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Tender Truths: No Business is Too Small to Bid for Public Sector Contracts

Have you considered bidding for a public sector contract but felt that you didn’t stand a chance against bigger competitors? You are not alone. Every four years the Scottish Government surveys suppliers to identify obstacles to public procurement, and the last one reflected this misconception.

In fact, 26% of respondents to Scottish Government Public procurement: Survey of Suppliers 2024 said that they had not placed a bid on a Scottish public sector contract; with some adding ‘they were not able to commercially compete with larger suppliers.’

Despite this assumption, the Scottish Government Annual Procurement report 2023-2024 showed 78.2% of the public sector contracts awarded in Scotland went to Small Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) with under 250 employees.

This is a huge opportunity, as in Scotland there is an estimated £17.5 billion annual public sector spend.

So why do some SMEs feel that they are unable to commercially compete with larger suppliers? The Survey of Suppliers 2024 showed, 22% of respondents said they ‘didn’t have the resources to put together a bid’ and another 22% ‘didn’t know where to find advertised opportunities.’

Most Survey of Suppliers respondents (57%) reported they had not received any training, support or advice on tendering for Scottish public sector contracts.

This is where The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) can help. SDP has free tender training webinars and networking events that assist you in finding and bidding for public sector contracts.

If you are new to tendering, come along to SDP Core Training webinars, starting at a beginner level, teaching you everything you need to know to bid better, no matter your organisation’s size. Live webinars are hosted by expert trainers and give you the chance to ask any burning questions you may have.

Gary Campbell from Uisge Water Ltd said: “The 1.1 webinar met my needs, explaining the basics of tendering, giving a good starting point. The fact that small businesses are more than encouraged to tender gives us motivation and confidence to apply.”

SDP also hosts Bespoke Training webinars, designed to help you prepare to bid for specific contract or framework opportunities.

After attending the SDP Bespoke webinar on Aberdeenshire Council Hard FM - Lifecycle Component Replacement Projects (DPS) 2026, Andrew Fowler from Quartzelec Ltd said: “The walkthrough of completing a tender on PCS was particularly useful, especially the guidance on locating documents, understanding mandatory requirements, and submitting responses correctly. The practical tips on avoiding common mistakes and improving compliance were also very helpful.”

Interested in meeting with buyers in person? SDP hosts free Meet the Buyer events at a national, regional and local level, giving you the chance to come along and talk to buyers face-to-face and discuss new projects, contracts and framework opportunities.

Barrie Dick, Operations Director at SDB Contracts said: “Meet the Buyer events have allowed us to connect with new customers, it’s a unique networking opportunity. You can speak directly to key decision makers. These events have allowed us to look around the room at other SMEs, at what they could do with our business, what we could add to their business and how we could potentially collaborate.”

Don’t miss your chance to start bidding better! Register for free support with SDP.