Government tenders provide a great business opportunity, but you should be aware that the bidding process is very different to the process you will be used to when bidding for private work. Government tenders can provide you with some great contracts, but you should be prepared to have to fill in endless paperwork as well as always keeping to deadlines, which might make you feel a little bit like you’re back at school!

If you have never applied for Government tenders before, you should be persuaded to give it a shot by the fact that there are an ever increasing number of opportunities for SME’s even, and rules have recently been changed to make the procurement process for smaller contracts easier and quicker. So whilst it will still be more of a hassle than you are used to, don’t expect to have to endure the same process as companies bidding for multi-million pound Government tenders.

Before you start applying for tenders, familiarise yourself with the rules and tender thresholds, that way nothing will come as a shock. Next you want to get up to speed on how best to go about tendering. All Government tenders are made available in the OJEU, which is available both on and offline. Traditionally, tendering has been done by looking through the printed OJEU and taking it from there. But the internet provides a much more efficient means of finding and registering for Government tenders. Simply use one of the several websites which are updated daily with all the latest Government tenders. These sites allow you to only look at what is relevant to your business, and not waste your time which often happens by looking through the printed version. You can even have alerts sent out to you when Government tenders that are applicable to your business are issued.

One area many businesses overlook when tendering is their credit rating. Ensure your credit rating is good because this is something a lot of contracting authorities will take a look at before deciding to award a contract. Like was said at the start, the procurement process for Government tenders may well come as a shock to you, so don’t be shy to ask questions if there is something you don’t understand in any of the literature, such as the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Contracting authorities promote the fact that their tendering process is transparent, so they are obliged to answer any questions you have.

European Tenders is one recommended option for getting alerts on Government tenders that suit your business. For £95 per year you can crack on with your business and be safe in the knowledge that any relevant Government tenders will be delivered to your inbox. Good luck!