Tender readiness means having in place, before you find a tender, what buyers are allowed to ask for: proof of your legal and financial capacity and your technical ability to do the work. On contracts above the thresholds, the Act limits conditions of participation to those two things and requires them to be proportionate (section 22(1)).
In the week to 10 Oct 2026, only 29 of 470 live notices stated insurance requirements in the notice itself. Where a notice is silent, look in the tender pack, or in the buyer’s own questionnaire, which a buyer may call the PSQ. This guide is the hub: work through it item by item, and follow the links for detail. For the wider picture, see how to win public sector contracts.
What tenders actually ask for: the notice vs the pack
The tender notice says what is being bought. The associated tender documents add detail, such as the specification and award criteria (guidance para 19). So a requirement may sit only in the pack, and you won’t see it from the notice alone.
In the week to 10 Oct 2026 we saw 470 live notices from 338 buyers across Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. 29 stated insurance requirements in the notice itself and 29 named certifications (about 6% each). Of the 366 notices with a stated value, 85 were under £100k and the median was £400,000.
We read what the notice states. Requirements in the pack have to be confirmed there: see what our check can and can’t see. To read a notice quickly, try read a tender notice in five minutes.
The tender readiness checklist, item by item
Nine items. The table shows the rule behind each, and the sections below say what to do. Section numbers are from the Procurement Act 2023 and apply to contracts above the thresholds.
| Item | What it shows the buyer | The rule | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Registration | Your core supplier information | Central Digital Platform guidance, para 59 | Central Digital Platform |
| 2. Insurance | Cover for the contract | s.22(3)(b); conditions guidance, paras 19-20 | Public liability, professional indemnity |
| 3. Certifications | Technical ability | s.22(4)(c); PPN 014 | Cyber Essentials, ISO 9001, SSIP |
| 4. DBS checks | Vetting of staff, where the role allows | DBS guidance for employers | Section 4 below |
| 5. Financial standing | Capacity to perform | s.22(1)(a), (3)(a), (5), (8)-(9) | Turnover tests |
| 6. Policies | How you manage specific risks | HSWA 1974 s.2(3); Modern Slavery Act 2015 s.54 | Section 6 below |
| 7. Similar work | Experience and technical ability | s.22(4) | Write a response |
| 8. Pricing and cash flow | Price, and how you will be paid | s.19, s.23(3), s.68 | Section 8 below |
| 9. CPV codes | What you sell, in notice language | E-learning footnote | CPV code finder |
1. Register on the Central Digital Platform
The platform is free to use for everyone, and the short guide for suppliers says you only need to register when you want to bid. Registering gives you a unique identifier, which you share with the buyer before being awarded a contract.
Complete your core supplier information in advance. It has four parts: basic information, economic and financial standing, connected persons and exclusion grounds (guidance para 59). See registering on the Central Digital Platform and the Central Digital Platform registration guide.
2. Insurance: hold what the law requires, evidence what the pack states
A buyer can’t require insurance for performing the contract to be in place before award (s.22(3)(b)). It can ask for evidence that you will hold the stated levels from contract start, such as an insurer’s letter confirming it would offer cover, but it must verify the cover is in place before awarding (guidance para 19).
Insurance the law already requires, such as employers’ liability, can be a condition (para 20). gov.uk’s employers’ liability page gives the legal minimum cover. Every other level is whatever the pack states. See public liability insurance for tenders and professional indemnity insurance.
3. Certifications, or their equivalents
A condition can’t “require particular qualifications without allowing for their equivalents” (s.22(4)(c)).
Cyber Essentials shows how that works. PPN 014 (17 February 2025) covers central government departments, their executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies, for higher-risk contracts such as those involving citizens’ personal information (paras 3, 12). Buyers can ask for Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus, and a supplier without either “must be able to demonstrate equivalent controls are in place through other means” (paras 14-15). Evidence of Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) is needed before award (Annex C, Q5). The PPN says the scheme “should not be applied to all contracts as a matter of course” (para 20).
See Cyber Essentials for government contracts, ISO 9001 and SSIP, CHAS and Constructionline.
4. DBS checks: only where the role allows it
A Basic check “can be used for any position or purpose”. Standard and enhanced checks are “only available to employers who are entitled by law” to ask an exempted question. Knowingly requesting a higher-level check than the legislation allows “is unlawful” and could breach data protection law (DBS guidance for employers, updated 5 October 2026).
So don’t order higher-level checks “to be ready”. Check what the pack asks for and whether the role is eligible. Standard and enhanced checks are only for certain roles, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
5. Financial standing
Conditions may cover “the legal and financial capacity to perform the contract” (s.22(1)(a)), if they are proportionate to the nature, complexity and cost of the contract (s.22(5)). A buyer can require audited accounts only from suppliers that must have them audited by law (s.22(3)(a)). Otherwise “alternative evidence will need to be assessed” (guidance para 17).
A partner can help. You are treated as meeting a condition to the extent an associated supplier meets it: a joint bidder, a sub-contractor or a guarantor (s.22(8)-(9)). See turnover and financial standing tests.
6. Policies
Two policy duties are set by law. Employers with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy (Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s.2(3); SI 1975/1584, reg 2 excepts those with fewer than five). Commercial organisations that supply goods or services and have total turnover of £36 million or more must prepare a modern slavery statement for each financial year (Modern Slavery Act 2015, s.54; SI 2015/1833, reg 2). Everything else is what a pack asks for.
7. Evidence of similar work
Conditions can relate to “qualifications, experience or technical ability”, but can’t require suppliers to have been awarded a contract by a particular contracting authority (s.22(4)(a)). So a pack can ask for examples of comparable work, but not for previous public sector wins. See write a tender response that scores.
8. Pricing and cash flow
The buyer must describe how tenders will be assessed and how important each criterion is (s.23(3)), so read how price is weighted before you price. A buyer may disregard an abnormally low price, but must first tell you and give you a reasonable opportunity to show you can deliver at that price (s.19(3)(c), (4)-(5)). Valid invoices the buyer doesn’t dispute must be paid within 30 days (s.68(2)-(3)). See public sector payment terms.
9. Know your CPV codes
Notices are classified with CPV codes, which help suppliers find opportunities. Note the codes for what you sell. Our CPV code finder searches them.
Not ready for everything yet? What you can still bid for
Below the thresholds, a buyer inviting tenders can’t run a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but it can still assess suitability at the award stage (some larger works contracts, Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside; section 85 and guidance para 16). The larger works exception covers works contracts estimated at £135,018 or more for central government authorities, or £207,720 or more for others, from 1 January 2026 (s.85(3)). In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 85 of the 366 notices with a stated value were under £100k. See council contracts for small businesses.
On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots, or give reasons (section 18; section 3 defines public contracts). A lot may fit you when the whole contract doesn’t. You can also bid with a sub-contractor, or work as a sub-contractor: a bidder can rely on its sub-contractors to meet a condition (s.22(8)-(9)). See frameworks and dynamic markets.
Check yourself against live tenders
Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. It will compare your insurance, certifications, location and turnover with what live notices state, and flag what to confirm in the pack.
For each tender you find, work through the bid or no bid checklist. For the process from first search to submission, use the first tender checklist.
Your next step
The free list isn’t checked against your profile; Pro is. Either way, confirm requirements in the tender pack.
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 does 'tender ready' mean?
Having in place what buyers may ask for: registration on the Central Digital Platform, evidence of financial standing, insurance you hold or can show you will hold, certifications or their equivalents, and examples of similar work. On contracts above the thresholds, conditions of participation are limited to legal and financial capacity and technical ability, and must be proportionate (section 22).
Do I need public sector experience to bid?
A buyer can ask about experience, but it can't require you to have been awarded a contract by a particular contracting authority (section 22(4)(a)). Conditions can relate to qualifications, experience or technical ability, so a pack may ask for examples of comparable work.
Should I get DBS checks for my staff before bidding?
Only the checks the role is eligible for. A Basic check can be used for any position or purpose. Standard and enhanced checks are only available to employers entitled by law to ask an exempted question, and knowingly requesting a higher-level check than the legislation allows is unlawful (DBS guidance for employers, updated 5 October 2026). Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
Do I need Cyber Essentials for every government contract?
No. PPN 014 covers central government departments, executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies, for higher-risk contracts such as those involving citizens' personal information. It accepts equivalent controls and says the scheme should not be applied to all contracts as a matter of course (paras 3, 12, 15, 20). Where it applies, evidence of Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) is needed before award.
What can I bid for while I get ready?
Below the thresholds, a buyer inviting tenders can't run a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but it can still assess suitability at the award stage (some larger works contracts, Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside; section 85). On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots, or give reasons (section 18). You can also work as a sub-contractor to a bidder.