Tag: business

Public Sector Round-Up 29.01.21

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Weekly UK tender publishing update

971

629

342

Total UK
Tenders		Low Value
Tenders		High Value
Tenders

123

61

457

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		High Value
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 22.01.21 & 28.01.21

In the news this week

This week’s news articles are all focused on taking actions to combat climate change, and significantly reducing emissions by 2030.

Council secures £15m to combat Climate Change in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Council will use this funding to deliver several sustainability led projects at a number locations including school buildings, fire stations, libraries and offices. The money will go towards projects including:

◆ an air source heat pump at County Hall
◆ an air handling unit upgrade at Farnham House
◆ mass installation of solar panels at 23 fire stations
◆ energy efficient boiler systems at various schools
◆ improving building insulation

You can find contract opportunities in Hertfordshire, and other UK locations, by using our Tender Search and location filters.

West Berkshire Council announces plans for £10m solar farm
The plan would see more than 45,000 solar panels installed over 75 acres of council-owned land near Grazeley. According to feasibility studies, the solar farm would offset around 30% of the council’s carbon footprint.
Funding for the project will be included in the capital strategy and submitted for council approval on 2 March 2021.

£26.9m investment in carbon savings for County Council buildings and local schools
The green light has been given to projects which will improve the energy efficiency of local schools and council buildings.

◆£6.7 million for the installation of solar panels
◆£20.2 million window replacement programme

Around 370 Hampshire schools and several council buildings are expected to benefit from this funding.

Discover how can help you find and win new business

Top high value contract award notices

Title: UK-Stoke-on-Trent: Health and social work services
Short description: Contract to co-ordinate a single integrated All Age Carer Support Service with a single point of access for adult and young carers from age 5 across Stoke-on-Trent
Published By: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Date Published: 22 January 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £1,460,000.00
Number of tenders received: 3
Contractors: North Staffs Carers Association
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Stratford: Hot-water boilers
Short description: Framework for the provision of Boilers for London and Quadrant’s self delivered new build projects.
Published By: Torbay Council
Date Published: 26 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £1,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 2
Contractors: Baxi Heating UK Ltd | Ideal Boilers Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Leicester: Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
Short description: Framework for the supply of frozen ready meal solutions that shall include complete single portion main meals and desserts and multi-portion meal components, including main and side dishes, desserts and sweet and savoury sauces.
Published by: ESPO
Date Published: 28 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £20,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 9 (of which were SMEs: 4)
Contractors: apetito Ltd | BFS Group Limited T/A Bidfood | County Enterprise Foods part of Nottinghamshire County Council | I Care (GB) Ltd | NH Case Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

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Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Public Sector Round-Up 04.12.20

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Weekly UK tender publishing update

1,112

826

286

Total UK
Tenders		Low-Value
Tenders		OJEU
Tenders

133

57

362

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		OJEU
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 27.11.20 & 03.12.20


An incredible 6,469 tender notices were published across the UK & ROI last month, creating a significant number of opportunities to secure work for 2021. View the full stats for November 2020.

In the news this week

£29 million to be invested in Stoke-on-Trent’s transport network
The Transforming Cities Fund will allow for major improvements around Stoke-on-Trent and Longton train stations, along with new cycling and walking links, plus upgrades to city centre bus station.
The funding aims to better connect the community and open up access to jobs, housing and services.

Prime Minister announces £20m to grow medicines manufacturing in the UK
The Medicines and Diagnostic Manufacturing Transformation Fund will open up investment opportunities for medicine manufacturers in England, Scotland and Wales. The aim of this funding is to put UK companies ahead of global competitors in advanced medicines manufacturing, while helping them respond to future healthcare needs – and increasing the overall health resilience of the UK.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Glasgow: Ground investigation work
Short description: A Multi-supplier Framework Agreement (MFA) with a number of ground investigation contractors to carry out and report on ground investigation works of varying scope, complexity and value in connection with trunk road and other transport infrastructure schemes promoted by the Scottish Ministers through Transport Scotland. 
Date Published: 27 November 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £50,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 7 (Of which were SMEs: 5)
Contractors: Fugro GeoServices Ltd | Ian Farmer Associates (1998) Ltd | Raeburn Drilling and Geotechnical Ltd | Soil Engineering Geoservices Ltd | WYG Group
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-London: Construction work
Short description: The refurbishment of Highgate Newtown Community Centre and Fresh Youth Academy. The works will provide an estimated 1 754 m2 of community centre facilities, comprising Highgate Newtown Community Centre and the Fresh Youth Academy, and approximately 3 610 m2 of residential floor space.
Published By: London Borough of Camden
Date Published: 01 December 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £16,570,417.15
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: Farrans Construction trading as a division of Northstone (NI) Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Croydon: Scanning services
Short description: This requirement was to procure a replacement contract for scanning, processing and data extraction services which are located off HM Land Registry premises.
Date Published: 01 December 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £9,500,000.00
Number of tenders received: 6
Contractors: Xerox (UK) Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct


Ask the Experts Q&A: Wednesday 16 December 2020, 1.00 – 1.45PM

Are there specific questions about tendering you would love to have answered?
Join our webinar where we will be taking questions from the floor!

Whether you want to know more about finding the right tenders, or what to do once you’ve found them – our experts will answer any questions you have.
This webinar is totally free of charge, and you can ask your questions when you register or live during the session.

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Public Sector Round-Up 20.11.20

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UK tender publishing update

1144

800

344

Total UK
Tenders		Low-Value
Tenders		OJEU
Tenders

169

68

342

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		OJEU
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 13.11.20 & 19.11.20

If you are interested in finding out what the market looks like for your industry, get in touch and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free overview for your business. Alternatively, start looking for opportunities with our tender search tool on www.tendersdirect.co.uk

In the news this week

£175 million more for cycling and walking as research shows public support
Councils across England have been given access to a further £175 million to create safe space for cycling and walking. This news comes as surveys show 8/10 people support measures to reduce traffic in their neighbourhoods.
This funding is part of the £2 billion announced in May to promote more active travel options.
This funding will be used to create numerous opportunities, of all values, across the country. Visit our dedicated Construction tender category on our site to view current opportunities.

£16 million to introduce digital prescribing in hospitals
16 hospitals across England will receive a share of £16 million to introduce electronic prescribing systems, replacing the need for paper prescriptions. These systems are being used to greatly improve efficiency, and since 2018, 216 NHS trusts have adopted these systems. The long term plan is to eliminate paper prescribing across the entire NHS by 2024 – meaning there will continue to be associated Tech opportunities until then.

Extraordinary notices

Title: United Kingdom-Chester: National Framework Agreement for Provision of Sterile Services and Endoscopy Decontamination Facility
Short description: The framework agreement will allow NHS organisations to procure a Supplier who can design, build and equip a SSD and subsequently maintain the facility and its equipment under a managed service contract. Suppliers may provide finance to the NHS organisation for the design, build and equip of the SSD, as well as ongoing provision of appropriate facilities management.
Published By: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Deadline: 04 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £375,000,000.00
View full notice on Tenders Direct

When Brexit concludes at the end of this year, the government’s new e-tender service ‘Find a Tender’ will replace the OJEU in the UK for above threshold tenders.
Find out what this means for finding and winning public contracts in 2021, in our new post Brexit and Public Procurement.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-London: Pharmaceutical products
Short description: Supply of a range of supportive medicines including end of life, intensive care unit and antibiotics.
Published By: Department of Health and Social Care
Date Published: 16 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £791,968.00
Number of tenders received: 1 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Fresenius Kabi Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Sale: Street-lighting maintenance services
Short description: Reactive maintenance.
Published By: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £2,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 4
Contractors: Acorn Lighting Services Ltd, Jones Lighting Ltd, SSE Contracting Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Newport: Postal services
Short description: To print personalised letters containing name, address and a unique reference/serial number for each record/person invited to take apart in the Covid-19 Infection Survey (CIS).
Published By: Office for National Statistics (‘ONS’)
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £4,500,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1
Contractors: HH Associates Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Are you winning contracts in the private sector but unsure how to start in the public sector?
Join us for our upcoming free webinar where we will discuss the differences between the two sectors, and how you can start bidding for public contracts.

The topics we will cover are:
◆ How the public sector differs from the private sector
◆ The similarities between tendering in both
◆ How to find public sector opportunities
◆ How to undertake your first public sector tenders

Book your place: Wednesday 25 November 2020, 1.00 to 1.45PM

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round-Up 06.11.20

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UK tender publishing update

999

725

274

Total UK NoticesLow-Value NoticesOJEU Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 30.10.20 & 05.11.20

In October 5152 notices were published across the UK. 3529 of these were low-value notices – which is great news for smaller businesses or those with limited experience of working in the public sector. Lower value notices tend to have less competition and fewer restrictions, making your entry to the market much easier.

If you are interested in finding out what the market looks like for your industry, get in touch and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free overview for your business. Alternatively, start looking for opportunities with our tender search tool on www.tendersdirect.co.uk

In the news this week

New Epsom and St Helier hospital in Sutton given green light
A new state-of-the-art hospital has been announced as part of the government’s £3.7 billion commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 – for which another eight new schemes have been invited to bid. To discover construction, healthcare and other public sector opportunities, use our tender category search.

£228m Mottram bypass goes out to consultation
The public is being given the chance to influence plans for a new £228 million bypass to between Manchester and Sheffield. There will be a 6 week public consultation for the new two-mile bypass, which will run from the roundabout at the end of the M67 (junction 4) to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.
Over the next 5 years, Highways England will be delivering £14 billion of major road projects, increasing the quality, capacity and safety of England’s motorways and major A roads – we can alert you to any projects relevant to your business, find out more here.

£2bn Technology Services 3 framework
This framework agreement will provide a range of local, regional and national services, and is divided into 5 lots: Technology Strategy and Service Design (£320m), Transition and Transformation (£260), Operational Services (£940m), Major Services Transformation Programmes (£580m) & Service Integration and Management (£100m).
For full details, view the notice here.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Margate: Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
Short description: The supply and installation of a floating vessel in the form of a pontoon or barge at the Port of Ramsgate, to form a commercial aggregate berth which will be sited within the Port estate.
Published By: Thanet District Council
Date Published: 30 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £1,299,986.95
Number of tenders received: 2 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: BAM Nuttall Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Leyland: Construction work
Short description: Development of 55 residential units at land off Westfield Road, Catterall, Preston, Lancashire. 
Published By: Progress Housing Association Ltd
Date Published: 30 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £8,413,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Breck Developments Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Manchester: Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment
Short description: The supply and delivery of a variety of crime reduction products, to be used by police forces as a cost effective way of reducing the risk of vulnerable people becoming victims of crime.
Published By: Greater Manchester Combined Authority — Greater Manchester Police
Date Published: 03 November 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £1,700,000.00
Number of tenders received: (Of which were SMEs: 2)
Contractors: JNE Security Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE


Boost your skills with our CPD accredited online training courses. Whether you are an experienced bid writer or new to tendering, we have courses for you.
Our course dates for January and February 2021 have just been announced:

Advanced Bid Writing Skills
⬩ 26 – 27 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 23 – 24 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

An introduction to Public Procurement and Bid Writing
⬩ 12 – 13 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 09 – 10 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

Writing Compelling Bids
⬩ 19 – 20 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 16 – 17 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round-Up 25.09.20

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In the news this week: a new PPN puts a focus on social value, £80m boost to towns across England, and £8.7m to introduce digital records and e-prescribing capabilities to seven NHS trusts.
Our top OJEU notices for the week feature a 3 year kitchen and bathroom installation contract in Birmingham, a building materials and associated services framework in Preston, and a framework for information technology services in Chester.
Our stand out PIN this week is a £670,000,000 Building Safety and Compliance Framework from Fusion 21.
This week we saw 887 notices published across the UK, with 678 of those being low value opportunities.

UK tenders update

887

678

279

Total UK NoticesLow-Value NoticesOJEU Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 18.09.20 & 24.09.20

887 notices were published between 18.09.20 and 24.09.20.
As of 25.09.20, there are over 3800 live notices across all industries on Tender Direct.
If you would like more information about the types of opportunities available for your business, we would be happy to provide you with a free Market Overview.

In the news this week

Procurement Policy Note – Taking Account of Social Value in the Award of Central Government Contracts
If you are looking to win public sector work, you could soon have to make it clearer in your proposals how you plan to help the government deliver its social value priorities. A newly released PPN introduces requirements, from 1 January 2021, for Central Government buyers to evaluate their procurements and ensure they provide a significant level of social value. The 5 key pillars for evaluating social value are: COVID-19 recovery, Tackling economic inequality, Fighting climate change, Equal opportunity, and Wellbeing.

£80 million boost to towns across England
Over 100 towns across England will be be given up to £1m to support projects that will make a difference in the area. Projects highlighted include new green spaces, businesses spaces, greater pedestrianisation, and new community hubs to support those living alone.

Digital prescribing and records introduction boosted by funding
The government have announced £8.7m funding, across seven hospital trusts, to introduce digital records and e-prescribing capabilities. 130 NHS trusts already have similar systems, and as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, over £78m will be invested in introducing electronic prescribing systems across the NHS.

Stand out prior information notices

£670,000,000 Fusion21 Building Safety and Compliance Framework
The framework is intended to support public sector organisations in managing the safety and compliance of their buildings. Included within the 12 lots are opportunities for £120m worth of fire safety consultancy and £80m for electrical testing.
View full prior information notice HERE


Would you like some help with developing your bid strategies? We have a free webinar coming up on the 30th of September that can help. Our webinar starts at 1pm and will last 45 min – register here.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Birmingham: Installation of fitted kitchens
Short description: To deliver kitchen and bathroom installations to include the supply of bathrooms and any associated works. This contract will be for a 3 year duration with an option to extend annually for a maximum period of 24 months. 
Published By: Midland Heart Ltd
Date Published: 23 September 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £24,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 6 (of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Woodland Property Services | J Tomlinson Ltd | Lovell Partnerships Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Preston: Construction materials and associated items
Short description: Contract for building materials and associated services, providing high quality services using a customer focused approach particularly in the public sector to create an end to end building materials framework. 
Published By: Places for People Group Ltd
Date Published: 21 September 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £200,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 2
Contractors: Travis Perkins Trading Company Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Chester: Information technology services
Short description: A national framework agreement for the provision of a secure managed service of technology assets to public sector organisations.
Published by: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 18 September 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £5,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1
Contractors: Clares Office Supplies Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round-Up 11.09.20

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In the news this week: £9.3m invested in council EV schemes, £12bn boost for affordable homes, and two e-scooter trials launched in York and West Midlands.
Our top OJEU notices for the week feature a diverse £30m NHS contract for hospitality, cleaning and administration services, a £6m contract for refuse collection vehicles and a £3.6m award for telematics services.
The top Prior information Notice of the week is a £1.2bn framework for the maintenance, repair and calibration of medical equipment.

UK tenders update

840

603

237

Total UK NoticesLow-Value NoticesOJEU Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 04.09.20 & 11.09.20

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-London: Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
Short description: To provide a range of services including: cleaning, catering, portering, security, pest control, window cleaning, linen and laundry, clinical and domestic waste and helpdesk to Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Published By: Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 08 September 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £30,029,484.00
Number of tenders received: 1
Contractors: ISS Mediclean Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-London: Telematics services
Short description: Contract award notice for the supply and installation of an integrated road vehicle telematics and dashboard camera system with associated services.
Published By: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Date Published: 09 September 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £3,683,220.00
Number of tenders received, lot 1: 5
Number of tenders received, lot 2: 2
Number of tenders received, lot 3: 2
Number of tenders received, lot 4: 3
Number of tenders received, lot 5: 6
Contractors: Masternaut Ltd | Company Watch Ltd |Condeco Ltd | Repstor Ltd | Resolve Systems LLC
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Bournemouth: Refuse-collection vehicles
Short description: The contract provides for the following:• 18 tonne RCV — diesel fuelled,• 26 tonne RCV — diesel fuelled,• 26 tonne RCV — zero emission (i.e. electric (EV) or hydrogen).
Published by: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Date Published: 09 September 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £6,028,113.00
Number of tenders received: 3
Contractors: Dennis Eagle Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

In the news this week

Highways England invest £9.3m in council’s EV schemes
Highways England announced £9.3m this week to help businesses adopt electric vehicles. The fund allows local authorities to give businesses a 2 month trial of electric vehicles. The money for this comes from Highways England’s Designated Funds programme, which will invest around a billion pounds between 2020 and 2025 to benefit the public, economy and planet. With more and more focus on electric vehicles, funding towards similar EV projects (see e-scooter trials below) and charging points for them will become increasingly popular.

Jenrick unveils huge £12 billion boost for affordable homes
A massive investment of £12bn in affordable housing was announced this week, the largest single funding commitment to affordable housing in a decade. The programme will be delivered between 2021 to 2026, providing up to 180,000 new homes across England. Building homes is a priority for the government, and consideration has been made to ensure smaller developers access finance for new housing developments by boosting the Home Building Fund with an additional £450 million of investment.

Two major e-scooter trials launched in York and West Midlands
The public in York and the West Midlands have been given access to e-scooters this week as two e-scooter trials begin. The contract for the scooters belongs to Voi (a Swedish company) which has initially supplied a few hundred scooters, but over 10,000 are expected to be deployed during the trial – the results of which could create more opportunities in other regions for similar projects.

Stand out prior information notices

£1.2bn framework for the maintenance, repair and calibration of medical equipment
Maintenance Renewal PIN 2020 NHS Supply Chain seeks to establish a non-exclusive framework agreement for the supply to the NHS Supply chain customer base for the maintenance, repair and calibration of medical equipment. The purpose of this notice is to draw attention to a procurement that NHS Supply Chain intends to commence during the subsequent 12 months. The invitation to tender will be the subject of a separate notice and it is that notice to which potential suppliers will need to respond at the appropriate time.
View full prior information for free HERE


If you have questions, we have the answers.
Register for our lunchtime webinar and let our experts address your tendering queries. For more info and to register click here.

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round Up 21.08.20

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In the news this week, we saw £77m allocated to York’s new city centre quarter, £2.3million to help North Devon Hospital this winter and £260m of Coronavirus support for Welsh councils.
Our top OJEU notices for the week include £16m catering supplies in Paisley, £70m road construction in Portsmouth and £14m marine construction in Glasgow.
We also saw two significant prior information notices announced, one to improve NHS waiting times and the other for residential development across Wales.
In our look at the number or tenders published over the last 7 days, we are only slightly up on the previous week, but still showing an upward trend since lockdown was relaxed.

UK tenders update

787

601

186

Total UK Public
Sector Tenders		Low-Value noticesOJEU notices
Tenders published in the UK between 14.08.20 & 20.08.20

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Paisley: Disposable catering supplies
Short description: A contract for materials including catering disposables, catering sundries, insulated containers and trolleys.
Published By: Scotland Excel
Date Published: 18 August 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £16,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 8 (of which were SMEs: 4)
Contractors: Bunzl UK Limited TA Bunzl Catering Supplies | Brake Bros Ltd | Alliance Disposables Ltd | GMC Corsehill Ltd | Unico Ltd | Instock Ltd | Nisbets Plc | BFS Group Ltd T/A Bidfood
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Portsmouth: Construction work for highways, roads
Short description: To deliver road, highways and associated redevelopment works within Portsmouth city centre and the surrounding environs, including for infrastructure which serves/adjoins the city centre, on a design and build partner contracting basis.
Published By: Portsmouth City Council
Date Published: 17 August 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £70,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 4
Contractors: Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Port Glasgow: Marine construction works
Short description: Upgrade works to Tarbert Ferry terminal to facilitate the new dual fuel vessel.
Published by: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (Utility)
Date Published: 17 August 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £14,300,000.00
Number of tenders received: 4
Contractors: RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

In the news this week

York Central infrastructure funding confirmed
Network Rail and Homes England to invest £77 million to ensure York’s new city centre quarter development goes ahead, helping to enable vital infrastructure to connect the site, including a bridge over the East Coast mainline railway.

Additional £2.3million to help North Devon hospital this winter
The additional funding is to help the hospital cope through winter, by increasing A&E capacity, enhancing infection prevention and control measures and making improvements to emergency care and urgent treatment services.

Welsh Government announces a further £260m of Coronavirus support
This additional funding will be used to ease pressures caused by the first wave of Covid-19, and prepare councils for a potential second wave. The funding is intended to deal with increased costs and manage loss of income due to Covid-19.

Stand out prior information notices

£10bn framework to reduce NHS waiting times
This PIN provides early notification of the intention to launch a Procurement in September to establish a Framework Agreement of service providers able to support the reduction of waiting lists forecast to increase as a result of Covid-19 interrupting and reducing available NHS capacity.
View full prior information notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

£5bn Welsh housing framework
The London Housing Consortium (LHC) (acting as the Central Purchasing Body for the Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA)), are consulting on the potential establishment of a DPS Agreement for Residential Construction (including any associated community buildings and facilities) across South and Mid-Wales.
View full prior information notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

On August 26th we have a FREE webinar to provide you with the skills needed to find an win low value tenders. This is a great lunchtime session to improve existing skills or point you in the right direction if you are new to bidding for work.

The webinar will be held on Wednesday 26 August at 13:00-13:45.

For full details and to register, please follow this link.

Our bid management tool, Opportunity Manager, simplifies day-to-day bid administration by bringing all of your tenders into a single pipeline view.
Follow this link to find out more and request a demo.

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round Up 31.07.20

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Our top OJEU notices for this week include a wide scope of telecommunications work in Manchester, supply of gas materials in London and energy efficient street lighting in Bradford.
In the news this week we have seen plans for major cycle route improvement, significant road repair in the East and a £670m London towers Prior Information Notice.
Below you will also find a breakdown of the number of tenders published this week, along with stats for our featured industries.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Manchester: Telecommunications services
Short description: A wide scope of work which includes: renewal of ‘core stacks’, design of the proposed network upgrade, production of technical strategies, installation and renewal of life expired fibre optic cabling on Altrincham, Bury, Eccles, and City Centre Lines (approx 70 km).
Published By: Transport for Greater Manchester
Date Published: 28 July 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £7,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: telent Technology Services Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-London: Plumbing and heating materials
Short description: Gas materials (inc boilers and associated plumbing materials) supply contract.
Published By: Hyde Housing Association (The Hyde Group)
Date Published: 30 July 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £5,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: City Plumbing Supplies Holdings Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Bradford: Maintenance services of public-lighting installations and traffic lights
Short description: Work involving the replacement of old street lighting luminaires with LED units and replace life expired columns
Published by: Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Date Published: 30 July 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £35,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 3
Contractors: Amey OW Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

UK tenders update and featured industries

759

584

175

Total UK Public
Sector Tenders		Low-Value noticesOJEU notices
Tenders published in the UK between 24.07.20 & 31.07.20

225+

60+

40+

Live Building Refurbishment, Alterations, Conversions, Minor Works, Major Works tendersLive Laboratory Equipment, Consumables, Plastics, & Managed Services tendersLive All Types of Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment tenders
Number of live UK tenders for each featured industry, as of 31.07.20

Develop your tendering skills

Our upcoming course on Public Procurement and Bid Writing on 11 August will equip you with the core skills you need to bid for work in the public sector.

Your tutor for this session is Jamie Edwards, an expert bid writer with over 20 years’ experience. His sessions are interactive, meaning you will be able to ask questions throughout and benefit from tailored feedback and advice.

Visit our website for a full breakdown of the objectives and outcome of the course.

In the news this week

Prime Minister launches £2bn cycling and walking revolution.
The funding will create:
◆ thousands of miles of protected cycle routes in towns and cities.
◆ more low traffic neighbourhoods
◆ more opportunities to access to e-bikes by setting up a new national e-bike programme
◆ a long term cycling programme and budget to ensure a guaranteed pipeline of funding.

Highways England to spend £114m on road improvements.
The comprehensive maintenance programme will include:
◆ Work on the A14 Brickfield bridge, replacing the existing bridge joint bearings, carrying out concrete repairs, resurfacing the road and renewing the road markings.
◆ Work on the M11 junction 11 Mill bridge, Replacing four bridge joints, re-waterproofing the bridge deck and repainting the bearings.
◆ Work on the A14 junction 32 Histon, replacing all road markings and studs where resurfacing has taken place.
◆ Work on M11 River Granta bridge, replacing two bridge joints, re-waterproofing the bridge deck and resurface.

Developers on notice for £670m west London towers scheme
Transport for London are gauging opinion from interested firms before launching the procurement process for:
◆ A block up to 25 storeys high on Bollo Lane comprising 195 homes and 520sq m of commercial space, with an outline planning application for a further 657 homes across eight more blocks of between eight and 18 storeys.
◆ An 800-home scheme currently in pre-application which will be built just north of Acton Town tube station on land which forms part of Ealing Common Depot, a rail depot for the London Underground built in 1905.

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Top 5 bid writing mistakes: Overlooking key details

By on • ( 4 Comments )

In this series of posts, I am addressing the common errors that occur time and time again when writing bids. Below is our 5th and final post which will address the following mistake: 

Overlooking key details 

It sounds obvious, but not answering questions properly is one of the main causes of harsh feedback from buyers. The reason this happens can be attributed to many of the points mentioned earlier in this series (links provided at the bottom of the page). Attention to detail is important to fully comprehend what is required, and to make sure it has been exhaustively covered in your response. 

It is important that you ask for clarifications if you think there is any ambiguity in the questions. There is normally a window of time where this is allowed, so make sure you’ve fully reviewed all the documents and submitted all queries before the window closes. 

I’d strongly recommend establishing a checklist to answer off points one at a time, paying close attention to detail. There is a formal way to do this called a compliance matrix.  Their format can vary but basically you pull apart all the documentation in the tender and write down every single requirement.  You can then reference in the matrix where you have addressed the requirement in your response. This will ensure you are covering off absolutely everything that is being requested.   

You can even (where format and word count allow) include a simplified version of the matrix (known as a response matrix) in your submission to make it easier for the assessors to reference your answers and demonstrate your full compliance.     

I created a simple template that I use to help people get you started; I would be happy to send you a copy, just drop me an email at andrew.watson@proactis.com.

This post concludes my series of the top 5 common mistakes made when writing bids. I really hope you have found these posts helpful. If you would like to learn more about the tendering process and develop your skills, I currently run monthly webinars you might find useful. 
 
In the meantime, if you’re looking for specific help with your bid, please get in touch. Every week I help clients with their tendering, from bid writing to leading on bid responses. Use the details below to view the range of services we offer or to contact me directly.  

Tel: 07384 818 704 
E-mail: andrew.watson@proactis.com   
View our upcoming and on-demand webinars  
View my range of consultancy services  

Other posts in the Top 5 Bid Writing mistakes series:
1 – Failing to prepare and preparing to fail
2 – Biting off more than you can chew
3 – Not knowing how your pricing fits into your strategy
4 – Too little, too late

Top 5 bid writing mistakes: Not knowing how your pricing fits into your strategy

By on • ( 1 Comment )

In this series of posts, I am addressing the common errors that occur time and time again when writing bids. Below is our 3rd post and will address the following mistake: 

Not knowing how your pricing fits into your strategy 

Often businesses, or the individual in charge of tenders, will focus on pricing for a tender, but there is a need for a more comprehensive decision-making process of which price is only a part, albeit an important one. In other words, agreeing one number is not a strategy. A price should be agreed upon following the implementation of an overall bid strategy and not the other way around, or in isolation from the bid strategy.  These are the main issues we see, where pricing is either decided on its own, or looked at too late and not aligned to the offer as a whole. Either approach isn’t fit for purpose as there is always a need to understand the drivers behind your prices.  
 
For example, you should ask yourself: 

  • What is the context of your chosen prices in regard to your entire offer? 
  • Are you able to offer unique value adding services or are your competitors able to offer exactly the same? 

Knowing the competitive environment and the key drivers for the customer are paramount to making good decisions.  The prices need to balance your chances of success with the value derived for the contract, which won’t be possible if you don’t give your pricing the time and contemplation it deserves. 

There are ways to look at this in more detail. For example, from our contract award database we could provide you with information about who specific contracts were awarded to and their values going back five years. From here it would be possible, by looking at the spend reports from individual public sector authorities, to start estimating how much incumbent suppliers are charging for their services. This type of analysis can help prevent your pricing strategy from being a shot in the dark.  
 
If you are interested in using contract award data to inform your pricing strategies, you might be interested in our Competitor Tracking Alerts. Not only do we offer a five year archive of contract awards, you can also track an unlimited number of competitors and receive alerts whenever they win high value public contracts.

For my next post, we’ll look at the the issues associated with leaving things to the last moment.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for specific help with your bid, please get in touch. Every week I help clients with their tendering, from bid writing to leading on bid responses. Use the details below to view the range of services we offer or to contact me directly. 

Tel: 07384818704
E-mail: andrew.watson@proactis.com  
Web: View our training and consultancy services 

Other posts in the Top 5 Bid Writing mistakes series:
1 – Failing to prepare and preparing to fail
2 – Biting off more than you can chew
4 – Too little, too late
5 – Overlooking key details

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