Refurbishment tenders cover work to existing buildings rather than new-build: school and office refurbishment, housing refurbishment and void works, and restoration of older buildings. Buyers include councils, housing associations, colleges and NHS estates teams. Work may be let in lots by area or building and can be timed around school holidays. Some of the work is done in occupied buildings, with pupils, tenants or patients still on site, which shapes what buyers ask for. 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.
What buyers usually ask refurbishment contractors for
Older and occupied buildings bring their own checks. The points below have a legal basis. The tender pack sets out anything on top.
Asbestos: duties when disturbing older buildings
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 matter on older buildings. Three points come up in tenders:
- Whoever has the maintenance or repair obligation for, or control of, a non-domestic building has a duty to manage asbestos. That includes assessing whether it is there and informing anyone likely to disturb it, so ask for the register or survey if the pack doesn’t include one.
- An employer must not start work that could expose its employees to asbestos unless it has assessed whether asbestos is present. If it is unsure, it must assume asbestos is there.
- An employer must hold a licence before undertaking licensable work with asbestos.
Buyers want to see how you handle the unexpected find and who does licensed work if it is needed.
CDM 2015 as principal contractor or contractor
Where more than one contractor works on a project, or it is reasonably foreseeable that more than one will, the client must appoint a principal designer and principal contractor in writing. Anyone appointed needs the skills, knowledge and experience, and (for an organisation) the organisational capability for the role. On a refurbishment you may be asked how you protect people who stay in or use the building.
SSIP/Constructionline and ISO 9001
Some buyers ask for membership of a health and safety assessment scheme, and a few for a quality certificate. See SSIP and Constructionline and ISO 9001 for tenders. The buyer decides what counts.
Working on school and healthcare sites
Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales); Basic checks are open to anyone. The DBS eligibility guidance says the organisation requesting the check is responsible for deciding if one is needed and at what level. The gov.uk page on check types lists them. The pack should say what the buyer expects for your operatives and who arranges it. If it doesn’t, ask in clarifications.
Insurance
Employers’ liability insurance is compulsory for employers in Great Britain, with limited exemptions (Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969), and gov.uk says the cover must be at least £5 million. Public liability and contract works cover are set by the buyer. See public liability cover.
How to win refurbishment contracts
Keep to what is specific to refurbishment. For the general routes into construction work, see construction tenders.
Lots and value bands, and smaller jobs
A big housing or estate programme can be split by area, block or building. On above-threshold contracts a buyer must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 62 of the 470 live notices in our data were multi-lot (as of 10 Oct 2026), and there were 119 live construction notices, the parent sector (as of 10 Oct 2026).
Works contracts reach the full rules at £5,193,000 including VAT, so a job worth a few hundred thousand pounds sits well below them. If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising. Our guide to council contracts for small businesses covers the council side.
Before inviting tenders, a buyer must consider the barriers small businesses face. If a buyer invites tenders, it can’t run a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but it can still assess suitability at the award stage (Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside). The exception is works estimated at £135,018 or more (central government) or £207,720 or more (others) (from 1 January 2026). Schools are outside these rules, so introduce yourself to a school directly too.
Programme for occupied buildings and holiday windows
The summer holiday window is a fixed deadline. Show a programme with sequencing by area, handover dates, and what you do if a delivery or an unexpected find costs you a week. Buyers score programmes they believe.
Resident and occupant liaison
In housing and occupied offices, quality scores can reward how you deal with people. Name a liaison contact, say how you give notice of noisy or disruptive work, and explain how you protect belongings and keep access clear.
Social value
Central government departments, their executive agencies and NDPBs must give social value at least a 10% weighting on above-threshold contracts where it is relevant and proportionate (PPN 002). Other buyers may take a different approach, so check the pack.
Pitfalls
- provisional sums that turn out to be most of the job
- assuming a building is asbestos-free without a survey
- a programme that ignores term time or access limits
- bidding for the whole programme when only two lots fit your team
Related work: roof repairs and replacements sit under roofing tenders, and building services under M&E tenders. The live list on this page picks up notices tagged with CPV codes for overhaul and refurbishment (45453), restructuring and restoration (45454) and refurbishment of run-down buildings (45262690).
Questions
Where are school and council refurbishment tenders published?
Notices go on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and TenderWorthy covers both. Scottish public bodies must advertise regulated procurements on the Public Contracts Scotland website, which TenderWorthy doesn't cover. Schools themselves are outside the below-threshold rules, so a school might never advertise a small job.
What do buyers ask about asbestos in refurbishment tenders?
Expect questions on how you find out what is in the building before work starts, who holds any licence for licensable work, and what you do if you uncover something unexpected. The law says an employer must assess whether asbestos is present before work that could expose employees to it, or assume that it is.
Do I need Constructionline for refurbishment contracts?
It depends on the buyer. Some ask for membership of a health and safety assessment scheme or pre-qualification register, and some run their own questionnaire. Whether a scheme counts is the buyer's call, set in the tender pack.
Can a small builder win a refurbishment framework place?
Yes, if you can meet the framework's entry questions and cover one of its lots. Frameworks are usually limited to four years, so places come up again at re-tender. Dynamic markets must stay open to new suppliers at any time. Look for lots by area or building type that fit your size.
Do refurbishment contracts on school sites need DBS checks?
Sometimes. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales), and Basic checks are open to anyone. The organisation requesting the check decides eligibility and level, so the pack should say what the buyer expects for your operatives and who arranges it.