This half-day Masterclass provides an essential introduction to public sector tendering for SMEs. The learning objectives for the day include: preparing your business to tender; how and where to find tender opportunities; understanding tender requirements; commercial considerations, and how to respond to and submit a tender.
The Masterclass will serve as a facilitated organisational tender ready review, enabling delegates to identify information needed to be tender ready and develop their own plan for implementation. As well as being guided by the facilitators, attendees will be encouraged to share examples of their own bidding experiences. The format will include a mixture of presentation slides, group discussion, and practical exercises.
Content will include a series of short films on key bid themes, which will be integrate into the day. In addition, all delegates will receive a take-away glossary, with web addresses of a range of free-to-access best practice bid writing guides and resources.
This Masterclass will cover:
• Preparing your business to tender: Devising an organisational bid strategy; pros and cons of public sector markets; common supplier requirements (e.g. insurances, key policies, accreditation, audited accounts, case studies); tendering thresholds; different types of tendering (e.g. framework, restrictive, open etc.); procurement rules; assigning bid responsibilities; setting and measuring bid objectives.
• How and where to find tender opportunities: Horizon scanning for future opportunity; online tender portal demonstration (e.g. Contracts Finder, YORTender); using subscription services; supply chain opportunities with other contractors; other opportunity sources (internet, social media, newspapers, trade associations).
• Understanding tender requirements: different tender documents (PQQ, SSQ, ITT, etc.); identifying key information; TUPE considerations; required accreditations, making bid/no-bid decisions (e.g. SWOT resources); different procurement procedures (open, closed, frameworks, DPS); interpreting tender specifications; understanding scoring/evaluation criteria (quality vs. price); social value; solution design.
• How to respond to and submit a tender: Managing bid projects; interpreting tender questions; structure and storyboarding; writing winning content; using evidence and case studies; best practice answers (with examples): ensuring compliance; using space effectively (character/word counts); pricing strategies and commercial considerations (e.g. payment mechanisms); effective proof reading; submission and upload.
What are the benefits to my business?
• A more informed understanding of competitive tendering;
• Greater insight in how to source and identify bid opportunities;
• Greater ability to qualify opportunities and make informed bid/no-bid decisions;
• Better understanding of the bid process, to inform investment decisions;
• More insight into the characteristics of winning bids;
• A foundation from which to achieve an improved success rate on bid wins.
Who is leading it?
The Masterclass facilitators are:
Jim Carley, Managing Director, Carley Consult Ltd: Jim has 20 years of bid experience, writing winning bids to the likes of the Sheffield City Region, The Cabinet Office, Department for Work & Pensions, Ministry of Justice, and multiple local authorities. He has delivered bid workshops to over 500 delegates across the UK, including in-house courses for many leading Government contractors.
Anna Galbraith, Managing Consultant, Carley Consult Ltd: Anna previously worked in senior business development roles for A4e and the Newcastle College Group. She has a career record of winning bids submitted to the likes of the ESFA, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly, and Sheffield City Council.
Who is the Masterclass for?
The Masterclass is aimed at High Growth SME’s based in the Sheffield City Region who may be new to the tendering process and looking to start bidding for public sector tenders, or to improve their bid writing process. All attendees must be eligible for the SCR Growth Hub Enhancement Project.
FAQs
Q/ How can I contact the organiser with any questions?
A/ Email enhancementproject@sheffieldcityregion.org.uk
Q/ What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
A/ There is limited free parking at the front and back of the venue. Sheffield Road Car Park (1 Sheffield Rd, S60 1DA) is close by, with all day parking for £1.80. Rotherham Central rail Station is approximately 0.3 miles away.
Q/ I would like to bring a colleague, is this ok?
A/ No, only one attendee per company is permitted.
Q/ Will refreshments be provided?
A/ Tea and coffee will be available on arrival, with a further refreshment break mid-way through the Masterclass. Lunch is not provided.
Eligibility
Only one registration per business via Eventbrite will be confirmed. If additional people from your business would like to attend, they can be added to a waiting list by emailing enhancementproject@sheffieldcityregion.org.uk with the business name, name of additional attendee and contact telephone number. If this Masterclass isn’t fully subscribed upon the closure of registrations, we will contact you to offer the additional place. The waiting list will be prioritised on a first come first served basis. Businesses that register more than one attendee via Eventbrite will be contacted and asked to nominate one person to attend.
This Masterclass is open to small and medium-sized enterprises based in the Sheffield City Region. If you are unsure whether you fall into this region you can use the postcode checker.
A part of your business must be based in one of the following districts: Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire. Rotherham or Sheffield.
Find out if your business meets the definition for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).
Please note that if your firm that is part of a larger Group you may need to include staff headcount, turnover, balance sheet data for the Group too, to ascertain whether it is eligible.
We are pleased to be able to provide this masterclass free of charge due to funding from the European Regional Development Fund. There are a number of eligibility criteria for attendees which we will check using the online registration questions and in a phone call to every attendee prior to the event.
More Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project Masterclasses.
Contact us for more information.
This event will be delivered by the ‘Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project’ that is part-funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The project, for high-growth businesses in the Sheffield City Region, aims to increase their competitiveness and so help them grow and prosper.