Blog 30 - How to Win Public Sector Work
The blog this week is from Jeremy
How to Win Public Sector Work
Winning work in the public sector can be hugely rewarding—both financially and in terms of impact. Delivering services that benefit society is a privilege and government contracts often provide stability and prompt payment. But if you’re new to this space it can feel daunting. Here’s a practical top tips guide to help you navigate public sector bidding and position your business for success.
1. Understand the New Procurement Landscape
The UK’s Procurement Act came into force in February 2025, introducing significant changes to how public sector procurement operates. Before you dive in, invest time in understanding:
The new rules and processes under the Act.
The central digital platform where all public sector opportunities are published.
The policy objectives behind how government are looking to procure
Make sure your business is registered and ready to engage on this platform. A quick search on Google or using AI tools can help you find official guidance and resources.
2. Get Your House in Order
Public sector buyers expect suppliers to meet certain standards. Depending on your sector and the scale of work, you may need:
ISO 9001 – Quality Management
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
ISO 27001 – Information Security
Cyber Essentials – Cybersecurity compliance
Check what your target clients require and audit your current certifications. You might already have some in place without realizing it.
3. Build Relationships Early
Here’s the truth: capture is king, even in the public sector. While competitive tenders are designed to be fair, incumbents and suppliers who know the client often have the edge. If you’re bidding to strangers, your chances of winning drop significantly.
Start 12 months ahead of key tenders:
Identify your top 3–5 target opportunities.
Engage with decision-makers.
Arrange site visits and educational sessions.
Explore co-solutioning opportunities.
If possible, aim for direct awards via frameworks you’re on. If you’re new, focus on getting onto those frameworks first.
4. Nail the Bid Basics
When it comes to writing the bid, as we outlined in our Public Sector Bid Writing Course:
Using Storyboarding to ensure you answer every question fully and accurately. Ignoring sections—even ones that seem irrelevant—will cost you points.
Align responses with scoring criteria.
Make your answers compliant and compelling.
Use proven bid review processes:
Pink Team – Review solution and storyboards.
Green Team – Midway review at ~60% completion.
Red Team – Final quality check before submission.
5. Master Social Value
Social value is now a major factor—typically 10% of the quality score. Understand what matters to your client:
Review the Procurement Policy Statement and related notices.
Identify opportunities to deliver meaningful social impact.
Align your proposals with their scoring framework.
6. Play the Long Game
Public sector work is worth the effort:
It’s rewarding and impactful.
Payment terms are generally reliable.
But success requires preparation:
Research the market.
Build relationships.
Ensure compliance.
Deliver bids that are both strategic and persuasive.
Final Thought: Winning public sector work isn’t just about writing a great bid—it’s about planning, positioning, and persistence. Get ahead of the curve, understand the rules, and invest in relationships. Do that, and you’ll unlock a world of opportunity.
Other Resources
We’re on a mission to help companies like yours win more work.
Here are some other free resources that should help you too. Feel also free to share them with friends and colleagues:
Bid Writing Training - Learn to write winning tenders here.
Free Bid Writing Basics Training Video - Watch the video here.
Writing Crown Commercial Services Bids - Learn to tackle the challenges of writing CCS tenders here.
The Bid Toolkit - We make winning simple.
Our free work winning Podcast, the Red Review, can be found here.
You can also follow Jeremy on LinkedIn for hints, tips and insights here.
100% Typo Guarantee—Our blog posts are free-range. It was hand-crafted with love and sent out unfiltered. There was no review queue, no editorial process, no post-post revisions. Therefore, I can pretty much guarantee that there is some sort of typo or grammatical error or literary snafu. Got a business to run and a four year old to Dad. Sorry.