Example: a ready-made tender answer library

1. Capability statement (about 200 words)

Example Grounds Ltd maintains parks, verges, school grounds and
housing estates across the south of the county. We employ 14 staff
(including 3 qualified arborists) and run 6 ride-on mowers and a
tractor with a flail. Since 2019 we have held grounds maintenance
contracts for two parish councils, a housing association and four
academies, with no contract lost at renewal. We cut, strim and clear
to a published schedule, photograph each visit, and report defects
(fly-tipping, damaged play equipment, hazardous trees) to the client
the same day.

2. Three case studies (about 150 words each)

For each one: the client, the size and length of the contract, what was asked, what you did, one number that shows the result, and a named referee who has agreed to be contacted. For example: "Housing association, 42 sites, 3 years: we cut response time to reported hazards from 5 days to 48 hours, and the contract was renewed without re-tender."

3. Policy summaries (one paragraph each)

• Health and safety: who is responsible, how risk assessments and method statements are written and briefed, how incidents are recorded, your accident record for the last three years.
• Quality: how work is checked, how complaints are handled and closed, what you measure.
• Environment: fuel and emissions, waste and green waste routes, chemical use and storage.
• Safeguarding: vetting (DBS where needed), supervision on school and care sites, how concerns are reported.
• Equality and modern slavery: short, honest statements that match how you actually work.

4. Social value statement (adaptable)

Specific, measurable offers you can actually keep: local hires, an apprentice, volunteer days with local groups, spending with local suppliers, lower-emission equipment. Each with a number and a way to report it. How buyers score social value.

5. Compliance and evidence list

• Insurance: employer's liability, public liability, professional indemnity if relevant, with amounts and renewal dates.
• Accreditations and memberships, with numbers and expiry dates.
• Staff qualifications and tickets (for example chainsaw, pesticide, first aid), kept as a simple table.
• Company details: Companies House number, VAT number, last two years' turnover, key people.

6. Reusable method answers

Short, adaptable answers to the questions that come up in almost every tender in the trade: mobilisation in the first month, how you resource peaks and cover absence, how you communicate with the client and residents, and how you report. An example method answer.