How to Find & Win Inspection Tenders

Published20th November 2020 AuthorJohn Hudson

Seeing Success with Inspection Tenders; It’s Easier Than You Think 

Inspection tenders are the perfect way to secure a pipeline of work and expand your business. Thousands of businesses use tendering as their regular development strategy. This not only secures work but also helps build lasting relationships with buyers. But the world is continuing to recover from the ongoing effects of COVID. So, shouldn’t there be a decrease in the number of opportunities available?

It would be easy to think there should be a significant reduction in inspection tender opportunities. After all, the economic impact of COVID is hard to ignore. Businesses are facing mass redundancies, budget cuts, and a decrease in productivity. All of this paints quite a bleak picture of tendering for work in the current climate. You may find yourself wondering how it’s possible to secure work when it seems as though business development in the UK has come to a complete standstill.

Well, the good news is there’s really no need to worry. It may surprise you to know there has been a continued steady stream of inspection tenders. Even at the peak of lockdown inspection tenders were still coming through. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) have even reported on this. They stated that almost half of SME construction businesses were experiencing an increase in demand as of Autumn 2020.

What does this mean for inspection tenders?

An increase for businesses within the construction sector can only mean good things for inspection tenders. Construction projects and building works involve a large volume of employees, materials and apparatus. This means inspection is arguably one of the most crucial parts of the process. Inspecting a construction project ensures it will progress in terms of health and safety, compliance and quality.

The need for routine inspection is an essential part of construction projects. Working safely and responsibly is more important than ever in a post-COVID world. But don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too much, if any, strain on your existing services. The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has plans which will introduce consistent and concise regulations for construction projects. This will ensure projects will feel comfortable to remain in line with the Government’s everchanging policies and recommendations. This includes social distancing measures which will ensure employers and employees make every effort to comply and stay safe whilst working.

Now it’s just a case of finding the inspection opportunities. As the demand for construction work increases, so will the need for independent assessors. It can certainly be said that now is the time to take your first steps in the procurement world.

How has COVID impacted this?

Unfortunately, many industries have not been so lucky in seeing this increase in opportunities. For businesses in the hospitality and events sectors, they are facing a crisis where they are often forced to change the nature of their business.

In comparison, inspection tenders haven’t really been impacted by COVID. The construction sector is recovering from the economic impact and opportunities are increasing. So, is there anything you should consider when searching for inspection tenders in the current climate?

A Digitally Focused Approach

Perhaps the most important thing to consider is that where companies are going to discover new pipelines of work. Many companies have shifted away from face to face meetings and word of mouth when securing new business. Instead, they are moving toward a digital approach, with remote working and online meetings.

For the construction sector, taking a more digitally focused approach to securing work may feel impossible. When the main part of your job is being on-site and inspecting your surroundings, is there really room to incorporate remote working?

Good communication is an essential part of inspecting a site. The ability to verbally communicate what you have witnessed is vital for compliance. This will then be relayed to the project manager and, ultimately, could affect the next steps of the project. As a part of your job, you may have to attend progress meetings. Here you can discuss any reports as an effective way of controlling potential hazards.

Converting to a digital method of communication is likely to be vital as we shift towards a post-COVID world. Businesses are being encouraged to work and keep relationships remote where possible. This not only boasts practical advantages but also environmental benefits.

So, face to face meetings are on the decrease. What better time to start expanding your business and client base through tendering for work?

What are the benefits of securing work through tendering?

It’s all well and good saying now is the perfect time to secure inspection tenders. But should we really be focusing more on this method of securing work?

A straight-forward enough question, right? And the straightforward answer is yes.

At present, it’s so important to continue business as usual to the best of your ability. With more and more people working remotely it is vital that businesses continue developing their business strategies. Tendering is the perfect opportunity to grow your business.

The advantages include:

  • Developing new relationships with clients,
  • Gaining invaluable experience with both public and private buyers
  • Securing a steady stream of work
  • Building your pipeline
  • Having the ability to work remotely and avoid face-to-face meetings

With that being said, it can be a daunting experience when attempting to secure inspection tenders for the first time.

Here are 5 top tips for first-time tenderers:

  1. Think of your advantages: It can often feel as though buyers want bigger businesses with more tendering experience. However, this is not the case. Make sure you remind yourself of your business’ unique selling points and advantages over competitors.
  2. SME’s are not at a disadvantage: similarly, if you are a smaller enterprise, this is not an automatic disadvantage. The government are currently aiming to spend £1 in every £3 with SME’s. Private buyers may also be looking to establish relationships with smaller businesses.
  3. Build a pipeline of work- it may be tempting to delve into the tendering world and want to secure the opportunities which are in the here and now. Reactive work is on the increase but having a pipeline is vital when tendering. When one project comes to an end, make sure you have another following this. Don’t wait for the project to finish before seeking your next stream of work.
  4. Have a checklist– there is a range of factors you need to consider when looking at tenders. Do you have the minimum financial threshold? Can you successfully deliver the work? Do you have relevant experience? Make sure you have a checklist tailored to your business. This will ultimately save you from wasting time and effort with tenders that are not right for you.
  5. Framework agreements– if you do not have a lot of contract examples or experience, framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems (DPS) are the perfect way to build this experience. These contracts tend to be over a longer period and have multiple providers. Not only does this increase your chances of success, but it also helps build that all-important pipeline.

How do I find Inspection Tenders?

Now you know the benefits of tendering, the next stage is sourcing these tenders. Due to the large volume of inspection tenders from a variety of buyers, it will feel impossible to know where to start. Websites and platforms dedicated to tendering are the best way to go when looking for tenders. Here you will have access to a range of opportunities.

Unfortunately, not all tendering sites are created equal. Some platforms offer more perks and support than others.

Here are some things to consider when looking to discover tenders:

  1. Don’t rely on CPV codes or algorithms
  2. Make sure you can search by keywords, locations, and budget
  3. The site should manually keyword tenders
  4. It should specify in your sector
  5. You receive daily updates so you don’t miss out on an opportunity

Luckily for you Construction Tenders provides all this and much more! Our opportunity trackers source tenders from 1000’s of sites. They upload all available tenders manually too. You don’t need to worry about CPV codes sending irrelevant tenders. You also won’t miss out on tenders due to incorrect coding. Daily alerts are sent straight to your inbox, giving you details of the newest tenders uploaded within your sector.

Our aim is to save you time and money.

How do I secure Inspection Tenders?

Once you’ve discovered your perfect tender, how do you succeed in securing a construction contract?

Our big writing division, Hudson Succeed, can help here.

We support businesses who are:

  • New to tendering
  • Struggling to see success from their tendering efforts
  • Requiring assistance from expert bid writers through ad-hoc support for important construction bids.

Our team hold an 87% bid success rate. Last year alone, they secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients.

Here are some examples of the services we offer:

Find Inspection Opportunities with Construction Tenders

The best way to venture into the tendering world is through booking a free live demo of Construction Tenders. Our clients benefit from access to all public and private sector opportunities. They also receive a daily bulletin straight to their inbox with all the recent tenders and construction leads which have been sourced that day. And don’t worry about CPV codes or algorithms! Our opportunity trackers keyword every opportunity manually.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Contact us today and allow us to help you grow your business with Construction Tenders.

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