If you run a training or L&D business, you have probably looked at a public tender for a leadership programme or a run of safeguarding courses and wondered whether it is worth the work. Are government tenders worth it? Sometimes clearly yes, sometimes clearly no, and the difference is mostly in which opportunities you choose and how you get in front of them.
This is the honest version. Are government tenders worth it for your training business? It comes down to a simple sum: the effort a bid takes, against your realistic chance of winning, against what the contract is worth to you.
At a glance
- Public bodies spend around £385 billion a year on goods, works and services, and training is part of that.
- The upsides are real: 30-day payment terms, repeat work and references that open further doors.
- The costs are real too: bid writing time, compliance, and losing more often than you win at first.
- A place on a framework or DPS first changes the maths, because later competitions are smaller and shorter.
- A clear bid no bid check stops you spending weeks on contracts you were never going to win.
The advantages of the public sector as a customer
- A large, steady market. Councils, NHS trusts and other public bodies have to train their staff whatever the economy is doing.
- Reliable payment. Public contracts carry an implied term that valid invoices are paid within 30 days.
- Repeat work and references. A delivered public contract is a strong reference, and good delivery is how providers get invited back.
- Rules that consider small suppliers. Buyers must have regard to the barriers small businesses face and consider dividing contracts into lots.
The honest costs
- Bidding takes real time. A full response to an open tender, with method statement, trainer CVs, social value and pricing, can take days of your best people's time.
- You will lose some. Strong bids still lose. One bid is a lottery ticket; a steady habit of well-chosen bids is a sales channel.
- Compliance comes first. Insurance, accreditation, safeguarding policies, DBS checks and data protection arrangements all need to be in place before you can be considered.
- Margins can be tight where price carries heavy weight.
Effort against probability
Think of each bid as a sum. Take the hours a bid costs and divide by your realistic chance of winning it. As an illustration, a bid that takes 40 hours with a one-in-five chance costs you 200 hours of effort per contract won. The same 40 hours with a one-in-two chance costs 80. Then ask whether the contract is worth that to your business.
Two things move your chance of winning more than anything you write: how closely the requirement matches what you already deliver, and how many others are bidding. An open tender for a council coaching programme might draw bidders from across the country. That is why the route in matters.
Why a framework place first changes the maths
Many training buyers purchase through frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems: you apply once, are approved, and are then invited to compete for individual contracts. The application is a real piece of work, but it is done once, and it changes every later sum:
- Fewer competitors. A further competition goes only to the providers on the relevant lot, not to the whole market.
- Less to prove each time. Much of your suitability was checked at the application, so a call-off competition can focus on the requirement itself, though a buyer may still add conditions such as a specific insurance level.
- A steady stream. Invitations keep arriving through the framework's term, so you can choose the ones that fit.
Some lists have lighter entry requirements than others. The Hull learning and training DPS stays open to new applications through its term, and the EEAST training framework is a lighter entry route for newer providers. Compare the options on our frameworks page.
A bid no bid checklist: when to say no
Saying no is part of bidding well. Walk away when:
- You cannot meet a condition of participation, such as an insurance level, an accreditation or a DBS requirement, before the deadline.
- The specification is not what you deliver. A tender for a library of e-learning modules is not a fit for a face-to-face coaching business.
- The contract would swamp you. If one contract would be most of your work, or needs more trainers than you can field, the risk falls on you.
- The price would not cover your costs. Winning at a loss is worse than not bidding.
- There is not enough time to write a response that answers every question properly.
- The specification reads as if written around the incumbent, and you have no way to beat them on quality.
If writing time is the only thing stopping you, help with the writing changes the effort side of the sum. You still apply and bid in your own name, and you still deliver.
The smartest first step costs nothing: look at what training is actually being tendered on Find a Tender (see training tenders in the UK) and decide from real data rather than assumption.
Frequently asked questions
Are government tenders worth it for a training provider?
Often, if the work matches what you already deliver and you choose opportunities carefully. Public buyers pay reliably and give strong references, but bids take real time and you will lose some, so it is worth it mainly when there is a genuine fit and a realistic chance of winning.
What are the advantages of the public sector as a customer?
A large market that keeps buying training, payment within 30 days implied into public contracts, repeat work, and references that open further opportunities.
What is a bid no bid decision?
A deliberate check before you start writing: can you meet the conditions of participation, does the requirement match what you deliver, is there time to answer properly, and will the price cover your costs? If any answer is no, walking away is usually the right call.
Should I apply to a framework before bidding for open tenders?
For many training providers, yes. One application puts you on a list where later competitions are smaller and shorter, which raises your chance of winning each one.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Public procurement: growing British industry, jobs and skills (consultation)
- legislation.gov.uk — Procurement Act 2023, section 68 (implied payment terms)
- legislation.gov.uk — Procurement Act 2023, section 12 (covered procurement objectives)
- legislation.gov.uk — Procurement Act 2023, section 18 (duty to consider lots)
- GOV.UK — Guidance: frameworks (Procurement Act 2023)