Our report into the time between tender close and contract award – also known as deliberation time, time-to-award, or time-to-revenue – reveals that decision time across the public sector is on the increase. The shift from MEAT (most economically advantageous tender) to MAT (most advantageous tender) has brought wider considerations such as sustainability, social value, and local job creation into focus. Other drivers include the new requirements under the Procurement Act 2023 and the growing expectation that local government spends more with smaller suppliers. While these are widely seen as positive developments, they inevitably add complexity and lengthen the process.

These changes reflect the ongoing goal of successive UK governments to use public procurement as a tool for delivering policy outcomes – from encouraging more local decision-making, to supporting the adoption of AI in the public sector, to achieving environmental goals. Most would agree these are laudable aims, but the price is being paid by suppliers, who face longer waits and greater uncertainty.

Here are seven tips for anticipating, managing, and working with contract notice deliberation times to reduce uncertainty and ultimately, strengthen your business:

🥊 Tip 1: Be realistic about the impact on your business

Suppliers often spend weeks, even months, preparing a tender response and investing countless hours of work speculatively, only to wait weeks or months for an answer. Deliberation times vary depending on the type of public body, the region, the sector, and the size of the opportunity. For example, a small £30k facilities management contract in a local council may take a month to award, whereas a £5m IT transformation contract for a regional health authority could take six months. Planning for these variations is crucial for bidders to avoid resourcing issues.

⏱️ Tip 2: Build deliberation times into your bid/no-bid process

Our report sets out likely deliberation times by region, market, public body, and deal size. Use this data when deciding whether to bid for a public contract. For instance, if you know that a £10m contract in the East Midlands typically takes four months to award, you can plan cash flow and staffing accordingly, rather than assuming revenue will arrive sooner. Understanding regional variations also helps national suppliers allocate resources more efficiently, targeting opportunities where time to revenue is shorter.

🎯 Tip 3: Target the right buyers and opportunities

Suppliers with horizontal offerings – services or products that multiple types of public sector bodies need – can benefit from focusing on contractiing authorities who typically make decisions faster. For example, an ICT provider might choose to prioritise schools and universities that are known for quicker procurement cycles over larger, more complex NHS buyers. This allows you to deliver more projects within a year, maximising revenue while maintaining operational efficiency.

📶 Tip 4: Think carefully about deal size

Deal size is the biggest determinant of deliberation time. Small contracts under £50k may be decided in a month, while larger contracts over £10m can take four months of more. If immediate revenue or cash flow is a concern, bidding for smaller contracts than your usual range may help. For example, a supplier used to £500k tenders might pursue several £100k engagements to bring cash in sooner.

🔍 Tip 5: Monitor key frameworks and dynamic markets

Firms should monitor the key frameworks in their market to identify when the next opportunity to join arises and also explore new dynamic markets with rolling entry dates, as these can offer a way to bypass parts of the traditional tender process, get in front of more public bodies, and reach a contract award decision more quickly.

📍 Tip 6: Plan resources around regional differences

Decision-making times differ across the UK. For instance, a social care contract in the north of England may reach award faster than a similar contract in London due to smaller bureaucracies or different procurement processes. Suppliers who operate nationally can use this insight to allocate bid teams to tenders more strategically, ensuring that capacity is filled and idle resources are minimised.

✅ Tip 7: Produce sharper, better-targeted bids

Delays are not always the buyer’s fault. Incomplete or unfocused bids can slow the process, making the buyers job harder, and elongating the evaluation process. To avoid this, have submissions reviewed by someone other than the writer, ideally within a wider bid team, to ensure that you have answered every question to the best of your ability. Don’t forget to attend preliminary market engagement events to fully understand procurement requirements and end-user needs, which will help ensure your bid hits the mark.

Longer deliberation times are now a reality of public procurement, driven by regulation, policy, and shifting expectations on buyers. While suppliers cannot control how long decisions take, they can prepare for them. Building likely delays into your bid/no-bid process, targeting the right opportunities, and planning resources carefully will all help reduce uncertainty. Producing tighter bids that cut unnecessary detail and give decision-makers exactly what they need will both reduce the risk of delay and increase your chances of success.

Key Takeaways: Managing Longer Public Sector Decision Times

1. Understand the impact – Recognise that deliberation times vary by public body, region, sector, and deal size; plan resources accordingly.
2. Factor delays into bid/no-bid decisions – Use historical timelines to guide whether to pursue an opportunity and manage cash flow and staffing.
3. Focus on the right buyers – Target organisations that make faster decisions to deliver more projects and maximise revenue.
4. Consider deal size carefully – Smaller contracts can provide faster revenue; larger contracts take longer but may be worth strategic planning.
5. Monitor frameworks and dynamic markets – Track entry dates and rolling systems to access opportunities more quickly and bypass parts of the tender process.
6. Plan around regional differences – Allocate bid teams strategically, considering variations in decision-making times across the UK.
7. Produce sharper, targeted bids – Avoid incomplete or unfocused submissions, review internally, and use market engagement to ensure your bid hits the mark.