If you deliver training and have started looking at public sector work, "tender" is the word you will see on every notice. This guide answers the question "what is a tender?" for training and L&D providers, and walks through the tendering process from advert to award.
The short version: a tender is your formal bid, and tendering is the competition a buyer runs to choose between training providers.
At a glance
- A tender is a formal offer to deliver a service, such as a leadership programme. Tendering is the process of inviting and submitting those offers.
- Public bodies tender so they can compare providers fairly and show they got value for public money.
- A typical tender process runs advert, bid, evaluation, award.
- Training opportunities are advertised on official portals such as Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and many are called off from frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems.
What does "tender" mean?
The tender meaning depends on how the word is used:
- As a noun: your tender is the formal bid you submit: how you will deliver the training, who your trainers are, what it costs and your answers to the buyer's questions.
- As a verb: a buyer "puts a contract out to tender" (invites bids), and you "tender for" the work (submit a bid).
So when a council says it is "inviting tenders for a management development programme", it wants training providers to submit formal bids to win that contract.
Why do public bodies tender?
A council or NHS trust is spending public money and has to show that it bought fairly and got value. An open competition, rather than rebooking last year's trainer, lets it treat every provider equally, compare bids against published criteria and show how the money was spent. For training providers that is good news: a smaller or newer provider can win on the strength of its bid rather than on who it knows.
The tendering process, step by step
Every tender is a little different, but most follow the same shape:
- The opportunity is advertised. The buyer publishes a notice describing what it needs, for example statutory and mandatory training for 3,000 trust staff, or mental health awareness sessions across a council's workforce.
- You find it and read the documents. The notice is only the advert. The specification, scoring method and contract terms are in the tender pack: read them before you commit any time.
- You pass the selection stage. For many contracts you first answer questions about your organisation: insurance, policies, safeguarding and DBS arrangements, relevant delivery experience. (See PQQ and the Standard Selection Questionnaire.)
- You respond to the Invitation to Tender (ITT). This is the main bid: your delivery method, trainer profiles, learner evaluation, prices and answers to the buyer's questions. (See Invitation to Tender explained.)
- Bids are evaluated. The buyer scores bids on quality and price against the published criteria. (See how bids are scored.)
- The contract is awarded. The winner is announced, and unsuccessful providers are told how their bid scored.
Tender, quote, framework or DPS: what's the difference?
- A quote is usually a quick price for a small piece of work, such as one course for one team.
- A tender is a fuller, formal bid for a defined contract.
- A framework agreement is a pre-approved list of providers that buyers "call off" from, often through a short mini competition rather than a full tender. (See what is a framework agreement.)
- A dynamic purchasing system (DPS) works in a similar way but stays open for new providers to join. Several of the routes training providers use are DPSs, such as the Sunderland public health training DPS. (See dynamic purchasing systems.)
That last point matters. For a lot of training, the tender that decides who gets the work is the application to join a framework or DPS, and the individual courses are then called off from the providers on it. Our frameworks overview explains the six we focus on.
How to find training tenders to bid for
Public contracts are advertised on Find a Tender (now the Central Digital Platform), Contracts Finder in England, and Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI. Searching by the training CPV codes, starting with 80500000 "Training services", narrows the results to work you can deliver.
Our guide to training tenders in the UK shows where training providers find their opportunities, and where to find UK tenders breaks down each portal.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tender in simple terms?
A tender is a formal bid to deliver a service against a buyer's published requirement, such as a council's leadership programme. Tendering is the process of inviting and submitting those bids.
What does it mean to put training out to tender?
It means the buyer is inviting training providers to submit competing bids for the contract, rather than booking a provider directly.
What is the difference between a tender and a quote?
A quote is usually a quick price for a small piece of work, such as one course. A tender is a fuller, formal bid for a defined contract, evaluated on both quality and price.
Is applying to a framework the same as tendering?
Usually, yes. Joining a framework or dynamic purchasing system is itself a competition with a selection stage and scored questions. Once you are on, you then compete for individual call-offs.
How do I find training tenders to bid for?
Set up saved searches with alerts on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder using the training CPV codes, and watch for frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems that cover your subjects.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Public sector procurement guidance
- GOV.UK — Find high value contracts in the public sector (Find a Tender)
- Find a Tender — Notice types and sequences
- GOV.UK — Contracts Finder