For a training or L&D provider, an invitation to tender is usually the moment a public sector opportunity becomes real work: an NHS trust asking for bids to deliver statutory and mandatory training, or a council inviting providers to run a coaching programme for its managers. "Invitation to Tender", or ITT, is one of the most common terms in procurement, and one of the most misunderstood since the rules changed.
This guide explains the invitation to tender, what the pack contains for a training contract, and how the term maps onto the language of the Procurement Act 2023.
At a glance
- An invitation to tender (ITT) is the buyer's formal request for suppliers to submit a full, priced bid.
- It is a long-standing practitioner term; under the Procurement Act 2023 the formal terms are the tender notice and associated tender documents.
- The pack contains the specification, award criteria, conditions of participation, contract terms and pricing schedules.
- Sometimes the tender notice itself is the invitation; sometimes you are invited after a shortlisting stage.
- Under a framework, the same idea appears as an invitation to a further competition among the providers already on the list.
What is an ITT?
The ITT meaning is simple: it is the point where a buyer asks suppliers to put in a full, formal bid, a detailed response to the requirement plus a price. It is where the real work happens. You respond to the specification, answer the award criteria and submit your pricing.
"ITT" is still widely used in conversation, but the official documents may not use it. Knowing the newer vocabulary means you are not thrown when an ITT tender arrives under a different name.
How ITT procurement works under the Procurement Act 2023
The Act provides two competitive tendering procedures, and both begin with a tender notice published on the Central Digital Platform:
- Open procedure. The tender notice itself acts as the invitation to tender. Any interested supplier can respond, with no separate shortlisting stage.
- Competitive flexible procedure. A more flexible, possibly multi-stage route. The buyer may first ask for requests to participate, shortlist, and then send an invitation to submit tenders to those who get through.
The five older multi-stage procedures (restricted, competitive procedure with negotiation, competitive dialogue, innovation partnership and design contest) have been consolidated into the competitive flexible procedure.
For providers on a framework or DPS, invitations arrive differently. The buyer runs a further competition (the Act calls it a competitive selection process) among the providers on the relevant lot or category, so the invitation goes to the providers on that list rather than to the whole market. That is one reason getting onto the frameworks training buyers use matters: some invitations only go to providers already on the list.
What is inside the pack: a training contract example
Take an illustrative invitation to tender from an NHS trust for statutory and mandatory training across several sites. The associated tender documents would typically include:
- The specification. The topics (for example fire safety, information governance, conflict resolution), the staff groups, delivery mode (face to face, online or blended), locations, cohort sizes, accessibility needs and the reporting expected after each session.
- The award criteria and assessment methodology. How quality, price and social value are weighted, and how each question is scored.
- The conditions of participation. The legal, financial and technical requirements to be eligible, which do the job the old selection questionnaire did. Expect insurance, financial standing, relevant experience and, for training, safeguarding and DBS arrangements (see PQQ and the Standard Selection Questionnaire).
- The contract terms. Read the clauses on cancellation and rescheduling, who owns course materials, data protection for learner records, and how performance will be measured.
- The response and pricing schedules. The questions you must answer, with word limits, and a pricing format, which might be per course, per learner or per delivery day.
How to respond well
- Read everything first, and list every question and requirement.
- Answer the award criteria precisely. You are scored on them (see how bids are scored).
- Complete the pricing schedule exactly as required.
- Submit before the deadline, through the specified portal.
Our guide on how to write a tender response goes deeper, including how to write the method statement for a training contract. The thing to plan for is time. A response window is often only a few weeks and the response runs to several thousand words, so deciding to bid in the final week rarely produces a winning submission. If you want to see what invitations training buyers are issuing now, start with training tenders in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is an invitation to tender?
The buyer's formal request for suppliers to submit a detailed, priced bid against a specification and award criteria. Under the Procurement Act 2023 this is done through the tender notice and associated tender documents.
What does ITT mean in procurement?
Invitation to tender. It is a widely used practitioner term, but the Act's formal vocabulary is "tender notice", "associated tender documents" and, in multi-stage procedures, "invitation to submit tenders".
How does a training provider receive an ITT?
In the open procedure, the tender notice itself is the invitation, and any provider can respond. In the competitive flexible procedure you may be invited after a shortlisting stage. On a framework or DPS, the buyer invites the providers on the relevant lot to a further competition.
What is in an ITT for a training contract?
The specification (topics, staff groups, delivery mode, locations and cohort sizes), award criteria and assessment methodology, conditions of participation, contract terms, and response and pricing schedules.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Guidance: competitive tendering procedures (Procurement Act 2023)
- GOV.UK — Procurement Act 2023 e-learning: Module 4, competitive flexible procedure
- GOV.UK — Procurement Act 2023 e-learning: Module 3, procurement procedures
- GOV.UK — Guidance: frameworks (Procurement Act 2023)
- legislation.gov.uk — Procurement Act 2023, section 21 (tender notices and associated tender documents)