The 10-Minute Tender-Ready Checklist
The 12 things every UK small business must have in place before bidding for a public sector contract. Work through it in under 10 minutes and know exactly what to fix.
The UK public sector spent £45.2 billion with SMEs in 2025 — a six-year high — and the Procurement Act 2023 was designed to make bidding simpler for small firms. Councils, the NHS and government departments want to buy from businesses like yours. But most first-time bids fail before they’re even scored, because the basics aren’t in place.
Tick each item below. Anything unticked is your to-do list.
This checklist is free for businesses listed on LocoSearch
This resource is free for UK SMEs with a live LocoSearch listing. Listing your business is free, with no time limit and no commission on work you win.
Next steps
Once you’re tender-ready: read our step-by-step guide to registering on Find a Tender, and list your business on LocoSearch so public and private sector buyers can find you.