Does anyone regularly prepare bids/ tender response for NHS/ public sector projects?

[Legacy]

I've been working on the fringes of the public sector for some time, and have the relevant experience etc, but another organisation I've been affiliated to has always submitted the tenders/bids and I've been subcontracted later.

I'd now like to go for some of the contracts directly, but having received the requirements list, it seems a nightmare!

How sophisticated do all the supporting documents need to be (e.g. equality policies; health & safety policies etc) - are there templates on the web somewhere?

Can anyone recommend some fast (& cheap!) sources of advice please?

< bump> for evening crowd at their PCs late...

You have to get on the approved lists and there is a lot of paperwork. It all hinges really on being known in the area. I have no idea how the firm I work for got on.

The paperwork has got worse recently but it isn;t that bad. Insurance h & s risk assesments CIS. However as far as I know there is nothing on the web. You just have to do it. We are also part of Safecontractor. They do provide guidance (for a fee!!)

For the work I do for public sector contracts, I have deliberately decided to submit contracts only in partnership, with me as subcontractor (sometimes with a larger institutional provider who has the clout but cannot do the work themselves).

It is an onerous task responding to tenders on your own, the PQQs can be lengthy and the financial assessment can rule you out if you haven't already got a strong track record (3 years accounts, and usually they rule out companies if the current contract value is more than 25% of the total annual income of your company).

Some small value tenders (less than £5K) can be achieved without widespread tendering, but usually through a short-list of preferred suppliers.

IMO it is worth building up your networks for the small contracts, and thinking seriously about tendering for big contracts.

Some people ask for evidence of equality and diversity work, in addition to a policy. It can all be difficult for a small company.