Who it's for: small UK firms that have done public sector work before, or could, but don't have someone whose job is bidding. If you already have a bid team or a tender tool you like, you probably don't need me.
What you get
- A go/no-go check first. What the tender really asks for, the pass/fail items, how it's scored, and what this buyer paid for similar work before. If it isn't worth your time, I'll say so and you've lost nothing. Here's an example.
- A plain checklist of what to send. Every document, form, certificate and question, with the deadline and the word limits, so nothing is missed on the day.
- A full first draft of your written answers. Built from your past jobs, your method and what the buyer's own documents say they care about. You correct it, add the details only you know, and submit it yourself. Examples: a quotation for a footpath job , a written answer for a school cleaning tender and a planned and reactive maintenance answer.
How it works
- Send me the link to the tender, or pick one from the list of open contracts.
- You get the go/no-go within one working day.
- If it's a go, I email you five short questions about how you'd do the job. Ten minutes of your time, answered in your own words.
- You get the checklist straight away and the first draft in good time before the deadline, usually within three working days for a short tender.
Why not just use a bid writer or a tender tool?
- Doing it all yourself costs more than it looks. One survey of 300 firms put it at about 35 hours per tender, much of it re-typing the same company details and policies every time.
- Bid writers are excellent and usually charge £300 to £450 a day, so £600 to £2,250 for a bid. That's worth it for big contracts and hard to justify for a £30k one.
- Tender tools find tenders and some will score them. You still have to log in, read the documents and write the answers yourself.
- Kindling sits in between: someone else does the reading and the first draft, at a price that makes sense for smaller contracts.
Defending a contract you already hold?
When your own contract is re-tendered, the new specification is rarely a copy of the old one. Lots change, scoring changes, response times tighten, and the price weighting moves. Send me the new tender and I'll set it against the contract you have now: what's changed, where the buyer is putting the marks, and which of your current results to lead with. You know the work better than any newcomer, so the bid should show it. See which contracts end in the next 15 months, or read how to keep a contract when it's re-tendered.
Price
The go/no-go check is free. For the checklist and first draft, I'll agree a fixed price with you before I start, and you'll never be charged for anything you didn't agree to. The first two drafts are free, in return for your honest feedback and permission to quote it.
Before I draft anything, I'll tell you exactly how your documents are handled and how long I keep them.
Got a tender in mind? Send me the link and a line about your firm. I'll start with the go/no-go.
Email [email protected]
Kindling helps you prepare your own bid. You stay responsible for what you submit. This isn't legal advice.