Invitation to Tender (ITT): Understand, prepare and win UK tenders.

definition

Invitation to Tender (ITT): Meaning, Contents and How to Respond

An invitation to tender (ITT) is the formal document a buyer issues to invite suppliers to submit a priced, compliant offer for a defined requirement. It sets out the specification, the contract terms, the award criteria and weightings, and the exact response format. In UK public procurement the ITT is the main tender stage: what you submit against it is what gets scored.

11 minReviewed 2026-09-02

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Spend Under Management: What It Means and Why It Decides Who Wins Contracts

Spend under management (SUM) is the proportion of an organisation's third-party spend that the procurement function actively controls — sourced through a competed contract, a framework or an agreed catalogue, with a named owner and a renewal date. It is usually expressed as a percentage of total addressable spend. For suppliers it is the single most useful metric to understand about a buyer, because every point of SUM growth means one more informal, relationship-based buying route being closed and replaced by a formal competition you must win on paper.

10 minReviewed 2026-08-24

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Security Clearance for UK Tenders: BPSS, CTC, SC and DV Explained

SC (Security Check) is a UK national security vetting level that allows long-term, frequent access to SECRET material and occasional supervised access to TOP SECRET. You cannot apply for it yourself: an employer or contracting authority must sponsor you against a genuine business need, normally after a contract or role is in place. For bidders, the practical point is that clearance sits on the critical path of mobilisation, not the bid, so tenders should be answered with an honest position on who is already cleared and how the rest will be covered.

11 minReviewed 2026-08-12

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How Much Does a Bid Writer Cost?

UK bid writers typically charge £350–£800 per day, £1,500–£6,000 as a fixed fee for a single tender, or £1,500–£5,000 a month on retainer. Success fees of 1–3% of contract value exist but are rare in public procurement. The right comparison is not the fee itself but the fee against your own team's time and your realistic win rate.

8 minReviewed 2026-08-06