top of page
Case Study - Securing an £8m Affordable Housing Development Tender 
Housing.png

Client Overview

​

Our Client is a leading UK housing developer, specialising in delivering high-quality affordable housing. They were invited to tender to deliver 42 affordable homes for a local authority.

 

To strengthen their submission and improve on previous bid performance, they employed Bid Essentials Ltd to lead the bid development process and build internal capability, implement a structured bidding approach, and set themselves up for future long-term success.​

The Challenge

​

  • The team had less than six weeks to complete their proposal

  • The bid required detailed responses across multiple disciplines, including leadership, project management, tehnical, social value and sustainability

  • Previous Feedback - earlier submissions had highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in social value delivery and risk management. A clear demonstration of progress in these areas was required to remain competitive

Our Approach​

​

Bid Essentials Ltd provided end-to-end bid support, ensuring a high-quality, compliant and compelling submission. The solution was delivered through three key components:

​

Project Management Approach

​

The bid process was managed through a structured and collaborative approach, including:

​

  • Bi-weekly virtual meetings with their business development and delivery teams

  • Shared document workspaces and version-controlled templates

  • Real-time feedback and iterative drafting cycles

 

Response Development

​

Karen led the development of all quality responses, appendices and compliance documents. Key content enhancements included:

​

  • A reworked risk register featuring 13 detailed risks with clear mitigations

  • A strengthened social value narrative, building on lessons learnt from previous feedback

  • Updated sustainability and health & safety sections aligned with the latest regulatory guidance

  • Refreshed CVs and case studies to reflect recent project successes and team capabilities

  • Design of the final proposal document using Adobe InDesign, ensuring a professional, visually engaging layout that aligned with the client’s branding and enhanced readability for evaluators

​

Strategic Alignment

​

The bid was tailored to reflect the Client's local knowledge, delivery strengths and alignment with their clients priorities. This included:

​

  • Embedding local employment and community engagement commitments

  • Demonstrating alignment with the council’s climate and social value strategies

  • Highlighting our Client's track record of working in partnership and successful delivery in similar contexts

Results

​

The collaborative and strategic approach led to a successful outcome:

​

  • Tender awarded - our Client secured the £8m contract following further interview and evaluation stages

  • 100% compliant submission delivered ahead of deadline

  • 40% improvement in social value scoring

  • Reusable templates, responses and folder structures created to streamline future bids

Client Impact

​

This project demonstrated the value of expert bid support in high-stakes tendering. Our Client not only secured a major contract but also:

​

  • Strengthened internal bid processes and team collaboration

  • Improved their ability to respond confidently to complex tenders

  • Embedded reusable tools and templates for future efficiency

  • Enhanced their reputation with their client, through a well-structured, high-quality submission

"Karen’s support was instrumental in helping us secure the contract.

 

Her structured approach, attention to detail and ability to translate our delivery strengths into compelling bid responses made a real difference.

 

The process was smooth, collaborative and ultimately successful."

​

Operational Director

bottom of page