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Worked example: checking a re-tender of your own contract

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) buys swiftwater and flood rescue boat operator training for its firefighters. The current contract runs to 28 February 2027 and the next one is already out to tender. This is the check I'd send the current provider, a small specialist training firm, built only from the public notices.

The notices: the new tender (questions by 12:00 on 11 November, bids by 12:00 on 27 November 2026, through In-tend) and the current contract's award notice.

1. Old contract against new tender

	Current contract	New tender
Value in the notice	£98,000	£150,000 including VAT (about £125,000 without)
Dates	1 Mar 2023 to 28 Feb 2027	1 Mar 2027 to 28 Feb 2030, plus up to one more year
Roughly per year	£24,500	£31,000 over four years (without VAT)
Scoring	not in the notice	60% quality, 40% price
What it covers	"Swiftwater & Flood Rescue Boat Operator instruction"	Initial training, annual CPD and periodic recertification, to DEFRA Module 4 and the NFCC Rescue Boat Code, including later revisions

Notice values are budgets or ceilings, not prices. They show scale, not what the buyer will pay.

2. What it means

The scope is written down now. The old notice said "instruction". The new one names three kinds of training and two standards, and says delivery must follow them as they change. Expect quality questions on each: how initial courses, CPD and recertification are run, assessed and recorded.
Quality decides most of it. With 40% on price, a bid 10% dearer than the cheapest loses about 4 marks under the usual formula. A strong answer on one quality question can be worth more than that.
The budget has grown. About a quarter more a year than the current contract. That leaves room to price properly, not to cut.
It's open to anyone. An open, below-threshold competition: any qualified provider can bid, and many will have read the same award notice.

3. Evidence to gather now

How many firefighters you've trained and reassessed on this contract, by year, with pass and recertification rates.
Your DEFRA Module 4 and Rescue Boat Code alignment: accreditations, instructor qualifications, and how you track revisions to the code.
How you've adapted courses for SYFR's own water, sites, equipment and shift patterns. A newcomer can't say this.
Safety record on courses, and how incidents or near misses are reviewed.
Anything you changed at SYFR's request, and what happened.

4. Questions worth asking before 11 November

How many firefighters a year need initial, CPD and recertification training (if the pack doesn't say)?
Does the service expect training at its own sites, the provider's, or both?
How will price be scored, and is it a fixed fee per course, per head or a yearly sum?

Every answer goes to every bidder. That's fine. A clearer specification usually helps the firm that knows the work.

5. A plan to the deadline

By	Do
Mon 2 Nov	Download the pack from In-tend, list every question and its weighting, and note any pass or fail scores.
Wed 11 Nov, 12:00	Clarification questions in.
Fri 13 Nov	Evidence gathered (section 3). Price built from actual costs at this year's rates.
Fri 20 Nov	Full draft. Every answer checked against the question and the scoring guide.
Wed 25 Nov	Final read by someone who didn't write it. Upload, and check every document opens.
Fri 27 Nov, 12:00	Deadline. Aim to submit two days early.

Is your contract coming round? Send me the new tender (or the old contract, if nothing is out yet). Within one working day you'll get this check for your own contract, free. If you forward the tender pack, I'll go question by question. Our contracts ending soon page shows which re-tenders are already out.

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Built from public notices on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, read 31 October 2026. The tender pack may add detail. General information, not legal advice.