Office Fit Out Tenders: How to Win

Office fit out tenders are often published by businesses that are looking to upgrade their office workspace. They could be moving to a new building, or their current space might need a bit of a facelift. Office fit out tenders can be used to procure services to create a bespoke design to suit their needs. This could include:

- Office design including visualisation and finishes
- Electrical work
- Refurbishment
- Project specifications
- Works scheduling
- Office fit out implementation
- Contract management
- Contractor accreditation
- Project insurance
- Project program.

Businesses that specialise in office fit outs are qualified and often comprised of experienced interior designers, architects and engineers. Office fit out tenders can be competitive and particularly daunting if you’re new to the process. You want your company to stand out from your competitors when applying for any type of tender.

You should demonstrate your business’s capabilities and persuade the buyer that you’re the right company for the job. If you follow the seven tips below, you’ll be well on your way to winning your next office fit out tenders.

Include CV’s of your experienced team

Buyers want to know that their project will be in good hands and, more importantly, the capabilities of those hands. You should provide CV’s of your employees who will be carrying out the project. You should also provide the details of any subcontractors you will be using.

CV’s must demonstrate that the staff are experienced and provide a high quality of service. You want to keep them relevant, focused and concise while still being thorough. They should include their experience, ability and any relevant qualifications they may have. It never goes a miss adding a professional-looking yet friendly photo of each team member. It’s always nice for buyers to put a face to a name.

Provide evidence of a proven track record

Evidence is always required within tendering applications, no matter the industry. Contractors want to be reassured that you know what you’re doing and that you’ve done it before. Within construction tendering, you’ll often be asked to provide up to three case studies from the last five years. These will need to be previous contracts that you have fulfilled similar in scope, complexity, scale and location where possible.

You want to tailor each example to showcase your capabilities and coincide with a task that’s required for this contract. Depending on the word count, you could include how you overcame and unexpected challenges. This demonstrates your problem-solving skills and flexibility, all of which are crucial to the construction industry.

Have stellar testimonials on hand

Positive testimonials will always strengthen your bid response, and that’s no different for office fit out tenders. Provide a testimonial of previous happy and satisfied customers, it’ll reinforce the buyer’s trust in your company. Buyers will likely ask you to provide their contact details to fact check your claims.

Complete site visits

The chance to complete a site visit is frequently offered within the construction industry. Site visits give prospective suppliers to visit the site and environment which they will be working on, if successful. It will state in the tender documentation or specification if it is an option.

It’s strongly encouraged that you undertake a site visit where possible. They are a great opportunity to strengthen your response for office fit out tenders. Site visits allow you to see what you will be working with, with your own eyes. It provides the opportunity to gather new information that otherwise you wouldn’t have access to. They may help you achieve more accurate pricing, gain insight into the buyer and produce better quality responses.

Health and safety

As with any construction tender, health and safety is absolutely crucial and it’s no different for office fit out tenders. You must adhere to and demonstrate your health and safety policies you have in place to carry out the contract. They must be in line with current UK government regulations. For example:

- CHAS
- RIDDOR
- CDM Regulations 2015
- The Health and Safety at Work Act.

Pay attention to social value

One thing you particularly don’t want to skip on, particularly when tendering in the public sector, is social value. Within government contracts, social value has a mandatory weighting of 10% as a minimum. The social value section should focus on the wider positive impact your business will provide when delivering the contract. They should be primarily focused on social, environmental, and economic aspects.

Buyer’s in the public sector want you to demonstrate that you’re committed to a sustainable future and practice. They want to see promises and pledges that you can actually keep. Some examples of social value policies you could include within your office fit out tenders are:

- Supporting COVID-19 recovery.
- The equal opportunity and diversity policies you implement.
- Manage and reduce waste.
- Creating new skills and jobs, tackling economic inequality.
- Pay your employees the National Living Wage.
- Community outreach projects.
- The use of materials with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.

Produce a high quality written response

The quality of your written response matters if you’re wondering how to win office fit out tenders. A high-quality written response can help you stand out from your competitors. Some helpful tips to keep in mind when writing your response are:

- Keep it clear and concise.
- Avoid unnecessary and overly technical jargon.
- Don’t allow the buyer to make any assumptions.
- Try and match the word and page counts as best as possible – they’re there for a reason.
- Be persuasive, not descriptive.