M&E tenders cover the mechanical and electrical systems inside buildings: planned preventive maintenance (PPM) and reactive repairs of heating, ventilation, electrical systems and plant, M&E installation in refurbishments, communal plant in housing, and the installation of equipment. Contracts range from single-site call-outs to multi-site frameworks, and some are split by trade or by site. Buyers include councils, housing associations, schools, colleges and NHS estates teams. 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.
If you only do one trade, see electrical contracts, plumbing and heating tenders or fire safety tenders. Wider servicing sits under repair and maintenance tenders, and bundled building services under facilities management tenders. For the wider sector, see construction tenders.
What buyers usually ask M&E contractors for
Several checks come from health and safety law. The tender pack sets out anything on top.
Electrical competence and scheme membership
Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 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 appropriate supervision. So buyers ask who is qualified and who supervises whom.
Some also ask about competent person schemes. gov.uk explains that you can join a scheme to self-certify certain types of building work. The electrical scheme operators on its list include BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure and NAPIT. Which schemes the buyer accepts is in the pack.
Gas Safe for gas work
Under regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, an employer may not allow employees to work on a gas fitting unless the employer belongs to a class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive. The same applies to a self-employed person. gov.uk’s list of heating and hot water schemes includes the Gas Safe Register. If your contract includes boilers or gas plant, check which register the pack names.
Fire safety systems maintenance
For premises covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, the responsible person must ensure the premises and the fire safety facilities, equipment and devices are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order and good repair. If your contract makes you responsible for that maintenance, the Order’s duties apply to you to that extent (article 5(3)–(4)). Buyers may ask contractors who maintain alarms and similar systems for competence and records.
SSIP/Constructionline and ISO 9001
Some buyers ask for membership of a health and safety assessment scheme or a quality certificate. See SSIP and Constructionline and ISO 9001 for tenders. The buyer decides what counts.
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 is set by the buyer, and so is professional indemnity if design is included. The buyer sets this in the tender pack.
How to win M&E contracts
PPM contracts
A PPM contract is priced from an asset list and a maintenance schedule, so ask for both before you price. Check the age and condition of the plant, what counts as an included repair and what is a chargeable remedial, and the helpdesk hours and response times for each priority. A small firm can win this work if it prices the assets it has seen, not the assets it hopes for.
Lots: single-trade or combined
On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them. An M&E requirement may be split by trade, building or area, or kept as one combined contract. In the week to 10 Oct 2026, 62 of the 470 live notices in our data were multi-lot, and there were 119 live construction notices, the parent sector (as of 10 Oct 2026). If you do only one trade, a single-trade lot is your way in, and a combined contract is a subcontract opportunity.
Frameworks and call-offs
A framework is a contract with suppliers for future call-offs, and call-offs can be awarded with or without competition between members. A framework’s term is limited to four years in most cases. In the same week, 72 of the 470 live notices mentioned frameworks or dynamic purchasing systems (DPS, now called dynamic markets) (as of 10 Oct 2026). Our guide covers frameworks and dynamic markets.
Installation services: equipment or building work
Installation sits under two parts of the CPV list. Building installation work is in the construction division, 45, and includes electrical, plumbing and mechanical installations and fire-prevention installation works (45343000). Installation of electrical and mechanical equipment (51100000) is in division 51. The live list on this page picks up both, plus repair and maintenance of electrical and mechanical building installations (50710000). In the week to 10 Oct 2026 there were 11 live notices in division 51 (as of 10 Oct 2026). Check which code a supply-and-install notice uses, because it tells you which trade page and which buyers to watch.
Social value and carbon
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). Bidders for major central government contracts are also asked for a Carbon Reduction Plan (PPN 006). Other buyers may take a different approach.
Pitfalls
- remedial work left unpriced, then absorbed as a loss
- TUPE on a re-let contract: a service provision change needs an organised grouping of employees whose principal purpose is the client’s work, so ask for staffing information early
- out-of-hours cover you can’t staff
- a combined contract when you only hold one trade’s registrations
Questions
What counts as an M&E tender?
Work on the mechanical and electrical systems in a building: heating, ventilation, electrical distribution, plant, and the planned and reactive maintenance of them. The live list on this page also picks up installation of electrical and mechanical equipment. Single-trade electrical, plumbing and heating, and fire safety work have their own pages.
Do I need both Gas Safe and NICEIC or NAPIT membership for M&E maintenance contracts?
They cover different work. No employer may let employees work on a gas fitting or service pipework, and no self-employed person may do such work, unless the employer or self-employed person is a member of a class approved by the Health and Safety Executive. Electrical work needs people with the knowledge, experience or supervision to prevent danger. Competent person schemes let installers self-certify certain building work. If your contract covers both trades, expect to evidence both. The buyer sets this in the tender pack.
Can a small building services firm win PPM contracts?
It can, if you pick the right size. Look for single-site or single-trade lots, framework places and subcontracts to the main building services contractor. Buyers must consider lots on above-threshold contracts, or give reasons for not using them, so check each notice for a lot you can staff.
Does TUPE apply to M&E maintenance contracts?
It can. When a maintenance contract is re-let, a service provision change can move the outgoing contractor's staff to you, if there is an organised grouping of employees whose principal purpose is carrying out the activities for the client and the activities continue other than as a single short-term task. Ask for staffing information early and price for it.
Are M&E contracts usually split into lots?
Some are. A buyer may split by trade, building or area, or buy everything as one combined contract. Across all sectors, 62 of the 470 live notices in our data were multi-lot in the week to 10 Oct 2026 (as of 10 Oct 2026). The notice shows whether a particular contract has lots.