Electrical contracts cover housing rewires, periodic testing programmes, school and office installations, reactive maintenance and street lighting. Councils, housing providers, schools and NHS trusts publish them on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. This page explains what buyers usually ask electrical contractors for, what the competent person schemes do and don’t prove, and how a small firm can win a share of them. 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 for in electrical tenders
Each buyer sets its own questions. These are the checks with a legal basis, plus those buyers may ask for. The tender pack has the detail.
Competent person scheme membership
Competent person schemes let you self-certify certain building work. For electrical work in dwellings, gov.uk lists operators including Certsure LLP (trading as NICEIC), NAPIT, BESCA, Blue Flame Certification and OFTEC. For lighting or electrical heating in buildings other than dwellings, it lists BESCA, Blue Flame, Certsure and NAPIT.
Membership is what lets you self-certify. It isn’t a legal condition of tendering, but buyers may ask for it as evidence. Check which schemes the pack accepts.
Competence under the Electricity at Work Regulations
Regulation 16 says nobody may be engaged in work where technical knowledge or experience is necessary to prevent danger unless they have that knowledge or experience, or are under suitable supervision. So the question for a buyer is who is qualified and who is supervised, and by whom. Be ready to show your supervision arrangements for apprentices and trainees.
Insurance
Employers’ liability insurance is compulsory for employers in Great Britain, with limited exemptions (1969 Act), with cover of at least £5 million. Public liability and professional indemnity levels are set by the buyer. See public liability cover for tenders and professional indemnity insurance.
Health and safety accreditation
Some buyers ask for membership of an SSIP scheme or Constructionline. See SSIP and Constructionline. These are a buyer preference, not a legal requirement.
Operative cards and qualifications
Buyers may ask for operative cards or named qualifications. The buyer sets which ones in the tender pack, so read it before you assume your team’s cards are enough.
Most notices don’t state any of this. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 29 of 470 live notices in our data (about 6%) stated insurance requirements in the notice itself, and 29 stated named certifications (as of 10 Oct 2026). For the rest, see what our check can and can’t see.
How to win electrical contracts
Start with testing programmes and small works
Periodic testing (EICR) programmes and small jobs can be a manageable first win. Check whether a notice treats the contract as works or services, because the thresholds differ. From 1 January 2026 the full Procurement Act rules start at £5,193,000 for works and at £135,018 (central government) or £207,720 (other authorities) for services, including VAT.
Below those, 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 (Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs aside; see also the below-threshold guidance). The exception is a works contract estimated at £135,018 or more (central government) or £207,720 or more (other authorities), from 1 January 2026. Buyers must also consider the barriers SMEs face.
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, as the gov.uk guidance explains.
Pick the lot you can resource
On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots, or give reasons for not doing so. Electrical work may be split into testing, remedials, rewires and reactive maintenance, or by area. A framework’s term is limited to four years in most cases, so check how long a framework runs before you apply.
Price schedules of rates carefully
If the contract is priced as a schedule of rates, check how remedial work found during testing is priced and approved. Show your certification process and handover pack, so the buyer can see how each job ends.
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). Apprenticeships and local labour fit electrical work well, if you can evidence them.
Common pitfalls
- unpriced remedial work after testing
- no out-of-hours cover when 24-hour response is required
- missing certificates in the evidence you submit
- bidding for a lot your team can’t resource
Who buys electrical contracts
Housing associations and councils buy rewires, testing and maintenance for their stock, schools and offices need installations, and NHS estates teams buy maintenance. In the week to 10 Oct 2026 there were 119 live notices in the construction division and 42 in repair and maintenance (the parent and related sectors, not electrical alone), as of 10 Oct 2026. See construction tenders, M&E tenders, fire alarm tenders and solar PV tenders. If you supply equipment rather than install it, see electrical equipment tenders, and for general advice, winning council contracts.
Questions
Where can I find council electrical contracts?
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. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising a smaller job, so introduce yourself to local housing and estates teams.
Do I need NICEIC or NAPIT to win public sector electrical work?
Not by law. Competent person scheme membership lets you self-certify certain building work, and buyers may ask for it as evidence of competence. Whether a given tender requires it, scores it or accepts an equivalent is set in the tender pack.
What insurance do electrical contractors need for tenders?
If you employ people, employers' liability insurance is compulsory for employers in Great Britain, with limited exemptions, and must cover at least £5 million. Public liability and professional indemnity levels have no statutory figure: the buyer sets them, so check the pack.
Are electrical testing (EICR) programmes put out to tender?
They can be. Periodic testing and remedial works sometimes appear as their own contract or lot. Check the live list on this page for current notices rather than relying on a general rule, and read the lot structure.
Can a small electrical firm get onto a council framework?
Yes, when the framework opens. A framework's term is limited to four years in most cases. On above-threshold contracts, buyers must also consider lots, so look for a lot sized for your team.