The central and local governments of the United Kingdom spend billions of pounds a year on public sector programmes. All of these rely on a procurement process that uses public tenders to find suppliers. There are many different tenders, and your business could be the ideal supplier for lucrative and reliable government contracts for products or services. Here is how to put your hat in the ring for one or more of these contracts and how to maintain effective communication with procurement managers.
Making Connections
The public sector can be an incredibly reliable and lucrative market to operate in. The government is a great client to have, paying on time and using a transparent procurement process to ensure a fair chance for businesses of every size. Communication is one of the most crucial parts of the process, once you have made the connection by finding a tender that suits your service.
If you a new to the public sector and the government procurement process, then Supply2Gov is a great way to get started. They make it easy to find a tender in the UK or Ireland and make your connections with the public sector marketplace. From here, you can build a lasting foundation for your business to grow its market share upon.
Setting Standards
Local and national government publishes procurement documents online, free of charge, so that you can access all the information you will need to submit your bid. It is in these documents that all the requirements and expectations of the government for the work will be outlined. This is your first opportunity to create a dialogue with the government department responsible for procurement and build a relationship and rapport.
Local governments are just like any other customer. They need to be addressed formally and respectfully and have all the information they need to adequately assess your company and your bid included in your correspondence. Your communications should be professional, but approachable, and easy to understand. Make sure you include evidence of previous successes to assure them you can deliver.
Touching Base
Throughout the procurement process, you will need to stay in semi-regular contact with the government department that has tendered the contract or oversees the process. You may be given a ‘point-person’ who will be your first contract in the government for any enquiries or communication. You must have a functional relationship with them, and build trust. They will be one of your primary assets through the procurement process.
Supplying the government is not about ‘the hard sell’, they want reliability and consistency allied with clear communication. The language you use in your initial bid and any communications does need to be persuasive, and you do need to extoll the virtues of your business and its abilities. Highlight the solutions you offer, and focus on how you can provide solutions to the government’s needs.
The government is an excellent customer. They have no problem completing their payments, usually within 30 days, and one successful tender will usually lead to another. Beginning a relationship with local and central governments and becoming a regular and reliable supplier to them can form a stable cornerstone of your business that you can use to expand your reach into other sectors.
