Holding the contract is an advantage, but a smaller one than most firms think. The panel marks the bid in front of them, against a new specification, and newcomers have read the old award notice too.
How often do holders keep the work? About two times in three. In our count of 732 public service contracts that came round again (Contracts Finder awards 2022 to 2026: the same buyer re-awarding the same service, of a year or more, within nine months of the end date), the holder won the next contract 66% of the time, and small firms 67%. Smaller contracts change hands more often, and so do care services (about half, from a smaller sample). It's a rough measure (some re-tenders are split into lots or published elsewhere), but the message is clear: one holder in three loses the work. More figures and the method.
The award notice for your contract, on Contracts Finder or Find a Tender, gives its start and end dates. Check whether optional extensions are left. Buyers usually publish the re-tender three to six months before the end date, sometimes earlier for big or complex work. Our contracts ending soon page lists over 10,000 contracts with their end dates and holders, so check yours is there and that the date matches what you expect.
Signs that the re-tender is being prepared:
Since the Procurement Act 2023 came in (24 February 2025), many buyers publish a preliminary market engagement notice before they write the new specification. It asks suppliers for views, sometimes through a short questionnaire or a meeting. Our coming soon page lists the open ones.
Take part. Be factual and useful: what works on the contract now, what the buyer could change to get better value, and what a realistic timetable is. The buyer must make sure no supplier gets an unfair advantage from this, so don't try to write the specification in your own favour. Evaluators notice. A helpful, honest answer still shapes a specification you can deliver well.
Not sure what to say? Here is an example of an early-notice reply.
The new tender is rarely a copy of the last one. Lots get merged or split, response times tighten, social value and net zero questions get more marks, and the price weighting moves. Read the new questions as if you had never seen the contract, and answer exactly what each one asks. A bid reworked from the last one usually shows its age.
Evaluators score what is written in the bid, not what they know of you. The panel may include people who have never worked with you. "As the current provider, we already understand the service" earns very little. Show it instead:
If you've missed targets or had complaints, the buyer remembers, even if the panel can only score the page. Put things right now, while you can still show the results. In the bid, say briefly what went wrong, what you changed and what has happened since. That reads far better than silence.
You know the true cost of this contract better than anyone, so use it. Price from your actual hours, travel, materials and management time, with this year's wages, not last time's rates. Expect newcomers to bid lower. Many will cut hours or supervision to do it. You can't criticise rivals in the bid, but your method statement can show exactly why the hours you've priced are needed. Our guide to pricing a tender covers the rest.
See it on a real tender: a worked re-tender check.
Use clarification questions for anything unclear or changed. The answers go to every bidder, so they help you and your rivals equally, but they often reveal what the buyer cares about most. Check the clarification log right up to the deadline.
Under the Procurement Act, every bidder gets an assessment summary with their scores and the winner's, and there is usually a standstill period of at least eight working days before the new contract is signed. Read it carefully and ask the buyer about anything you don't understand. If your staff transfer to the new supplier under TUPE, you'll need to provide their employee information in good time. And note the new contract's end date: it will come round again.
Is your contract on the list? Email me the contract (or just the buyer) and I'll watch for the early notice and the tender, and tell you as soon as either is published. It's free. When the tender is out, I'll set it against your current contract: what's changed, where the marks are and which of your results to lead with. How bid help works.
Email [email protected] · Contracts ending soon · Go/no-go checklist
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always read the full tender documents and your current contract.