Bid Writing8 min read

15 Bid Writing Tips That Will Help You Win More Public Sector Contracts

Good bid writing is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. These 15 tips are drawn from the experience of successful bid writers working across UK public sector procurement. They cover everything from initial planning to final review — and address the most common mistakes that cost organisations marks.

1. Read the ITT Before You Start Writing

Read the entire ITT at least twice before writing a single word. Understand the evaluation criteria, word limits, mandatory requirements, and submission format. Attempting to write without fully understanding the ITT is the most common and costly mistake in bid writing.

2. Write to the Evaluation Criteria

Every response should be written to address what the evaluator is marking you against. If the criteria ask for a clear implementation plan with defined milestones, your response needs a clear implementation plan with defined milestones. Write for the evaluator, not for your marketing department.

3. Use Evidence, Not Assertions

"We are experts in digital transformation" is an assertion. "We delivered a £2.4m digital transformation for Birmingham City Council in 2023, reducing processing time by 41% and achieving a 93% staff adoption rate" is evidence. Always replace assertions with specific, quantified evidence.

4. Use the STAR Structure for Case Studies

For case study questions, use the STAR method: Situation (the context and challenge), Task (what you were engaged to do), Action (your specific approach and methodology), Result (quantified outcomes and benefits delivered). This structure is familiar to evaluators and ensures you cover all the elements they are looking for.

5. Respect Word Limits

Word limits are strictly enforced. Going over means your response is truncated or disqualified. Aim to use 90–100% of available words — being significantly under suggests you have not fully addressed the question. Every word should add to your score.

6. Use Headings and Structure

Dense walls of text are hard to evaluate and easy to score poorly. Use clear headings and sub-headings that mirror the question structure. Evaluators often review multiple responses simultaneously — making yours easy to navigate and assess directly helps your score.

7. Do Not Ignore Social Value

Social value is now evaluated in almost all UK public sector contracts above threshold, often worth 10–20% of the quality score. Many organisations treat it as an afterthought and lose significant marks. Develop a genuine social value offer with specific, measurable, time-bound commitments that are relevant to the contract and local area.

8. Never Submit a Generic Response

Evaluators can immediately identify responses copied from previous bids. Reference the specific buyer, the specific contract, the specific location and community. Show you have read and understood their requirements. Generic responses that could apply to any contract rarely score above the middle of the marking range.

9. Use Active Language

"Our team will lead stakeholder workshops" is stronger than "Stakeholder workshops will be led by our team." Active language conveys confidence and clarity. It is also more concise — important when working within word limits.

10. Get Someone Else to Score Your Responses

Before submission, ask a colleague not involved in writing to score your responses against the evaluation criteria as if they were the evaluator. Where they score you below 8 out of 10, the response needs to be improved. This is the single most effective quality assurance step you can take.

11. Ask Clarification Questions

Use the clarification period. If anything in the ITT is ambiguous — a question wording, an evaluation criterion, a technical requirement — submit a clarification question. All questions and answers are published to all bidders, so you are not giving anything away, and the answer may significantly affect how you structure your response.

12. Build Your Bid Library Before You Need It

The worst time to write a case study is when you are under deadline pressure in a live bid. Build your library of case studies, policies, and capability statements continuously. Every contract completion should add at least one strong, quantified case study to your library.

13. Check Compliance Before Submission

Have a compliance checklist: every question answered, all supporting documents included, correct format, correct file naming, submission before deadline. Compliance failures after weeks of bid writing are devastating and entirely preventable. Build the checklist before you start the bid, not after.

14. Request a Debrief Win or Lose

Always request a debrief after the outcome. It is your legal right in UK procurement. Debrief feedback is the most valuable information you can receive for improving future bids. Track common themes across multiple debriefs to identify your systematic weaknesses and invest in addressing them.

15. Use Technology to Work Faster

AI bid writing tools like BidWriter can reduce the time spent on first drafts by up to 90%, allowing experienced bid writers to focus on review, strategy, and quality improvement rather than typing. Use technology to give yourself more time for the things that genuinely differentiate your bids — the strategy, the evidence, and the quality review.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I improve my bid writing quickly?

The fastest improvement comes from getting structured feedback on your existing responses — either from debrief feedback or from a colleague scoring your drafts against the evaluation criteria. Understanding specifically where you lose marks is more valuable than general advice.

Should I use bullet points or prose in bid responses?

Use both strategically. Prose is better for narrative and explanation. Bullet points work well for lists of features, benefits, or steps. Use headers to separate sections. Avoid either extreme — pure prose is hard to scan, pure bullets can feel superficial.

How many people should be involved in writing a bid?

It depends on size and complexity. Most bids benefit from a bid manager who owns the process, subject matter experts who contribute technical content, and an experienced bid writer who shapes and quality-assures the final responses. Too many contributors can produce inconsistent, poorly-structured bids.

How do I write better social value responses?

Be specific and quantify your commitments. Instead of "we will support local employment", say "we will recruit at least 3 apprentices from within 10 miles of the contract delivery location in year one, targeting long-term unemployed candidates." Specific, measurable, time-bound commitments score significantly better than vague promises.

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