A government tender for digital marketing could be the opportunity you’re looking for…

Why does the government tender for digital marketing services? How can you secure a marketing tender with the government? Will becoming a government supplier help your business grow?

We’ll answer all these questions and more in this blog, starting from the beginning…

So, why would the government tender for digital marketing services?

Yes, the government has their own communications function, but the government bodies reach far beyond 10 Downing Street. Think about all the government-owned organisations that could require marketing services:

• Universities
• Councils
• Emergency services
• The NHS.

The list goes on and on, but you get the idea. All these organisations need an online presence. If establishing and maintaining that online presence costs them more than £10,000 it needs to go out to tender.

How to find a government tender for digital marketing services

In the UK, there are hundreds of websites that upload tendering opportunities. We recommend appointing someone in your team to take responsibility for tracking them all.

The government has its own tendering portal, called Contracts Finder. If your designated Opportunity Tracker is using this, they should set aside around 30 minutes a day. This is because the portal relies on CPV codes to categorise the tenders.

CPV codes are often used incorrectly by buyers due to the vast number of codes available. A study by the European Commission sampled 405 contract notices. They found that 23% had the wrong code associated with the scope of work tendered. This results in an inefficient sourcing process for you, the prospective supplier.

To eradicate this, we developed Creative Tenders. Not only is the portal sector-specific, it also doesn’t need CPV codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually scour over 600 sources to find new tendering opportunities. They then tag them using industry-driven keywords, making the sourcing process easier and more efficient.

Take a look at a sample of the latest marketing tenders we have uploaded or book a free live demo.

What types of digital marketing tenders does the government publish? 

Government bodies publish a vast range of digital marketing tenders. Here are just a few examples of tenders we have previously had on our Creative Tenders portal:

PR & Digital Marketing Services – Corn Exchange & Wedding Venues

Medway Council – South East – £20k

North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College Contract for Digital Marketing and Web Hosting

North Warwickshire & Hinckley Collaborative – West Midlands – £50k

Chester Recovery Campaign Media Partner

Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership – North West – £66,500 

Digital Marketing Activities in Mexico Covering Pork

Defra Network eTendering Portal – West Midlands – £180k

Digital Advertising Framework

Braintree District Council – Eastern – £5million

These are just 5 out of the 200+ government marketing tenders we have sourced over the last eight months alone. As you can see, the values of these contracts range from thousands of pounds to the multi-millions. So, whether you’re a freelancer or an international agency, there’s a tendering opportunity out there for you.

How to secure a government tender for digital marketing

Once you’ve identified a tender you want to bid for, don’t just dive straight in. There’s a couple of boxes to tick first. We would recommend considering the following in your bid or no-bid decision:

1. Do you turn over enough to be successful?

Most government tenders for digital marketing services will ask for your financial accounts. This is to assess whether you have the resource to deliver the contract. Your financial accounts will prove your economic financial standing. As a general rule, we advise that you don’t bid for contracts worth more than 50% of your annual turnover. For example, if your annual turnover is £1,000,000, you should avoid contracts with values exceeding £500,000.  

2. Do you have enough relevant experience?

Buyers will usually ask for two to three case studies from work you have delivered in the past five years. The examples you provide should be similar in size and scope to the tender at hand. The evidence needs to be relevant to show the buyer how you will approach the contract. If you can’t prove that you have experience, it’s likely a competitor can and your chances of winning decrease.

3. Can you demonstrate added value?

In public sector tenders, the buyer is looking to see how you can add value. Government buyers are accountable for their spending of public purse. They have to demonstrate how they have delivered the best value for money. This means that you need to evidence added value, and that doesn’t just mean cost. It’s a combination of quality and price throughout the life of the contract. So, make sure you highlight how and why your approach is cost-effective and helps the government make savings.

Will listing a government body on your client list help your business grow?

If you’re looking for government tenders for digital marketing services, you might be wondering how you can win bigger contracts. If you’re a start-up or an SME, framework agreements are a great place to start. With more places up for grabs, smaller businesses stand a better chance of securing a contract.

To progress to winning larger, single-supplier contracts, you need to build your experience and turnover. Securing government contracts and places on government frameworks is a great way to do this. The more you deliver, the more experience and profit you build. In turn, your case studies for similar contracts grow and those big opportunities move closer to your reach.

How is the government helping smaller businesses?

The UK government is targeted with spending £1 in £3 with smaller businesses, so they want to work with you. To level the playing field, the government:

• Have introduced lower value contracts

Since leaving the EU, there is more flexibility for lower value government contracts to be reserved for SME bidders. There is also more flexibility for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).

• Introduced the prompt payment code

The prompt payment code states that public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in their contracts. They also need to ensure that this is passed down the supply chain. If this is not happening, businesses are encouraged to raise this directly with the Public Procurement Review Service.

• Offer support through The Small Business Commissioner

The Small Business Commissioner is a free service that helps small organisations to resolve payment disputes with larger businesses.

In summary…

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of government tenders for digital marketing services. We’ve covered:

• Where to find a government tender for digital marketing – On the government’s website or on Creative Tenders for ease and efficiency.
• What types of tenders the government publishes – We provided five examples of digital marketing tenders we have previously sourced to give you an idea.
• What to consider before you dive into the bid – Your economic financial standing, experience and how you can add value.
• The benefits of bidding for government tenders – Working with the government helps you build experience, expand your portfolio and work towards those big contracts.
• How the government helps smaller businesses – With lower value contracts, introducing the prompt payment code and through The Small Business Commissioner.

How can we help?

A subscription to Creative Tenders provides you with:

• Access to all exclusive, public and private sector digital marketing contracts across the UK.
• A daily email bulletin is sent straight to your inbox when new marketing opportunities are uploaded.
• Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
• 20-minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Management Consultants each month.

Need additional support?

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning response in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offers four levels of bid writing support. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. The services on offer include:

• A Tender Writing service
• A Tender Ready programme
• The Tender Improvement package
• Tender Mentor.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

• Events Management
• Digital Services
• Design
• Graphic Design
• Print
• Website
• Video Production and many more.

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.