Security contracts up for bid: 3 things to remember

You may be wondering where you can find security contracts up for bid if you’re thinking about tendering for work. It’s no secret that searching for the right tender for your business can turn into a bit of a headache. Procurement can be confusing, particularly if you’ve never ventured into it before.

However, more and more organisations are tendering for work as they look to grow their business via alternative routes. The COVID-19 pandemic led to more businesses going down the procurement avenue. At the moment, companies can’t do business like they used to. No more networking lunches or face to face meetings.

There are a number of advantages to tendering for work. Winning tenders in the public sector can ensure guaranteed income and help you gain experience. The more experience you have, the bigger the contracts you are able to go for.

Where can I find security contracts up for bid?

You can find security contracts up for bid on thousands of sites across the UK. Searching for the right one for your business can turn into a full-time job. Often these websites will post other industry opportunities that aren’t even close to yours. They can be updated daily and it’s easy to get overwhelmed when searching for the right tender for your business.

5 things to bear in mind when searching for security contracts up for bid:

1. Industry-specific portals

When searching for security contracts up for bid, you should be looking for a site that hosts industry-specific opportunities. This will save you a great deal of time. You don’t have to sift through all the irrelevant posts, trying to look for the right one.

2. No reliance on CPV codes

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes are often used to track opportunities. However, they are often mislabelled, resulting in missed opportunities. You will be able to find security contracts up for bid a lot more easily if you can search by keyword.

3. Results you can filter

Wouldn’t life be easier if you could just filter relevant tenders by location, keyword and budget. This way, you will be able to find relevant security contracts up for bid in an instant. Customising and filtering the results enables you to find the perfect opportunity for your business. The best tender websites will have this as an option – streamlining the process.

4. Email alerts to new opportunities

A good tendering website and portal will allow you to choose what areas you would like to tender. Daily emails can alert you to new security contracts up for bid posted that day. This can make things even easier, saving you more time to focus on your business.

5. Access to an Account Manager

Using a site that includes access to an Account Manager can help you find security contracts up for bid. It’s nice to have someone who can talk you through the tendering process if you’re new to it. An Account Manager can advise you on the right security contracts for your business.

You’re able to find all of this on Facilities Tenders. Book a free live demo today to learn how we can grow your business.

3 things to remember when applying for security contracts up for bid 

1. Changes to the training you need for an SIA licence 

The UK government has announced that there will be four changes to the training you need for an SIA licence. These changes are applicable for front line SIA licences:

• On the 1^st April 2021, they will introduce updated qualifications for all sectors except close protection and vehicle immobilisation.
• From 1^st April 2021, you must have a first aid qualification. Only then can you train for door supervision or security guard licences.
• On the 1^st October 2021, they will introduce updated close protection qualifications.
• From 1^st October 2021, you must have one of the new qualifications or take top-up training. This is applicable before you can apply for door supervisor and security guard licences, including renewals.

2. Evidence

After identifying security contracts up for bid, you need to be sure that you’re eligible. Do you have enough evidence to demonstrate your experience? Having a bank of evidence can save you time when writing your response. You may be required to produce up to three case studies from within the last five years. These case studies should be examples of past contracts of work that are similar in scope and complexity.

Including testimonials from previous satisfied clients can strengthen your response. If the word count allows you could also include how you overcame any unexpected challenges. This allows you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and that you are able to work under pressure.

Your case studies should be:

• Thorough
• Detailed
• Demonstrating your businesses abilities
• Well-developed
• Include concrete evidence.

3. Social value

It’s important to remember when tendering for public sector organisations that there’s a mandatory weighting on social value. The minimum weighting is 10%, but depending on the buyer, it can be as large as 30%. The government is focused on sustainable development and procurement. When completing your security tenders, you must consider the social, economic and environmental aspects.

Buyers want to see you making pledges that you can keep, so it isn’t something to be glossed over. Consider including the following in your next social value response:

• Supporting COVID-19 recovery.
• Reducing waste.
• Encouraging recycling.
• Creating new jobs or skills to tackle economic inequality.
• Supporting equality and diversity.
• The environmental considerations you have in place.

Need assistance?

Our Bid Writers at our sister company, Hudson Succeed, have over 60 years of collective bid writing experience. They are tender writing experts and boast an 87% bid success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing any success from your own tendering efforts – we can help!

We offer four bid writing services that can help you see success with your next tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written previous security contracts up for bid, but aren’t seeing any success, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Writers will assess and proofread your response in line with the specification. They’ll notify you of any grammar or spelling mistakes before you submit.

Tender Writing

Have you found security contracts up for bid but don’t know where to start? You can send the specification over to our Bid Writers and they’ll take care of it all for you providing you will a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll write the response and even submit it on your behalf!

Tender Improvement

Have you been tendering for security contracts up for bid, but aren’t seeing any success? Our Tender Improvement package can help. During the course of the programme, our Bid Writing Team will assess your previous tender responses and supporting documents. They’ll provide you with feedback and guidance on how to improve for future tenders.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is designed for businesses who have never tendered for work before. This programme works with you, ensuring you have everything in place to tender successfully. You’ll have access to an expert Bid Consultant who can help your business grow.

Below are previous security contracts up for bid that were sourced on our portal:

Homes England – Framework ESPO Call off Information Security Specialist

Homes England (the name adopted by the Homes and Communities Agency)- West Midlands- Budget: £144,000

25-02-2021

Invitation to Tender – Site Security Services

Eden Geothermal Limited- South West- Budget: Undisclosed

23-02-2021

Luton Council Security Patrol and Unlocking / Locking Services – QQ ‘ By Invitation Only’ under the Light Touch Regime (LTR) Schedule 3 of the PCR15 Regulations

Luton Council- Eastern- Budget: £500,000

18-02-2021

Provision of Security Guarding Services in Iraq

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office- International- Budget: Undisclosed

25-02-2021

Mid Sussex DC & Horsham DC – Manned Security Services

Mid Sussex District Council- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

15-02-2021

Join Facilities Tenders

At Facilities Tenders, we source sector-specific tenders on a daily basis from thousands of buyers, across the UK.

We track opportunities for the following sub-sectors:

• Property Maintenance Contracts
• Solar Energy Contracts
• Electrical Testing Contracts
• Cemetery Contracts
• Grounds Maintenance Contracts
• Cleaning Contracts
• Facilities Management Tenders
• Window Cleaning Contracts
• Manned Security Tenders
• Landscape Design Tenders
• Grass Cutting Contracts

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

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering opportunities – even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages can improve your bidding success rate and competitor awareness. Each package is a time-saving tool that can help your business when searching for security contracts up for bid.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

• An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Facilities and Logistics.
• A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
• 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 on-hand Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package 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.