You’ve found a tender you like, or you want to be ready for the first one. This first tender checklist is the order of work from registration to getting paid, with the detail for each step in our other guides. Use the tick boxes at the end to print it.
It is part of our SME guide to winning public contracts. The checklist follows the Procurement Act 2023 process.
Before you find a tender
Step 1: Check you count as an SME (optional)
Many rules and schemes are aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. The government’s definition is fewer than 250 staff and either turnover of £44m or less or a balance sheet total of £38m or less (para 11). Ownership can change the figures you use, so check the guidance if you’re part of a group. You don’t need to be an SME to bid.
Step 2: Register on the Central Digital Platform
Registration is free. You create a GOV.UK One Login, add your organisation (using your Companies House number or equivalent), and receive a unique identifier. You give that identifier to the buyer before a contract is awarded to you.
The supplier guide says you only need to register at the point you want to bid. But doing it before you need it removes a job from the week of a deadline.
Step 3: Prepare your core supplier information
Core supplier information covers basic details, economic and financial standing, connected persons and exclusion grounds (para 59). Once registered, you can complete it in advance, update it and upload supporting documents (para 62). Check it is up to date before you share it with a buyer.
Step 4: Set up searches and alerts
Set up keyword, CPV code, location and value searches, and switch on alerts. See how to find tenders. If you’re unsure which government site to use, our guide to Find a Tender vs Contracts Finder explains the difference.
When you’ve found one
As of 10 Oct 2026, we saw 470 live tenders over the previous week (how we count). Most won’t suit you, so steps 5 and 6 are about saying no quickly.
Step 5: Read the notice in five minutes
Check the closing date, procedure, value, lots, location, conditions of participation, award criteria and how to submit. The method is in reading the notice.
Step 6: Run the bid/no-bid checklist
Before you write anything, run the bid/no-bid checklist. It checks the knock-outs first: can you meet every condition of participation? A supplier must meet all of them to be awarded the contract (guidance, para 12).
Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
Step 7: Download the tender documents and diary every deadline
Associated tender documents must generally be provided free of charge and electronically (para 19). In the open procedure they’re published at the outset (para 34).
Put every date in your diary: the closing date, any deadline for questions, any deadline for core supplier information, and the date you want a draft finished. Under the open procedure the minimum tendering period is 25 days if tenders are submitted electronically and all documents come with the notice. It is 30 days if only one of those is true and 35 if neither (para 20(g)–(j)), and can be as short as 10 in some cases. There is no minimum for light touch contracts (para 20(a)). Below threshold, time limits must be reasonable and the same for all suppliers (s.87(6)). So don’t assume you have a month.
Step 8: Ask clarification questions early
If something is unclear, such as the insurance level, the evidence accepted or the lot boundaries, ask. Do it early, because answers can take time and the pack may set a cut-off for questions. We don’t know of a fixed national deadline for clarification questions, so check the pack.
Writing and submitting
Step 9: Gather your evidence and documents
See the full list in the next section, “The documents to have ready”.
Step 10: Plan answers against the scoring
Before drafting, map each question to its weighting. Spend the effort where the marks are. See write to the scoring and how you’ll be scored.
Step 11: Price it, and sense-check against “abnormally low”
Price the job honestly, including overheads and contract management. Don’t price so low that you can’t deliver. A buyer may disregard a tender with a price it considers abnormally low, but only after notifying the supplier and giving it a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate that it can perform the contract at that price (s.19(3) to (5)). If you’ve priced low on purpose, be ready to explain how.
Step 12: Compliance check, then submit early
Before you submit, check each requirement against the pack: every question answered, every mandatory document attached, any word or page limits respected, any pass/fail question answered. Then submit with time in hand. Portals can be slow at the deadline, and a missed upload is hard to fix.
A quick compliance pass:
- Have you answered every question, in the order and format asked?
- Are all mandatory attachments in place, named as the pack asks?
- Do your insurance and accreditation evidence match what you said in the answers?
- Have you kept to word and page limits, and answered any pass/fail question fully?
- Does your price match your pricing schedule and your assumptions?
- Has someone who didn’t write it read it from start to finish?
Keep a copy of exactly what you submitted. You’ll want it if the buyer asks a follow-up question or you request feedback.
The documents to have ready
Which documents you need depends on the tender, so treat this as a starter pack, not a full list. Build it once and update it for each bid.
- Insurance evidence. Certificates for the cover you hold, or an insurer’s letter confirming it would provide the stated level. A buyer can ask for cover from contract start and a certificate, or an insurer’s letter plus your commitment, verified before award (paras 18 and 19). The exception is insurance you must hold by law anyway, such as employers’ liability, which can be a condition of participation (para 20), so have that certificate ready from the start. See insurance evidence.
- Accounts and financial evidence. Your latest accounts, or other evidence of financial standing. Some checklists ask for several years of accounts. Under section 22(3)(a) a buyer can’t require audited accounts unless you’re already required to have them. See financial standing evidence.
- Accreditation certificates. For schemes the tender names, such as ISO standards or a health and safety scheme. If you hold an equivalent, keep its certificate too, as buyers must allow equivalents (s.22(4)(c)).
- Policies. Whichever policies the pack names, such as health and safety, equality, data protection or environmental. Check dates and sign-off.
- References and case studies. Real examples of similar work, with a contact who has agreed to be called.
- Staff and method details. CVs or role summaries for key staff, plus qualifications and any vetting the pack requires.
- Your registration details. Your unique identifier from the platform, and your Companies House number.
After you submit
Step 13: Read your assessment summary
On an above-threshold contract, after assessing tenders and before publishing the contract award notice, the buyer must give an assessment summary to every supplier that submitted an assessed tender (para 35). Win or lose, read it. It is your feedback on how your tender was assessed, and a guide to what to fix next time.
Below threshold, there’s no statutory assessment summary or standstill, and time limits must be reasonable and the same for all (s.87(6)); the 30-day payment term still applies (s.88).
Step 14: Standstill, then contract
On an above-threshold contract, the contract can’t be entered into during the standstill period, which must be at least eight working days beginning with the day the contract award notice is published (para 2; s.51(1)). It gives suppliers an opportunity to raise concerns or challenge the decision. There are exceptions, such as call-offs under a framework and awards under a dynamic market (para 37). Below threshold, there’s no statutory standstill.
Step 15: Getting paid
A 30-day payment term is implied into public contracts for valid, undisputed invoices (s.68), and into regulated below-threshold contracts (s.88). Send invoices correctly the first time, because the 30-day term does not apply to an invoice the buyer considers invalid or disputes.
Timeline at a glance
Here is the whole process in the order things happen, with the minimums from the guidance. They are minimums, so your tender may differ.
| Stage | What happens | Minimum or rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tender notice | Published on the Central Digital Platform | Both procedures start here |
| Tendering period | You prepare and submit | Open procedure: 25 days (electronic, all documents with the notice), 30 days if only one of those is true, 35 if neither, 10 days in some cases; no minimum for light touch |
| Assessment | Buyer scores tenders against its published criteria | Criteria and methodology published in advance |
| Assessment summary | Sent to each supplier with an assessed tender | Above threshold only (s.50(3)). Before the contract award notice |
| Standstill | Contract can’t be signed | Above threshold only (s.51(1)). At least 8 working days from the day the award notice is published |
| Contract | Signed | Check the pack for the start date |
| Payment | Valid, undisputed invoices paid | 30 days |
If your tender is under a framework, or awarded through a dynamic market, standstill may not apply, so check the pack. Below threshold, there’s no statutory assessment summary or standstill, and time limits must be reasonable and the same for all (s.87(6)); the 30-day payment term still applies (s.88).
Common first-bid mistakes
- Starting to write before checking the knock-outs. The fastest way to waste a week.
- Leaving registration until the last day. Account set-up on the buyer’s portal can take longer than you expect.
- Answering what you wish they’d asked. Answer the question, in the order asked, against the scoring.
- Pasting generic text. Buyers score the answer to their question, so reusing a library of answers works only if you tailor it.
- Submitting at the deadline. Upload problems on closing day are avoidable.
Printable checklist
- 1. Checked whether we count as an SME (optional)
- 2. Registered on the Central Digital Platform and noted our unique identifier
- 3. Completed core supplier information
- 4. Set up searches and alerts
- 5. Read the notice (closing date, procedure, value, lots, location, conditions, criteria, submission)
- 6. Ran the bid/no-bid checklist
- 7. Downloaded the documents and diarised every deadline
- 8. Sent clarification questions
- 9. Gathered evidence and documents
- 10. Mapped answers to the scoring
- 11. Priced the job and sense-checked against “abnormally low”
- 12. Completed a compliance check and submitted early
- 13. Read the assessment summary
- 14. Standstill passed, contract signed
- 15. Invoiced correctly and chased payment at 30 days
If you want the whole route in one place, read how to win public sector contracts. To get started, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon. On Pro (£49/month), notices that fit your trade and area are checked against what each states about insurance, certifications and location, and you get an email each morning on days with new matches.
Questions
What do I need before I bid for my first tender?
A registration on the Central Digital Platform (free, with a GOV.UK One Login and a unique identifier), your core supplier information (basic details, financial standing, connected persons, exclusion grounds), and evidence for whatever the pack asks for: usually insurance, accreditations, references and policies. Which ones depends on the tender, so read the pack.
Do I need to register before I can see tenders?
No. The government's supplier guide says Find a Tender is free to search and that you only need to register at the point you want to bid. Registering early still saves time when you find a tender you want.
Do I need audited accounts?
Only if you are already required to have them audited. A buyer cannot require audited annual accounts as a condition of participation from suppliers that are not required to have them under the Companies Act 2006 or an overseas equivalent (section 22(3)(a)). It must then assess other evidence of your financial capacity.
How long does the tender process take?
It varies by tender. Under the open procedure the minimum tendering period is 25 days where tenders are submitted electronically and all documents come with the notice. It is 30 days if only one of those is true and 35 if neither (time periods guidance, para 20(g)–(j)), and as little as 10 days in some cases. There is no minimum for light touch contracts (para 20(a)). After submission on an above-threshold contract come assessment, an assessment summary, and a standstill of at least eight working days (standstill doesn't apply to framework call-offs, dynamic market awards or light touch contracts) before the contract is signed. Below threshold, there's no statutory assessment summary or standstill, and time limits must be reasonable and the same for all (section 87(6)); the 30-day payment term still applies (section 88). We don't quote an average because we have no sourced one.
What happens after I submit?
The buyer assesses tenders against its published criteria. On an above-threshold contract, before it publishes the contract award notice, it must give each supplier with an assessed tender an assessment summary (section 50(3)). After the award notice there is normally a standstill of at least eight working days before the contract is entered into (section 51(1)). Below threshold, there's no statutory assessment summary or standstill, and time limits must be reasonable and the same for all (section 87(6)); the 30-day payment term still applies (section 88). Valid, undisputed invoices are payable within 30 days.