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How to write an expression of interest for a council tender
Some councils run a tender in two stages. First, firms send a short expression of interest. The council checks them and sends the tender pack only to the firms that pass. Miss the first stage and you don't get the second.
The short version: an expression of interest is short, but it is a test. Find its deadline (often weeks before the date on the notice), answer every pass or fail question plainly, and write up two similar jobs with facts: client, place, value, what you did and how it went.
1. Find the real deadline first
The closing date on the notice is often the date for the full tender, the second stage. The expression of interest is due earlier. In one town council stone wall repair, the notice said 18 December, but expressions of interest closed on 6 November. The documents give both dates. Why the documents matter more than the notice.
2. What councils usually ask for
- Company details: name, address, contact, company number, VAT number.
- Health and safety record: any enforcement action in recent years. This is often pass or fail on its own.
- Two or three similar jobs from the last three years, often with a word limit (1,000 words in total is common).
- Experience with public clients: councils, schools, housing associations.
- Financial standing: sometimes accounts or turnover, sometimes just a statement that you can carry the job.
- Policies and pledges: equal opportunities, the Real Living Wage, conflicts of interest with councillors or officers.
- Availability: can you tender on their timetable and start when they need?
Some ask for your bank's name and account number. That is normal for a council supplier form. Send it only to the council's own address given in the notice.
3. Pass or fail is the whole game
Most expressions of interest are not scored. Each question is pass or fail, and some fails exclude you at once. So answer every question, even when the answer is "none" or "not applicable". A blank looks like a fail.
4. Writing up a similar job
For each job, give the facts in this order:
- Who and where: the client, the place, the year, the value.
- What you did, using the council's own words for the work. If they list "temporary support to retained ground, salvaging stone for reuse, new foundations, drainage", say which of those you did.
- How it went: on time, on budget, any problem you solved, and a client comment if you have one.
Keep each job to a short paragraph or two. Plain facts read better than adjectives, and the person checking it has a list of forms to get through.
5. Before you send it
- Count the words against any limit.
- Check every pass or fail question has an answer.
- Send it the way the notice says (email address, portal or post), before the time on the deadline, and keep proof of sending.
- Put the tender stage dates in your diary now: when packs go out, the questions deadline, the tender deadline.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Each council sets its own questions: always follow the documents for the tender in front of you.