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Find Information Technology Tenders with This Checklist!

Posted on by John Hudson

Information technology tenders: What should you look for in a contract?

Before you start bidding for information technology tenders, you need to know what to look for in a contract. Luckily for you, the Technology Tenders Team are here to help.

By the end of this blog, you’ll know which contracts are most suitable for your business. As well as which ones to avoid!

What should you look for in a contract?

Next time you begin your search for information technology tenders, remember to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you have enough experience?

This is crucial. The buyer will expect to see case studies that demonstrate your experience with information technology tenders. These should be similar in size, scope and complexity to the buyer’s project.

Without this experience, it’ll be difficult for your business to stand out from the competition. So, you need to keep this in mind when you begin your tender search.

  • Is it financially viable? 

Tendering for contracts can be a lengthy, time-consuming process, that requires plenty of your time and resources. Therefore, you need to make sure that the information technology tenders you go for will actually benefit your business. In other words, you need to ensure that you’ll make a profit from the work. Otherwise, the time and resources you use to produce your tender response will go to waste.

Not only that, but there’s little point in tendering for work that won’t benefit your business in the long run. For example, imagine if you spent six months completing a project that didn’t result in a profit. That time would be better spent on delivering projects that are financially viable.

  • Do you meet the financial standing? 

Another thing that you should consider when bidding for information technology tenders is whether you meet the financial standing.

What do we mean by this? Well, sometimes, a contract will require suppliers to meet financial requirements before they can bid for the work. For example, you might need to reach a certain annual turnover before you become eligible for the contract.

So, when you’re looking for tenders, make sure you don’t choose contracts worth more than 50% of your annual turnover.

  • Can you offer something unique in the market?

Before you begin your search for information technology tenders, take a step back and assess your business. What are your USPs? Do you offer anything unique in the market? Are you offering something that your competitors aren’t?

When you spend time gathering this information, you’ll have a better idea of the contracts you’re likely to win. In turn, you’ll also know which contracts you should probably avoid!

  • Does this fit with your long-term strategy?

If you’re tendering for work, you’re probably thinking about ways to grow your business. So, during your search for information technology tenders, think about your long-term business strategy. As you assess the tender opportunities, consider how this will help you meet those goals. If you can’t make a connection between the tender and your strategy, it might not be the tender for you.

However, if the opportunity manages to tick all of your boxes, it could be perfect for your business.

In summary

By now, you should know how to find information technology tenders for your business. Remember, you should ask yourself the following questions as you search for the perfect tender:

  • Do you have enough experience?
  • Is it financially viable?
  • Do you meet the financial standing?
  • Can you offer something unique in the market?
  • Does this fit with your long-term strategy?

Are you searching for information technology tenders?

Technology Tenders can save you time on trolling through hundreds of sites. We source tendering opportunities so that you can focus on running your business.

What makes Technology Tenders different?

We use manual tracking

Other portals rely on the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes to categorise tenders. However, they have been known to be ambiguous and file tenders under the wrong codes. This means you could be missing out on opportunities to tender.

Instead of using CPV codes, our Opportunity Trackers manually tag contracts they find to ensure they reach the right businesses. You can filter all live tenders using keywords, industry, location and budget to find the best opportunities for your business.

Don’t just take our word for it! Below are five examples of past tenders that we’ve sourced on the Technology Tenders portal:

Wheelchair Services IT Software Solution

Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management Limited – North East – Budget: £100,000

Procurement of IT Technology Equipment for the South Central Institute of Technology

Craig Pullen Consulting – South East – Budget: £130,000

IT Consultancy Support

Minerva Learning Trust – Yorkshire – Budget: £180,000

IT Helpdesk and Managed Support Services

Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)- Republic of Ireland – Budget: £400,000

RFT for New IT System for Ireland’s Department of Transport – Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit

Department of Transport – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £2,500,000

A subscription to Technology Tenders includes:

  • Unlimited portal access. You can browse the portal to your heart’s content. See hundreds of opportunities, intuitively categorised and easily accessible.
  • A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any queries you may have about the portal. They can also answer any questions you may have about information technology tenders.
  • A free, 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer at our Hudson Succeed Division. Our expert Consultants will chat to you for 20-minutes about anything tender related. This could be questions about the process or a requirement in an information technology tender that you don’t understand.
  • A daily email bulletin sent directly to your inbox. When you sign up to the portal, you will choose the specific areas in which you would like to tender. Then, a bespoke daily bulletin is created for you with all the relevant opportunities that have been posted to the portal that day. You’ve got unlimited portal access, but the daily bulletin makes things even easier, saving you even more time.

If you want to know more about how Technology Tenders could help your business, contact our team today. Our team can provide a free live trial, so you can try before you buy.

What else can we offer you?

So, you’ve found a tender that you want to go for but can’t find the right words. Our expert Bid Writers at Hudson Succeed can support you at every stage of your tender. They can answer any questions you may have about the process. From passing the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) to finalising your response.

Our Bid Writers have an 87% success rate and over 40 years of bid writing experience. We offer tender support through four services:

Tender Writing

Simply send the bid specification to our team and they’ll write the tender response for you. They’ll even submit the bid on your behalf.

This service is priced per bid and we provide a full Tender Writing breakdown. You’ll know how long it’ll take, what we’ll need from you and when you’ll see an initial and final draft.

Tender Improvement 

With Tender Improvement, our Bid Writers will assess your previous tender responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Tender Mentor

You might also be interested in Tender Mentor. Our team will analyse your content and check for any errors before you submit your tender response.

Tender Ready

Tender Ready helps businesses that are completely new to the tendering process. We offer a three-stage process and a four-week programme.

Book a free, live demo to gain further insight into our services and see which opportunities can benefit your business.

On Technology Tenders, we post contracts for:

These are just a few categories in which we source technology tenders. We add new opportunities to our portal every day. The scope of buyers for whom you could deliver work is always expanding.

Now is the time for Technology Tenders – unlock your company’s potential.

Capitalise on a £37 Billion Industry by Winning a Tender for Software

Posted on by John Hudson

7 golden rules for a tender for software

Winning a tender for software is a core element in business development strategies for many technology businesses. It’s generally agreed that software in all its many shapes truly forms the bedrock of our modern society. Near enough everything we encounter online was developed using software. Indeed, according to IBISWorld, the market worth of the software industry is expected to reach $37 billion in 2022.

What could this possibly mean for software developers and businesses?

Immense, and lucrative business opportunities.

What’s the best way to harness this potential business growth? Software tenders. This is where Technology Tenders come in. In this blog, you’ll get all the info you need about the tendering process. You’ll know where to source these opportunities…and how to win them.

Where can I source Software Tenders?

To say the least, there’s an endless number of websites and databases that contain tenders for software.

But unless you’ve got an enormous amount of time and resource, it can be unfeasible…

Enter Technology Tenders!

We source tenders on a daily basis, manually searching through hundreds of sites across the UK. We know how important it is to source the right tenders for software.

You can sign up to our Technology Tenders portal and start receiving business leads today. Our Opportunity Trackers manually upload new live tenders daily. You’re able to filter the results by keyword, location, budget and more. You no longer have to rely on inaccurate CPV codes to find the right opportunity for your business.

Below are previous software tenders sourced on our portal:

Electronic Solution for the Voice of the Child
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £100,000

NNC – North Northamptonshire Council Public Health Northamptonshire NHS Health Checks Software
North Northamptonshire Council – East Midlands – Budget: £180,000

Online Assessment Tender
Coventry University – West Midlands – Budget: £250,000

Contract for the Provision of a Lone Worker Solution
Oxford City Council – South East – Budget: £350,000

Video Conference Streaming Solution
South Wales Fire & Rescue Service – Wales – Budget: Undisclosed

Office 365 SaaS Data Backup, Data Recovery & Data Protection Solution
Mayo, Sligo, & Leitrim ETB – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

On Technology Tenders, we source contract opportunities for:

Get in touch to find out more information.

3 aspects you should look for in a good software RFP/ITT?

As a widely procured product, tenders for software are published by buyers from every sector. Therefore, you need to know what to look out for to avoid completing a lengthy bid that you can’t win.

With this in mind, let’s look into what you need to look for in a good tender for software.

Executive summary

This should be covering exactly what the buyer wants, alongside their target audience.

It should include their goals, limitations, and requirements. If they’re succinct and to the point, it’s a good sign. Ultimately consider if they’ve included their;

  • Mission statement
  • Thoughts on the look of the finished product
  • Target audience
  • Current flaws in their software solution
  • Potential roadblocks (e.g. outdated tech).

Bid structure & requirements

In the same way that the buyer looks for quality, you should too. If a tender for software seems rushed and incomplete, then it’s a sign that the specification hasn’t been thoroughly considered. You should be looking for a structure similar to this from the buyer…

  • Company name and background
  • Location
  • Project management preferences
  • Qualifications of team members
  • A primary project plan
  • A vision of the final product
  • Plans for training and support
  • Cost breakdown

Timelines

A standard component of a tender for software should include deadlines/timelines such as a;

  • Deadline for submitting an intention to bid
  • Date range for holding interviews or receiving preliminary/clarifications questions
  • Deadline for submitting formal bids
  • Date for notifying final candidates
  • Date range of final interviews
  • Deadline for candidate selection.

2 tips for winning a tender for software services

The power of being an SME

Due to technological advancements and the advent of cloud-based software, hundreds of small start-ups have been created. Simply put, SMEs applying for IT contracts are recognising the importance of their status to buyers.

This is due to an association with agility and flexibility when compared to your larger competitors. Impress on them how you can match both their functionality needs and their budget as a smaller company. In essence, using your status as an SME in a tender for software gives you a competitive advantage.

Using feedback to the best of your ability

As such an enormous industry, the competition for a tender for software can be tough. Luckily if you’re working within the public sector, the buyer is legally held to sending a report for your performance.

This report should be detailed in scoring your performance against their criteria. They also have to include the winning supplier, providing reasons as to how they won the tender. This will also include where they went right, and what specifically stood out in their tender responses.

Once you act on this information, it stands to reason that your future bids will improve enormously. If you’re working in the private sector, be proactive in asking for feedback. Ultimately, it goes a long way in improving both your overall knowledge and chances of winning.

In summary

So that’s it, we’re at the end of this blog on winning a tender for software. What if you need a recap? Technology Tenders has your back:

  • Where can I source software tenders? – Looking into our smart, time-saving tool for sourcing software tenders.
  • 3 aspects you should look for in a good software RFP/ITT:
  1. Executive summary
  2. Bid structure & requirements
  3. Timelines.
  • 2 tips for winning software tenders:
  1. The power of being an SME – Using the reputation of smaller companies for being more agile and competitive to your advantage.
  2. Using feedback to the best of your ability – Making sure to take onboard everything the buyer has to say about your performance. Paying particular attention to the winning suppliers performance.

Bidding support

The tendering process is long and complex, but the team are here to assist you in writing winning bids. You can outsource the role to our dedicated Hudson Succeed Team. They have 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Their team have secured contract wins totalling over £3billion for our clients.

Tender Ready

Their Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Their Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next software contract.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a software tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – They can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity, even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable software leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

 

IT Contracts: An In-Depth Guide

Posted on by John Hudson

How to win IT contracts

IT contracts can be expansive in their coverage. Over the course of the pandemic, a surge in IT contracts was needed to accommodate remote working. It’s even been argued that we’ve seen a shift in working, and technology is facilitating that. Contracts within the sector can include:

With this in mind, let’s look at how you can win IT contracts.

11 points to consider when bidding for IT contracts

For your IT contract response, you’ll need to give some real thought to the bidding process. This is where these tips will come in handy.

1. Can you meet the expectations of the contract?

Seems simple, right? But too many IT contractors overreach in their capabilities. Ultimately, it leads to disappointment for both parties when contractors can’t deliver. If the contract itself is worth more than half of your annual turnover, it’s not worth bidding for the contract. Only bid for contracts that line up with your experience. You’re wasting both your time and the buyers if you can’t meet their expectations. The closer the fit, the better your chances will be of achieving that contract.

2. How do you add value?

There’s no doubt that you’ll have competition in winning the contract. So, how will you convey your value to the buyer? This will be through your contract delivery, alongside what unique features you have to offer. Highlighting potential risks to the contract will also be a subtle method of showing your expertise. Providing solutions to these issues will help to show the buyer how right you are for the project. Ultimately, communicating that value will help you stand out from the market, impress the buyer, and prove your suitability.

3. Maintain a bid library

If you’re successful in your contracts, you’ll have quite the collection of written bids. This is an excellent opportunity to organise and use them when writing future bids. Be warned though, don’t copy and paste your past bids. This can confuse the buyer, and your bids can become unfocused and inaccurate. Frankly, they won’t be impressed if they figure out you’re sending previous bids to them. Instead, take some time to think about what the buyer is asking for and look through your bid library. Pick and choose the relevant parts and implement them naturally into your current bid. You’ll thank yourself for making the effort. Ultimately the buyer shouldn’t be able to tell that you’ve pieced previous bids together to make the current one.

4. Make sure your case studies are accurate

It’s great having some reliable and supportive case studies to back up your work. But if they’re not relevant to your buyer, their effectiveness will be halved. Really sharpen your focus, whether that’s through accreditations, training, or previous experience to the contract. Presenting irrelevant case studies to the buyer will not only confuse them, but they’ll conclude that you aren’t invested enough. This will decrease your chances of winning the contract significantly. For instance, you present a retail construction case study, when you’re bidding for a local council construction contract. The buyer’s confidence in your abilities will be diminished. The buyer ultimately wants to feel at ease, knowing that you’ve completed contracts of a similar (if not identical) nature. The closer your experience is to the project, the more likely you’ll be to win the contract.

5. Submitting your responses on time

Regardless of whether it’s IT contracts or any other form of contract, late submissions won’t be accepted. It doesn’t matter how amazing your response is, the buyer just won’t take your response into consideration. So, it’s imperative to stick to your deadlines and focus on completing your bids. The more time you allocate to a response, the more likely you’re going to win. Also, the earlier you submit your response, the less susceptible you’ll be to system errors. Ultimately, it pays to be organised, as it’s one aspect the buyer will admire once you start delivering the project.

6. Researching the buyer

Knowing as much as you can about the buyer’s needs is essential to tailor your response. And understanding why they’re posting the contract will help you collect relevant references/case studies. What’s the reason behind them needing this system/agreement? Let’s take cyber security for example. Why is the buyer tendering the contract? Was there a breach? Do they store confidential data? Focusing on the integrity of your security services will align with their needs.

7. Request feedback

If you lose this contract, it’s best to think constructively. Requesting feedback can be fantastic for your future bids. You can learn where you went wrong, and what went right for the contractor that won. There’s no downside to feedback, as the more you receive, the better you become in your future responses. It works both ways however, if the buyer requests feedback, provide it! The more constructive feedback you provide, the smoother an experience your future bids will be.

8. Proofreading

It doesn’t matter if it’s IT contracts, cleaning contracts, or a defence contract, poor grammar doesn’t reflect well on you. The bid could be full of persuasive writing and comprehensive plans, but it won’t compensate for poor grammar. So, block some time out to really work on your level of grammar. A good method for ensuring good grammar is having a colleague look it over. If the need is great enough, get it outsourced. We actually provide this service through ‘Tender Mentor’.

9. Substantiate your claims

It’s amazing if you can provide statistics to the buyer that reflect your level of success. But if they’re not backed up, you can find yourself in trouble. For example, if the buyer decides to fact-check your claims and you’re exposed, it could ruin your reputation. So, the best way to avoid this is through prior fact-checking. Make sure you keep your language engaging, but factual. If your claims aren’t realistic when bidding for IT contracts, it’ll bring your credibility into question.

10. Prepare for the buyer’s questions

Once you have the right contract, how exactly will you deliver it? How will you fulfil the expectations (and then some) of the client? And in the case of software licenses/agreements, how will you support the client after the contract is finished? Preparing for the buyer’s queries makes sure that everyone is aware of your plans once you’re awarded the contract. It reassures the buyer of your expertise and efficiency. Without this preparation, your chances of winning the contract are seriously cut short.

11. Maintenance

As you probably know, a good chunk of your revenue comes from support and maintenance. So, you should have plans outlined for supporting the buyer during and after the initial work has been delivered. The software/hardware you deliver could falter, so having comprehensive plans in place to support clients is vital. A good support/maintenance system will remind the buyer of how right they were in awarding you the contract. By providing a detailed response about your ongoing support during and after the contract, your chances of winning will increase.

In summary

So, now we’ve come to the end of this blog on IT contracts. You now have a clearer idea of what it takes to win these contracts. For those who need a recap, we covered:

  • What IT contracts are
  • 11 tips to winning IT contracts
  1. Meeting the expectations of the buyer
  2. Highlighting your value to the buyer
  3. Creating and using a bid library
  4. Keeping case studies relevant
  5. Making sure responses are on time
  6. Researching the buyer
  7. Getting and giving feedback
  8. Proofreading
  9. Fact-checking your claims
  10. Making sure the buyer’s questions are answered
  11. Getting the maintenance and support system sorted.

What can we do for you?

Our dedicated Technology Tenders portal…

We source technology tenders on a daily basis, manually searching through dozens of sites across the UK. We know how important it is to source the right tender for your business.

You can sign up to our technology tenders portal and start receiving business leads today. Our Opportunity Trackers manually upload new live tenders daily. You’re able to filter the results by keyword, location, budget and more. You no longer have to rely on inaccurate CPV codes to find the right opportunity for your business.

Where can I find an IT Contract for my business?

Below are previous IT tenders sourced on our portal:

IT Support & Maintenance (1 Year)

Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) – West Midlands Budget: £39k

Provision of IT Maintenance Services (Managed Services)

Abbey Theatre Amharclann na Mainistreach – Republic of Ireland Budget: £500k

IT Consultancy Services Framework

Forestry Commission – South West- Budget: £700k

IT Consultancy Frameworks for SSE Group

SSE Services plc – South East – Budget: £50,000,000

Onsite IT Maintenance & Support

Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £400k

Bidding support

The tendering process is long and complex but the team are here to assist you in writing bids.  You can outsource the role to our dedicated Hudson Succeed team. They have 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Their team have secured contract wins totalling over £300 million for our clients.

They offer four bid writing packages:

Send your completed rail tender response over to our team. They can take a look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. They’ll notify you of any grammatical or spelling errors before you submit.

The Tender Ready programme is for those who have never tendered before. They work with you to ensure you’re on the right track to submitting a successful bid. The 4-week programme will develop your branded corporate literature and case studies. Their team will advise you on what tendering opportunities you should go for and guide you through your tendering response.

If you’ve found the perfect technology contract for your business but don’t have the time – they can help. Send it over to our Bid Writing Team and they’ll take care of the rest. They’ll even submit it on your behalf and provide a full Tender Writing breakdown.

If you’ve already tendering, but aren’t seeing the desired results from your efforts, the Tender Improvement package can help. Their Bid Writers will assess your submissions and provide guidance and feedback.

Additional support

If you only need the assistance with PQQs or SQs we can help. Send the information over to us and we can provide you with a quote for the work involved. 

Discover Elite

Our recently launched Discover Elite service offers an upgraded level of support to our technology portal. We can help you with an even more efficient service, offering a fully managed tender tracking approach.

Your Account Manager will personally find opportunities for you. They are on hand to help you decide on the ever-important bid question. This can help save you even more time to focus on running your business. This package includes a subscription to the portal of your choice

Get in touch for more information

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Technology and Healthcare, for example.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices are monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

On Technology Tenders, we source contract opportunities for:

A Guide to Discovering Database Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

How to save time and effort when bidding for database tenders

Is there a need for database tenders?

Publishing database tenders is an ideal way for organisations to find solutions for their unstructured data. Having data and information represented in a structured format is essential for any business. Databases in general help a company to know more about its performance, estimations, and making plans for the future.

The impact of the digital age has brought an ever-increasing need for faster speed and processing. This means organisations are constantly needing to upgrade and improve their database management systems (DBMS). The self-driving database, one of the newest types of database, has been ground-breaking in its ability to learn autonomously.

Now more than ever people are relying on software to perform tasks which would otherwise have been extremely time-consuming. The pandemic has further increased this demand with people relying on software to work from home. With these new needs for DBMS’s, we predict an increased demand in database tenders.

The tendering process

Once an organisation has discovered the need for a DBMS, it will need to source a specialist provider. Few organisations will have an in-house team to provide this resource. This means they will need to go down the procurement route to find a supplier of these services.

To start, the organisation will release a database tender. This tender will commonly outline the scope of work which needs to be completed, key dates, budgets etc…

Once you, as the supplier, have looked over this information you will be required to enter into the tendering process. Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) are often used to establish your suitably. From there, you will likely need to complete a mixture of quality and pricing responses. With these responses comes a scoring system. The supplier with the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT), will be awarded the contract.

Where do I find database tenders?  

Sourcing database tenders can be difficult, as it is a time-consuming process. Many suppliers use tendering sites which will compile a list of available tenders. However, even with these time-saving sites, there is still a wide range of choice. When you are looking for a tendering site, make sure you are getting value for your money.

The good news is, at Technology Tenders we pride ourselves in being fantastic value for money. Our time-saving tool helps businesses, of all sizes, to discover and secure tenders.

Examples of past database tenders we have sourced include:

EDisclosure, and eForensics Services, eDisclosure Software and Associated Services

Thames Valley Police- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

24-12-2020

Implementation, configuration and maintenance of a logical data warehousing and master data management solution for the Data Analytics Unit in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine- Ireland- Budget:  £508,000

14-12-2020

DfE – Invest NI – Access to Trademark Database

CPD – Supplies and Services Division- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

16-11-2020

E-Procurement and Contracts Database System

Science Museum Group- London- Budget: £30,000

13-11-2020

Learner Management System

3D Training- North West- Budget: £5,000

30-10-2020

However, you may still be wondering if Technology Tenders is the perfect tender site for you. To make your life easier we have compiled a list of the top 5 features a tendering site should have. We are confident Technology Tenders will surpass the mark.

  1. Manual tracking

Research has shown that over a third of tender opportunities are being missed due to dreaded CPV codes. This means you will be receiving tenders which are irrelevant and waste your time. This is because the database tenders are likely being categorised incorrectly, meaning you are missing out on potential business opportunities.

What is the alternative to CPV codes? Manual Tracking!

At Technology Tenders, we don’t rely on CPV codes to source tenders for our clients. We have a team of opportunity trackers who manually read and upload tenders by sector, location, budget and keywords. This way, you can simply enter the keywords that best describe your services. It also eliminates the need for you to have an understanding of common procurement vocabulary (CPV) codes.

Our manual tracking ultimately saves you time, and effort in searching for database tenders.

  1. User friendly

A function of a tendering site that many procurement groups neglect is its ability to be user friendly. As a business who works in technology, you will understand better than anyone the need for user-friendly platforms. Having unique functions to suit your businesses’ needs should be high on your list of requirements for a tendering site.

As explained, Technology Tenders gives you the ability to search sector, location, budget and keywords. Having this search function means you can tailor your tender search to your business needs. Technology Tenders also can save tenders to your favourites and keep track of your bidding progress.

We are also aware that remote working has changed the way businesses operate. Our portal allows multiple colleagues to access to your account. Each colleague can then view tenders and assign tasks to ensure you can tender from home effectively. 

  1. Account management 

Tendering can be a daunting process. From procurement vocabulary to submitting a bid, it can seem as though you’ve been thrown in at the deep end.

Part of your subscription with Technology Tenders gives you access to a dedicated account manager. It is your account manager’s job to offer advice regarding the tendering process. They will also be on hand to resolve any technical issues. Ultimately, you will be supported for the entirety of your subscription with us. 

  1. Learning tools

Another much-neglected feature of tendering sites is the ability to access learning tools. These tools should provide easily accessible responses to tendering questions. They should also offer bespoke support from a team of experts.

If you follow our Hudson Insight Series, you will already know we constantly create content to support your tendering journey. Our team of experts aim to provide all the guidance and support you need. 

  1. Expert bid support 

With any good tendering site should come a team of expert bid writers to help secure your database tenders.

Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division, offers you this support by providing businesses with an outsourced approach to tender management. Our team proudly holds an 87% bid success rate.

Are you new to tendering? Do you struggle to see success from your tendering efforts? Will you require support on an ad-hoc basis? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then get in touch with our team at Hudson Succeed.

Book a demo with Technology Tenders

As you can see, Technology Tenders offers all of these features and more.

On Technology Tenders, we post contracts for:

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Cyber Security Tenders: Everything You Need to Know

Posted on by John Hudson

A guide to winning cyber security tenders 

An increase in government spending for 2021 means there’s never been a better time to apply for cyber security tenders.

Increased Reliance on Technology

The Covid-19 pandemic saw an increase in businesses reliance on technology with the rise of employees working from home. This saw a significant rise in cyber-security attacks as online hackers sought to take advantage of this.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of cyber security not just in the UK, but globally. The technology sector continues to grow almost daily, and public sector organisations have become increasingly aware of their vulnerability online. Funding has now seen a steep surge and the UK government is taking the time to invest in cyber security. The UK’s cyber security industry has increased by 44% since 2017 and is now worth £8.3bn according to the government.

Increased Cyber Attacks

The UK government reported that almost a quarter of charities (26%) and almost half of businesses (46%) reported cyber security breaches or attacks in 2020. Cyber-attacks have been ever more frequent over the past number of years, including hacking and data breaches. In order to prevent cyber security attacks, the government is making large investments into several areas of cyber security.

Cyber security tenders are released in public sectors in a number of different areas such as:

  • Network security
  • Application security
  • Critical infrastructure
  • Internet of things (IoT) security
  • Cloud security

Increased Government Spending

The public sector wants to prevent data breaches, protect their hardware and software from cyber-attacks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in November 2020 that he is increasing £16.5bn to the defence spending budget. A considerable chunk (£1.5bn) of this investment is to be placed in cyber security defences. It’s also going towards the set-up of a National Cyber Force. As a result, cyber security tenders are on the up, which is great news for the technology sector.

Here are some things to bear in mind when applying for cyber security tenders:

With the increase of defence spending for 2021, you can expect to see a rise in cyber security tenders.

The Minimum Cyber Security Standard (MCSS)

The MCCS was developed by the UK government in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The MCSS aims to combat the risks posed by poor cyber security. It is broken down into ten sections covering five main categories:

Identify

Departments shall:

  1. Put in place appropriate cyber security governance processes.
  2. Identify and catalogue the sensitive information they hold.
  3. Identify and catalogue the key operational services (KOS) they provide.
  4. Understand and continually manage the need for users to access sensitive information or KOS.

Protect

  1. Access to sensitive information and KOS shall only be provided to identified, authenticated and authorised users or systems.
  2. Systems which handle sensitive information or KOS shall be protected from exploitation of known vulnerabilities.
  3. Highly privileged accounts should not be vulnerable to common cyber-attacks.

Detect

  1. Departments shall take steps to detect common cyber-attacks.

Respond

  1. Departments should have a planned and tested response to cyber security incidents that impact sensitive information or KOS.

Recover

  1. Departments shall have defined tested processes in place to ensure KOS continuity in the event of failure or compromise.

Suppliers will need to demonstrate that they comply with all ten of these requirements when applying for cyber security tenders. They are needed in order to win any contacts from the UK local or central government.

Cyber Essential Certificate and ISO 27001

A valid Cyber Essentials certificate could act as confirmation of compliance to all sections when applying for cyber security tenders. However, a Cyber Essentials certificate is not always enough. This is when an ISO 27001 certificate is needed and will likely give you an advantage over your competitors. By achieving an ISO 27001, you are demonstrating to the buyer that you take security seriously.

Are you searching for cyber security tenders?

Technology Tenders can save you time on trolling through 1000s of sites. We source tendering opportunities so that you can focus on running your business.

What makes Technology Tenders different?

We use manual tracking

Other portals rely on the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) codes to categorise tenders. However, they have been known to be ambiguous and file tenders under the wrong codes. This means you could be missing out on opportunities to tender.

Instead of using CPV codes, our Opportunity Trackers manually tag contracts they find to ensure they reach the right businesses. You can filter all live tenders using keywords, industry, location and budget to find the best opportunities for your business. On our portal, you’ll find relevant tenders by simply filtering ‘cyber security’.

Here are some recent cyber security tenders:

Cyber Security Specialist

Scottish Enterprise- Scotland- Budget: £ 800 per day

13-07-2020 

Cyber Security: 321 Backup Solution

Birmingham Community Healthcare- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

26-11-2020

Cyber Security: Critical & High Importance patching

Birmingham Community Healthcare- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

17-11-2020

Cyber Security e-learning cloud based platform that educates and evaluates staff on cyber awareness

Galway City Council- International- Budget: Undisclosed

28-10-2020

What we can offer you 

Bid writing support

So, you’ve found the cyber security tenders that you want to go for but can’t find the right words? Our expert bid writers at Hudson Succeed can support you at every stage of your cyber security tender. They can answer any questions you may have about the process. From passing the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) to finalising your response.

Our bid writers have an 87% success rate and over 40 years of bid writing experience. We offer tender support through four services:

Tender Writing

Simply send the bid specification to our team and they’ll write the cyber security tender response for you. They’ll even submit the bid on your behalf.

This service is priced per bid and we provide a full Tender Writing breakdown. You’ll know how long it’ll take, what we’ll need from you and when you’ll see an initial and final draft.

Tender Improvement

Our bid writers will assess your previous tender responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Tender Mentor

Our team will analyse your content and check for any errors before you submit your tender response.

Tender Ready

Tender Ready helps businesses that are completely new to the tendering process. We offer a three-stage process and a 4-week programme.

Book a free, live demo to gain further insight into our services and see which opportunities can benefit your business.

On Technology Tenders, we post contracts for:

These are just a few categories in which we source technology tenders. We add new opportunities to our portal every day. The scope of buyers for whom you could deliver work is always expanding.

Now is the time for Technology Tenders – unlock your company’s potential.

The Local Digital Fund Awards £800k to Innovative Projects

Posted on by John Hudson

What is the Local Digital Fund?

The Local Digital Fund Initiative is a community of organisations which works collaboratively. The aim is to deliver local public services that are user-centred and cost-effective.

The group is supported by funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MGCLG). They provide training and funding to all signatories and selected projects.

The Local Digital COVID-19 challenge

The challenge was set up to utilise data and digital tools to help local communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, the MHCLG has awarded funding to projects which made advances during this period.

Out of 125 applications from 94 different councils, 11 were awarded the funding.

The projects are categorised into;

  • Data and reporting;
  • Community engagement;
  • Developing new working practices.

The categories were identified through workshops and user research projects to determine the challenges that councils are facing.

The UK’s Local Government Minister Simon Clarke said: “Councils have made huge efforts to support their residents at this testing time – by housing rough sleepers quickly, supporting vulnerable people and ensuring services such as bin collections continue.”

“They have had to adapt their services from in-person to online, using technology to do so and I am determined to capitalise on this and use everything we have learned to improve efficiency and make services better for residents and communities.”

“That’s why we’re giving them £800k to build on the rapid digital innovation of recent months so that local communities continue to feel the benefits of more efficient public services.”

Who has the £800k been awarded to?

The Local Digital Fund has split the £800k of support between the following projects.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority – £80k

Their project models and anticipates an increased demand to help vulnerable children and their families.

Newcastle City Council – £67.5k

The council has been granted the funding to develop a digital tool which can identify overcrowding. The tool will warn of potential breaches in social distancing requirements, allowing citizens to make more informed decisions.

Central Bedfordshire Council, Greater London Authority, LB Camden and London Office of Technology and Innovation – £80k

The organisations have been awarded funding for a project to improve data communications between councils and voluntary services. The outcome will allow the organisations to offer better support to vulnerable members of the community post-pandemic.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North East, Lincolnshire Council, Hull City Council and North Lincolnshire Council – £76k

Their project is focussed on designing future working patterns. The work will help to ensure staff safety and reduce low levels of productivity.

Manchester City Council – £80k  

The work will use lessons learned from COVID-19 to improve the emergency response capabilities of local teams.

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council – £23k

The council’s project will work to facilitate face-to-face interactions to enable access and support to council services for all.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council – £34k

This project will add extra functionality to the smartphone app they have developed. The functionality will help to prevent overcrowding on beaches, enabling social distancing to be maintained.

LB Camden and Middlesbrough Council – £80k

The focus is to develop digital functions to allow local residents to voice concerns on planning projects without having a physical presence.

South Gloucestershire Council and Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames with LB Sutton, West Berkshire Council, LGSS, Oxford City Council, Staffordshire County Council, Northamptonshire County, Cambridgeshire County Council, LB Waltham Forest and London Office of Technology and Innovation – £80k

The funding was received for the development of a digital playbook. This will include tools and systems that councils can implement for meetings and consultations.

Leeds City Council and Croydon Council with Eastbourne – £79.5k  

The project will develop tools to enable council authorities to tackle digital exclusions within communities.

Huntingdonshire District Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Bolton Council, Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset’s councils – £120k

This merger project will work to speed up the process of identifying vulnerable people. This will allow councils to predict and provide the required support.

Finding digital contract opportunities

Are you looking to grow your digital business? At Technology Tenders, we are dedicated to sourcing new business opportunities in your sector.

Our team has been supporting organisations in the technology sector for almost two decades. They have helped clients to drive business growth by tendering for work and securing new contracts.

How do we do it?

Technology Tenders is an opportunity tracking portal, designed to save you time when sourcing new opportunities.

We know that the tender tracking process is a full-time job. Our team of Opportunity Trackers searches thousands of sources daily to ensure you never miss the chance to tender. Once the contracts are sourced, the team manually uploads them to our Technology Tenders portal. To speed up your tracking process, they then categorise each tender with industry-led keywords. This means that all you need to do is log in, search the services you offer and instantly find all the relevant tenders from across the UK.

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to log in. We appreciate that you’re busy with the daily running of your business. That’s why we send you daily email alerts when relevant tenders are uploaded.

We source tenders for services including;

Can we help you win?

The short answer is yes. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, houses our bid writing services.

The team proudly holds an 87% bid success rate and supports over 700 businesses globally.

To ensure they can support every business, Hudson Succeed offers four dedicated services. This includes Tender Writing, Tender Ready and Tender Improvement. Their expertise in the technology sector allow them to support your business, no matter your size or previous tendering experience.

Call or email the team to schedule a free consultation.

Further support

For more information about securing new business opportunities, please get in touch. We offer a free live demo of our Technology Tenders portal. This allows you to access the system for a 24-hour trial and understand how the portal can help your business.

Book a free demo.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT DISTANCE: We live in a Digital World! – International Tendering

Posted on by John Hudson

DON’T WORRY ABOUT DISTANCE: We live in a Digital World – International Tendering

This is an age-old debate here at Hudson Procurement Group. We’re constantly telling our customers to spread their wings and commence an International Tendering strategy when it comes to bidding for I.T tenders and Contracts. .

Historically, we used to take as much business as we could from our doorstep, it was, after all, deemed easier to deliver logistically and support with brand recognition. It was a major achievement to be a leading regional vendor.

But, things have changed drastically over the years and the government throws hundreds of millions into helping us SMEs to trade internationally. The world and its major cities are so much more accessible and connected with daily direct flights from the UK to the US, Dubai, Australia, China etc., especially for service and product-based enterprises.

We encourage our clients to eliminate any geographical fear when looking for business. We advise you to look at where the work is, look at the logistics of delivery and if it deems possible then don’t put in place unnecessary barriers that will hinder your company growth.  An International Tendering and Business Development strategy should be a core activity for your executive/director team until you’ve established there isn’t any profit in trading overseas.

Here at Hudson Procurement Group, we have over 1,000 clients all over the world. None of which we’ve met face to face, but it’s not important to meet them, we speak with them daily over the telephone, Skype and email and we still deliver the same value-added service regardless if they’re UK based, operate in the US or have their headquarters in India.

Our advice when looking at which tendering opportunities are right for you is:

  1. Don’t eliminate any opportunity until you’ve assessed it properly.
  2. Ensure you can make a profit, taking into consideration traveling and shipping costs if this is a required part of the work.
  3. Take a risk – sometimes these risks pay huge dividends. Just because you’re not based on their doorstep, doesn’t mean you’re not the right provider.
  4. Don’t assume you won’t be chosen just because you can’t pop to their office for a cup of tea, you’ll find that more and more people try to eliminate the number of meetings they have, not increase them.
  5. Seek advice and guidance from your local Department of International Trade. We’ve found them super useful during our research phase of opening our US office.
  6. Give us a call, we’re happy to help and to answer any questions you may have about bidding for work overseas.

CLICK HERE to see our ‘TO BID OR NOT TO BID’ blog, providing you with additional points to consider when tendering.

 We’re here to help you discover, succeed, procure and invest.

Below are previous international technology tenders sourced on our portal:

Certified Email Services

United Nations- International- Budget: Undisclosed

New Infrastructure for Temporary Office of UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UN Women ROAP)

UN Women- International- Budget: Undisclosed

GoJ – COO – Request For Information (Rfi) Computer Aided Dispatch Systems Supporting Emergency Services

States of Jersey- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Provision of Unified Telephony System and Support Services

The Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Technology Solutions to Engage and Elevate the Voices of Women in Peace Processes

UN Women- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Get in touch to view the latest Technology Tenders in various sub-sectors including:

I.T Tenders

IOT Tenders

Telecom Tenders

Cyber Security Tenders

IT Support Tenders

Network Tenders

Hardware Tenders

Software Tenders & many more

GDPR – Understanding what’s expected!

Posted on by John Hudson

As I’m sure you’re well aware by now, May 25th sees the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR for short) which will be the new term used for the storing, processing and management of personal data. Basically, DPA and confidentiality processes have a new broader term to ensure all data is withheld in the most secure ways possible. GDPR is a vital update on what you currently do – (we are assuming that what you currently do is best practice and of course abides by current DPA law).

I know what you’re thinking ‘we always operate confidentially – what’s new?’.

What’s new are the heightened processes every organisation must undergo when handling data. With GDPR, there are more serious consequences if you are found to be using data incorrectly and with the majority of our subscribed clients on our various platforms all handling customer and/or public data in some form or another- it’s vital to understand the key points to this national legislation change and ensure this is adhered to fully.

Some of the key aspects your company must focus on is ensuring that all data is identified and assessed in line with new and specific protocols, processes are structured, data is mapped and constantly improved upon, as well as being stored electronically and in traditional filing systems.

With implementing data governance best practices, you’ll not only comply with the GDPR but you’ll now be able to create more business value with confidence and ensure success when contracting with future parties.

We have now found many public and private tenders are increasingly asking suppliers if they are GDPR compliant via the multiple processes above. Such questions have become apparent in a recent public tender within the creative sector (for e.g.):

  • Please confirm that you are GDPR compliant (detail relevant technical & organisational security measures)?
  • Are you maintaining Data Processing Records?
  • Do your standard contract terms include the new GDPR mandatory provisions?
  • Do you have a documented Breach Notification Process? Etc.

To maximise your scores, you would need to answer more than a simple YES!

Please see ICO’s brochure which provides further helpful information on preparing for and applying GDPR principles in your organisation[s].

We encourage all clients to take this information provided and use it to ensure any future tendering efforts aren’t spread thin merely by the lack of compliance against GDPR. Going forward, it is becoming quite clear that GDPR may soon become part of the normal questions asked in PQQs and ITTs.

Over the next few month, we will be analysing common requirements (as above) that are starting to come into effect with the changes and updates that GDPR will pose. Watch this space and remember to take a look at the brochure attached to begin what is needed for you to excel with upcoming tenders.

Get in touch to view the latest Technology Tenders in various sub-sectors including:

I.T Tenders

IOT Tenders

Telecom tenders

Cyber Security Tenders

IT Support Tenders

Network Tenders

Hardware Tenders

Software Tenders & many more

We’re here to help you grow, develop and standout!

SMEs – Catapult wants YOU at the ‘Engage 2018’ event!

Posted on by John Hudson

An exciting opportunity has arisen for SMEs that will potentially bring FANTASTIC opportunities and recognition to your company!

The Satellite Applications Catapult will be attending Engage 2018 by Digital Globe on 10–11 April 2018 and they published an opportunity stating they are on the lookout for innovative SMEs with products/services to showcase cutting-edge developments in the use of satellite data.

Engage 2018 is a two-day event designed for senior-level executives from government and private organisations leveraging geographical information to enable smarter decisions. This takes place at Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, London.

By attending alongside SA Catapult, you will have your own exhibition stand with your company and logo on full display in this highly desired event, as well as dedicated spaces for marketing materials to promote your business.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get your product/service heard, along with promoting your business to your target audience!

If this applies to you – then get in touch for more information and to complete a few questions in order to apply.

If you are struggling to put this across in a concise and effective manner, then GET IN TOUCH – we can help!

BEST OF LUCK!

Get in touch to view the latest Technology Tenders in various sub-sectors including:

I.T Tenders

IOT Tenders

Telecom tenders

Cyber Security Tenders

IT Support Tenders

Network Tenders

Hardware Tenders

Software Tenders & many more

 

 

 

 

 

Why Choose Hudson?

Posted on by John Hudson

Why Choose Hudson Procurement Group?

  • What do you do exactly?
  • How does it all work?
  • Why should I choose you?

Although these questions are being asked less and less due to our growing presence online and current position in the procurement sector, we still want to show you some key traits of our provision and how we work FOR YOU!

We have recognised that across all businesses nationally, contract/tender opportunities are spread so wide that it takes time and unnecessary hassle to source the right prospects for your company. Even if the right ones come through from your many subscriptions on a range of procurement portals, this may be delayed by up to 5-10 days, along with some (if not all) opportunities having zero relevance to your organisation. This is because CPV codes* are being used incorrectly on a major scale by both buyers and suppliers, with some portals not offering the full range of CPV codes available and/or delaying the release of key opportunities due to automatic processes.

*CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) Codes are used to differentiate, segment and classify contract opportunities so that your company can search and receive notifications about the opportunities aligned to your provision/offering.

With over 25 years’ experience and extensive knowledge of tender management and opportunity tracking, the creative and innovative specialists at Hudson Procurement Group is doing something that no other company is doing – We are MANUALLY tracking all opportunities that are released daily from the majority of procurement portals across the UK and take this information to MANUALLY publish daily bulletins that are not only sector-specific, but specific to your actual service. We do not rely on CPV codes, which ensures no mistake, or irrelevant opportunity will ever be sent. Every opportunity posted by public AND private buyers will be provided to you promptly, clearly and consistently on a specific platform dedicated to your sector.

We currently operate 10 industry-specific platforms including:

We offer free demos with a dedicated Account Manager, who also provides live support with our platforms, however, due to the intuitive and user-friendly design, we guarantee minimal support needed.

Because customers are guaranteed to have every opportunity at their fingertips, including the value, location and brief description to what’s required, their procurement practices are effectively improved, eliminating excess time spent on sourcing opportunities and more time on developing their procurement strategies.

However, it doesn’t stop there – due to our combined knowledge and experience, we also offer Tender Consultancy, which supports clients to better understand and maximise procurement practices within their organisation. This includes impartial advice, tender writing, tender training, tender reviews and holistic support with procurement.

We have upcoming systems to support clients EVEN FURTHER in the upcoming years, which include:

  • Tender VLE– a virtual learning environment dedicated to offering FREE tender and procurement training on a range of educational levels (beginner, intermediate & advanced etc.) all in VIDEO & BLOG format;
  • Hudson Discover – a one-stop-shop for buyers and suppliers to use an inter-trading platform. This is to identify buying opportunities for our group of subscribers, making our portals more specific to the needs of our customers. This is already in development as per our ways of working above;
  • Tender Bank– an online platform where customers can obtain multiple documents that will support their tendering efforts, including policies, matrices, methodology templates and written response templates in line with sector-specific objectives;
  • Procure Smart– a user-friendly collaborative platform for buyers and suppliers where they will be able to upload, communicate and submit tender documents online.

 We are Hudson Procurement Group and we are here to ensure we help suppliers, buyers and the overall economy, maintain access to procurement best practices and most importantly GROW, DEVELOP & STANDOUT!

Why choose Hudson Procurement Group? – I think by now you already know!

Get in touch to view the latest Technology Tenders in various sub-sectors including:

I.T Tenders

IOT Tenders

Telecom tenders

Cyber Security Tenders

IT Support Tenders

Network Tenders

Hardware Tenders

Software Tenders & many more

Technology Tenders – Coming soon

Posted on by John Hudson

Technology Tenders – Coming soon

Technology Tenders, a tendering platform specifically for the technology sector is due to launch next month from its head office in Durham.

The system is aimed at helping the UK’s thriving technology sector, to continue with its excelled growth by supporting businesses with securing both private and public tenders across the UK. The team at Technology Tenders will do this by providing subscribing businesses with a steady stream of new business opportunities across various sub tech sectors including IT Tenders, Software Tenders and Hardware Tenders to their inbox.

The system is the brainchild of husband and wife team John and Jill Hudson who have been working alongside each other for over a decade on multiple technology platforms and ventures.

The business aims to take the technology world by storm with targets to secure 3,000 subscribers in its first 36 months.

The product has been developed as part of a wider inter-trading platform Technology Tenders, and will run alongside existing platforms Creative Tenders (www.creativetenders.co.uk)

 

Future plans for the company include new sector platforms. Once each system is uploaded the business will create a powerful inter-trading platform Hudson Discover where subscribers to each platform will sell and buy to support the growth of the UK economy.

Launch date has been scheduled for 1st July 2016 so to book an early demo of the product, call the Technology Tenders team or email hi@technology-tenders.co.uk.