton & Hove, Southampton, Portsmouth)
  • Brighton & Hove, England
  • South West (including Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter)
  • Plymouth, England
  • East Midlands (including Leicester, Nottingham, Derby)
  • Nottingham, England
  • West Midlands (including Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton)
  • Wolverhampton, England
  • Yorkshire and the Humber (including Leeds, Sheffield, Hull)
  • Sheffield, England
  • North East (including Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Middlesbrough)
  • Newcastle upon Tyne,
  • North West (including Manchester, Liverpool, Cumbria)
  • Manchester, England
  • East of England (including Cambridge, Peterborough, Norwich)
  • Peterborough, England
  • Scotland
  • Edinburgh (capital city)
  • Scotland
  • Glasgow, Scotland
  • Aberdeen
  • Aberdeen, Scotland
  • Highlands and Islands
  • Highlands and Islands, Scotland
  • Central Belt (including Stirling, Falkirk, Perth)
  • Stirling, Scotland
  • South West (including Dumfries, Galloway, Ayrshire)
  • Dumfries, Scotland
  • Wales
  • Cardiff (capital city)
  • Cardiff, Wales
  • South West Wales (including Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot)
  • South East Wales (including Newport, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent)
  • Caerphilly, Wales
  • North Wales (including Bangor, Wrexham, Conwy)
  • West Wales (including Aberystwyth, Carmarthen, Pembrokeshire)
  • Mid Wales (including Powys, Ceredigion)
  • Northern Ireland
  • Belfast (capital city)
  • Derry
  • Lisburn
  • Newry
  • Craigavon

Client testimonials

Tsaks Consulting UK, in particularly Jason and Nathaniel are our go to bid writing consultants if we need help with a framework application. The reality is that we must win our frameworks when we apply for them. Or else, we will have to wait another three years to apply and sometimes longer. That’s why we use Tsaks Consulting. They are experts at writing framework applications and they are across just about all the different PBOs. I am happy to highly recommend them to any businesses across the UK that is looking to increase with frameworks win rate or grow their public practice.

James A | Building and Construction | Manchester

We engaged Tsaks Consulting UK to assist with our frameworks after an unexpected loss. Prior to that, we had a fairly decent win rate and didn’t need to get external bid writing help. However, since the questions have changed slightly and questions regarding social value and other areas have come up that we are not experienced in answering, or are simply not scoring well in, we needed to make a change. The benefits to getting the Tsaks Consulting team to assist us with the past three framework applications were quickly obvious.

They are excellent and highly professional bid writers so the responses read better and are more concise. We manage to fit a lot more information into our responses within the word count which means we generally score better. However, the key point is that they come up with excellent ideas for value added services and initiatives. Whether it is social value initiatives or innovative and value-added services in our service provision, they know what to write and how to write it. The Tsaks Consulting UK team are excellent if you want help from a professional bid writing services to win more frameworks then give them a call. It worked for us.

Joanna L | Health Services | Birmingham

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Tsaks Consulting UK help us win more frameworks and will you write the application for us? What information will we need to provide? We are a small business and we have only been successful with one framework to date.

Yes – of course. Our team of bid writers will help you write your entire framework application, bid or proposal. We will need your input of course, including previous content, input from key personnel on your experience and expertise, and other information which largely depends on the tender and specific PBO. The first step in the process is to send a copy of the framework documents through to us. We will then review, provide you with a fee proposal and if you proceed, we will create and send you a list of information you will need to provide us.

We will certainly do our absolute best to write a compelling submission that gives you and your business the best prospects of success.

Do you help professional services firms bid for Frameworks? Or only construction and medical / health. We are an accounting help and we need expert writing assistance to win more frameworks, especially with Crown Commercial Services and others?

Yes. We help all businesses, including accountants, engineers, lawyers and other professional services respond to ITTs, SSQ and Framework application requests. Our founder, Jason Cooney, started his career as a tender and bid writer at a mid-tier law firm in Australia. We have a track record of writing successful applications and tenders to CCS as well as other PBOs and will assist you to communicate your expertise and experience (as well as depth of resources) in a way that resonates with the procurement teams.

I need a local professional bid writer to help us with a framework application. Is there a consulting service we can outsource our ITTs and Framework writing proposals to?

Yes – here at Tsaks Consulting, our local bid writers help businesses across the UK write and importantly win more framework applications. We are expert consultants specialising in helping businesses across the UK write and win more bids and tenders. We will work with you to develop a quality submission or proposal that will help you win.

How long does it take to write a framework application?

It usually takes 2 – 3 weeks to prepare a framework application. However, some can take longer, and depending on what existing information you have on file, we can sometimes respond to an ITT or prepare a framework application in less than a week. It depends on which PBO and what framework. The best thing to do is to send us through an email. We can review the questions and let you know how long the process will take. Generally speaking, our team here at Tsaks Consulting will work to any deadline and if we cannot, we will more then likely not take on the bid in the process.

Can you guarantee we will be appointed to the framework?

No unfortunately we can’t. The other some other factors such as pricing that have an impact on the end result of a bid. We will certainly do our absolute best and are passionate about helping businesses across the UK win public sector work through frameworks.

Are you able to hep with pricing for a framework?

Yes and no. We are unable to advise on your pricing as we don’t know your business or market / competition well enough. Also, it would be easy and irresponsible of us (or anybody) to adopt a low price just to win a contract or tender. However, we are able to help you

Do you help clients with writing bids and proposals for Pagabo frameworks?

Yes certainly. We have helped many businesses across the UK write bids, ITTs, and framework applications to Pagabo.