We write the bid. You only pay if it wins
Bid writing and tender writing for UK public sector contracts — the full submission, written by a professional bid writer, with no fee unless the contract is won. There is a trade-off, and it is the first thing on this page rather than the last.
Read this before you enquire
We are not a bid writing consultancy, and if that is what you need we will tell you so rather than take the work.
You hold the contract
You pay a day rate or a fixed fee — commonly £1,500 to £6,000 for a mid-sized tender — and you pay it whether you win or lose. You submit the bid in your own name, you hold the contract, and you own the client relationship outright.
We hold the contract
We write the submission at our own cost and bid as prime. If we win, you deliver the work as our subcontractor and we take 5–10% of contract value. If we lose, you have paid nothing and lost only the hours spent giving us technical detail.
If holding the contract yourself matters — for your own track record, or because a framework place depends on it — hire a bid writer, not us. If what you want is the work and someone else to carry the bidding, keep reading.
What we write
All of it. A competitive submission for a £100k contract runs to several thousand words against a published scoring matrix — that is the part we take off you.
We do
- Method statements — how the work will actually be delivered, mapped to what the buyer is scoring.
- Quality and technical answers — the bulk of the marks on most public sector tenders.
- Social value response — specific, measurable commitments rather than good intentions. Often where SMEs under-sell themselves.
- Selection questionnaire / PQQ — including the insurance, policy and financial evidence the buyer asks for.
- Pricing narrative — the justification around your numbers, not the numbers themselves.
- Compliance and submission — portal mechanics, clarifications, deadlines, formatting rules.
You do
- Technical substance. How you would deliver it, what your method is, where the risks are. Usually a couple of hours on a call.
- Evidence. Case studies, references, CVs, certificates, accreditations. Once assembled, it is reusable on every future bid.
- Your price. You know your costs; we would be guessing.
- An honest capacity answer. If you cannot deliver it, say so before we bid, not after we win.
- The delivery. The part you are actually good at.
Nothing up front. Nothing if we lose.
No day rate, no retainer, no per-submission fee. Where in the range you sit depends on contract size and how much delivery management it needs, and we agree it with you in writing before anything is submitted.
Where we bid
Education and training first, digital and technology second, and we will look at any public sector category with a real market.
Education & training
Highest SME share of any UK public sector category, a fragmented supplier base, and very few capable primes. Buyers are the councils, NHS trusts and housing associations we already understand.
Digital & technology
Our commercial side came up through digital transformation bidding, so we know how these evaluations are structured and where an SME can realistically displace an incumbent.
Common questions
How much do bid writing services cost?
Most bid writing consultancies charge a day rate or a fixed fee per submission — commonly £1,500 to £6,000 for a mid-sized tender, payable whether you win or lose. Lentora charges nothing up front. Our fee is 5–10% of contract value and only applies to contracts we win.
What is included in the bid writing?
The whole submission: method statements, quality and technical answers, social value response, pricing narrative, the selection questionnaire or PQQ, and all compliance paperwork. You provide technical detail and evidence; we do the writing and the submission.
What is the difference between a bid writer and a thin prime contractor?
A bid writer writes a submission for you and you hold the resulting contract. A thin prime writes the submission and holds the contract itself, subcontracting delivery to you. That is why there is no fee unless we win — we carry the bid cost and the contractual risk, and take a share of contract value instead.
Do you work with small businesses with no public sector track record?
Yes. Most suppliers we work with have never held a public sector contract. We need evidence you deliver well — typically two verifiable case studies or references, appropriate insurance, and an honest answer on capacity — but public sector experience is not a requirement. Our guide for small businesses covers what the barrier actually is.
How long does a tender submission take?
A typical invitation to tender allows three to four weeks. We need your technical input early in that window, usually a couple of hours, and we handle the rest. Deciding to bid in the final week almost never produces a winning submission.
How do you find the tenders in the first place?
Anton, our own bid intelligence engine, reads every notice published across the UK public sector procurement portals and scores each one against your specific business. Our guide to where to find UK tenders explains the portals if you would rather watch them yourself.
Tell us what you deliver
We will give you an honest read on whether there is a public sector market for it, and whether we think we could win it. That conversation costs nothing either.
Talk to us