Guide · Bid / no-bid

Bid / no-bid checklist for UK construction tenders

Most small contractors lose more money on bids they should not have written than on bids they lost. Run these twelve questions on the notice and the pack before anyone starts writing. If two or more come back weak, it is usually a no-bid.

1. Can we pass every gate today?

1. Accreditations. Does the pack ask for CHAS, another SSIP scheme, Constructionline (and which level), SafeContractor, or a trade scheme such as NICEIC, Gas Safe, F-gas, BM TRADA Q-Mark or FIRAS? If you do not hold it by the deadline, it is a fail, not a "we'll sort it".
2. Insurance. Compare the levels asked for (employer's liability, public liability, professional indemnity if there is any design) with your current policy. Raising cover mid-bid is possible but costs time and money; price it before you decide.
3. Turnover and accounts. Buyers often set a minimum turnover in relation to the contract value, and may ask for two or three years of accounts. Check the ratio against your last filed accounts, not your forecast.
4. Exclusions. Under the Procurement Act 2023 (in force since 24 February 2025) buyers must consider exclusion grounds and check the central debarment list. Anything live on your side needs an answer before you bid.

2. Is it really our kind of job?

5. Scope. Read the specification, not the title. "Drainage works" can mean a CCTV survey and patch repairs, or design-and-build of a new system.
6. Size. Is the value in your normal range? A job two or three times bigger than your usual one stretches cash flow, supervision and the turnover test at the same time.
7. Geography. For reactive maintenance, map the sites. Call-outs across a whole county on rates priced for one town lose money.
8. Programme. School jobs often only run in holidays. Check the start date and fixed windows against crew availability and lead times for plant and equipment.

3. Can we win it, and do we want to?

9. Scoring. Look at the price/quality split. Heavy price weighting rewards the cheapest compliant bid; heavy quality weighting rewards evidence you may or may not have.
10. Evidence. Do you have two or three recent, similar projects with named references for each scored question? If not, your quality score will suffer however well you write.
11. Contract terms. Check the contract form, retention, payment terms, liquidated damages, TUPE on maintenance contracts, and whether volume is guaranteed on frameworks and call-offs.
12. Bid capacity. Count the hours: site visit, clarifications, method statements, pricing, social value. If the deadline lands on a busy fortnight, a half-written bid is usually worse than no bid.

Write the answer down

Keep a one-line note for every tender you look at: go or no-go, and the main reason. After a few months it shows which buyers, sizes and contract types you actually win, which is the best filter you will ever have. If you decide not to bid, a short courtesy note to the buyer keeps you on their radar for the next one.

Where to find the notice and the pack

In England, lower-value public contracts are published on Contracts Finder; higher-value ones on Find a Tender. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI/eSourcing NI. The notice links to the buyer's e-tendering portal, where the full pack sits, usually behind a free supplier registration.

See also: pass/fail gates in UK construction tenders.

This is general guidance written from public sources (GOV.UK, Contracts Finder, Find a Tender). It is not legal advice; the tender pack always wins over a checklist.

BidKiller is an early interest list for a manual go/no-go read of UK construction tenders. Nothing is for sale yet. Join the waitlist if a person reading the pack for you would help.