How to Bid on Landscaping Jobs

Published12th April 2021 AuthorJohn Hudson

5 things you can expect when you bid on landscaping jobs

So, you may be wondering how to bid on landscaping jobs, and you aren’t alone. Bidding on landscaping jobs can have advantages and enable you to secure a pipeline of work for your business. Landscaping tenders may be commissioned by both public and private organisations such as councils, private residences, universities and enterprises.

Commissioners may release tenders for landscaping services that cover a range of work such as:

If you’ve never tendered before, you may be confused about where to begin. Procurement methods can vary, and different buyers will ask for different things depending on their needs. Below are five things you can expect to be asked for when you bid on a landscaping job.

  1. Health and safety policies

Health and safety is an important aspect of any tender, but particularly when operating equipment. Buyers want to be confident that your business works to the highest health and safety standards. You will also want to minimise the risk to your employees and the general public while carrying out a contract. In order to do this, you must exhibit best practice.

You may be asked to include a risk assessment in accordance with a copy of your health and safety policy. These could be:

  • CHAS
  • RIDDOR
  • A contingency plan that identifies and mitigates risks.

  1. Method statement

A method statement will usually be required when applying to bid on landscaping jobs. The statement will need to detail the way in which the tasks will be completed. It should include a step-by-step guide on how to carry out the job safely. It may also need to include what controlled measures have been implemented to mitigate risks. Stating how employees carry out work in a safe manner to prevent injury to themselves or others is also crucial.

Typically, a method statement will include how your company handles:

  • Staff and training
  • Material handling
  • Preparation and induction
  • Welfare
  • Tools and electrical equipment
  • A full list of machinery to be used on the contract
  • PPE
  • First aid.

  1. Site visits

It is likely that when you apply to bid on landscaping jobs you will be able to conduct a site visit. Depending on the buyer and the site, they may be optional or compulsory. However, it will be detailed within the tender documents. Site visits can be greatly beneficial to your bid response. They’re a great opportunity to go and see the proposed working environment for yourself.

It’s strongly advised that if there’s an option to conduct a site visit, that you participate. They allow you to gain an insight into the buyer, accessing information you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It may even result in you being able to price your services more accurately.

  1. Relevant qualifications and accreditations

Buyers will often ask for you to attach relevant qualifications and accreditations for the job. This is because they want to be reassured that you have the ability and experience to undertake the work. Some relevant qualifications and accreditations may include:

  • ISO 9001; 14001; 18001
  • BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries)
  • RHS (Royal Horticulture Society) training
  • IoG (Institute of Groundsmanship)
  • Constructionline
  • SSIP.

  1. Social value

When tendering for public sector contracts, there will be a section on social value. This is because the government have made a compulsory minimum weighting of 10% of social value within tenders. However, depending on the buyer, the weighting can be as large as 30%. This means it’s not something to disregard. Buyers will be expecting you to keep the promises you make in your tender proposal.

Social value is the social, economic and environmental aspects that you will take into account while delivering a contract. Your response should include how your business is:

  • Supporting COVID-19 recovery
  • Creating equal opportunities within the workplace
  • Creating jobs or upskilling through apprenticeships for local labour
  • Tackling climate change and reducing waste.

Due to the nature of landscaping jobs, there’ll likely be an increased focus on the environmental aspects of the contract. Buyers will likely want to know how you will be:

  • Managing waste
  • Reducing consumption
  • Increasing recycling
  • Encouraging biodiversity.

We can help you win your next bid on landscaping jobs

You may not have the time, resources or experience to bid on landscaping jobs. Outsourcing your next tender to bid writing experts can help get you on the path to success. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. They offer four bid writing support services that can help you land your next landscaping contract.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. Our Bid Writers will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

  • A 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders
  • Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding professionals
  • An organisation-wide Bid Library, including 3 case studies, 5 CV’s and 8 policies
  • Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

Our Tender Improvement package can help if you’ve been tendering for work but aren’t seeing results. The Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders and additional tendering development services.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect landscaping bid for your company, why not send it to Hudson Succeed? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit.

Where can I find landscaping jobs?

Now you know how to bid on landscaping jobs, you may be wondering where you can find them. There are thousands of websites across the UK that upload multi-industry opportunities. Each has a different portal, requires a different login or password, and can take hours out of your day.

Facilities Tenders is a time-saving tool that helps you optimise your search when you’re looking to bid on landscaping jobs.

We host all the live tendering opportunities within the facilities management industry. Our Opportunity Trackers source and upload exclusive, public and private sector opportunities from across the UK. Gone are the days of relying on inaccurate CPV codes! You’re able to filter and search the results by keyword, budget, location and more. This streamlines the process, allowing you to find the perfect landscaping tender for your company.

Below are previous landscaping tenders sourced on our portal:

Adam & Eve Hard Landscaping

University of Winchester- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

Barcud – Landscaping 2021-2022

Barcud Cyf- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

Land West of Woodhouse Lane, Hedge End: Construction of Natural Turf Sports Pitches, Footways and Landscaping

Eastleigh Borough Council- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

Landscaping Project Phase 1 at St Peters Garden

Chalfont St Peter Parish Council- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

Landscaping Services – Lot 3 Argyll and the Islands

Highlands and Islands Enterprise- Scotland- Budget: £101,250

A 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all exclusive, public and private sector opportunities within the facilities management industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager available to answer any questions you may have about the tendering process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Consultants each month.

We also track opportunities for the following sub-sectors:

Book a free live demo today to learn how we can grow your business!

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to identify tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for landscaping tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Facilities and Construction, for example.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable facilities tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

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