Read this blog to understand how to tackle market research tenders

With markets trends changing often, market research tenders are needed more than ever. With this short guide, we’ll walk you through sectors, sources, and tips for market research tenders.

What forms can market research tenders take?

Some of the sectors that include market research are:

Research services
Evaluation services
Marketing services
Brand consultancy
Product research.

With this in mind, let’s go through where you can source market research tenders…

Where can I find market research tenders?

There are countless websites you could search through to find market research tenders…

But there’s a simpler option…

Research Tenders.

Research Tenders is an easy-to-use portal, hosting live market research tender opportunities from across the UK.

Below are 5 past examples of market research tenders sourced on our portal:

Wiltshire Tier 4 Substance Misuse Market Research

Wiltshire Council – South West – Budget: Undisclosed

Market Research Support

Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) – Northern Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Market Research and Analysis for Renewable Electricity Support Scheme

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Our Big Conversation Phase Two Market Research

City of York Council – Yorkshire and Humber Budget: £45,000

Customer Insights Programme: Market Research Tender

FAIR4ALL FINANCE LIMITED – London – Budget: £165,000

4 tips for winning market research tenders

With sourcing these tenders out of the way, let’s look through four tips for winning them.

1. Eligibility & Qualifications

Another thing to consider is your eligibility. If you’re halfway through a bid, and you find you don’t have the right qualifications, it can be disheartening. Ultimately, you’ve invested time and resources, only to find out you haven’t won. So, the best thing to do is to read through the documents and make sure you have everything accounted for. Market research tenders or not, this applies across the board. In some cases, buyers may reject you based on your annual turnover. A good rule of thumb for pre-empting this is if your tender is over half your annual turnover. If that’s the case, then you’re less likely to win the contract.

2. Proofreading & grammar

Regardless of whether it’s market research tenders or any other contract, you have a grammatical standard to keep to. Your competition will have their grammar sorted, so it’s important that you ensure your grammar is top-notch. A common method to keep this under control is proofreading. After finishing the work, you read through it a few times, checking for mistakes. Get someone else to look through the work. This provides fresh eyes and further protection against errors. If you want certainties when it comes to proofreading, look into outsourcing. We offer this service through our Tender Mentor. We ensure that your bid is in line with specifications so that the questions are answered effectively.

3. Structuring your time management

When writing your bid, it’s easy to get caught up in the process and lose sight of the finish line. Poor time management can be deadly to your chances of winning. A good way of avoiding this is a system of monitoring. Checking in with the team and keeping progress trackers can do wonders for time management. This can help with team cohesion as everyone is aware of their contributions to the larger goal.

4. Case studies

A vital error in writing a bid is not presenting enough case studies. Case studies will provide substantial evidence for the buyer of your suitability. On average, it’s likely that the buyer would want to see at least 3-5 case studies in your bid. However, don’t provide inaccurate case studies, as this can irritate the buyer. Ultimately, take some time aside to select the most accurate case studies and implement them into your bid.

In summary

We’ve reached the conclusion to this blog on market research tenders! With this in mind, let’s have a recap!

What sectors include market research tenders– An idea as to what sectors market research tenders could serve.
Where can I find market research tenders – A short summary on sources for market research tenders.
Past market research tenders – five market research tenders that we’ve previously sourced for our clients.
4 tips to help you win your market research tenders
Proofreading & grammar– Making sure that your grammar is top-notch. Using proofreading to ensure that errors are erased.
Getting your work in on time– Ensuring good time management. Using a monitoring system for teams so that they can all take part in the process.
Eligibility & qualifications – Considering whether you can take on the project and whether you have the right qualifications.
Case studies– Providing evidence to the buyer of your suitability. Being careful to select the most accurate case studies for the contract.

Need help with bid writing?

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, offer 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
A Tender Mentor service.

A subscription to Research Tenders can offer your business:

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

You’ll have 24-hour access to our Research Tenders portal where you will find opportunities for:

Market Research
Academic Research
Feasibility Studies
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Survey tenders and many more.
Book a free live demo with Research Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to optimise your tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for tenders for design work.

The ultimate time-saver package offers your business:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
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 criteria.

How to Succeed in Research Bids and Win a Place on the Research Marketplace DPS

The UK’s market research industry is the second largest in the world after the US. This means there are plenty of opportunities for market research bids. Market research bids are available in both the public and private sectors.

What is the Research Marketplace DPS?

DPS stands for dynamic purchasing system and was created by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS). This framework is used when the government is looking to procure services for social, economic and market research. It’s used for projects of all sizes and values.

This framework uses a Dynamic Purchasing System which helps buyers find relevant suppliers through a filtering system. Businesses looking to procure services can select the areas of work they want to commission through the DPS. The DPS contains a shortlist of suppliers that match the buyer’s needs. Suppliers can apply to join at any time throughout the life of an agreement.

If you’re wanting to apply for government research bids, you need to be a member of the Research Marketplace DPS. This means you will be a registered research supplier, allowing you to bid for government research contracts.

This system is used throughout the central government departments. This is including the Cabinet Office, Department for Education, Home Office and the Post Office to name a few.

Benefits of joining the Research Marketplace DPS

Secure workload

Once you secure a place on the Research Marketplace DPS, you’re an approved supplier. Whenever the CCS is looking to outsource their research needs, they will access this system. They will then publish a tender, known as a Call for Competition. Suppliers can then respond to competitions for relevant contracts advertised by buyers.

If you win one of these contracts, then it means you will have a secure workload with guaranteed income. In some cases, contracts can be for many years. For example, Hudson Succeed has helped businesses secure contracts for up to four years.

Other benefits include:

Not having to demonstrate your capability or suitability every time you wish to compete for a contract on the DPS.
The award of individual tenders can be quicker
A DPS stays open to new suppliers throughout the period of the agreement.
The approval process is often simpler and quicker than a framework.
Suppliers can apply for additional lots throughout the DPS agreement should they expand into new areas.

By subscribing to Research Tenders, you find out about these opportunities straight away. This means you don’t miss out on any research bids that go live. Our team of Opportunity Trackers manually search through thousands of sources a day, so you don’t have to. Once you subscribe, you’ll get a daily email with all the relevant research bids that are live.

Watch our free Tender VLE masterclass for more information on how frameworks and DPS’ can benefit SMEs.

Before you begin, you’ll need to think about your:

Contract Examples

You will need to provide two past contract examples. You’ll need to certify each of these with a Letter of Conformation of Works. This letter needs to be signed by both your organisation and the customer who received you research services.

Cyber Essentials

Your organisation will need a Cyber Essentials Certificate in order to be awarded a government contract. You’ll be asked to provide this on question 155 when filling out the selection questionnaire (SQ). It’s worth noting that ISO 27001 will be recognised as the equivalent to Cyber Essentials.

Financial Capability

The CCS assesses your businesses’ financial standing. They do this by looking at your Dun and Bradstreet credit score. If you have a credit score less than 51, you’ll fail to meet the financial threshold to join. However, if it’s less than 51, you’ll be asked to provide audited accounts for the last two years.

Sub-Contractors

If you plan to use any sub-contractors over the course of your contract, you’ll need to provide their details. Within the SQ, you can provide up to 35 sub-contractors details. You don’t need to include the sub-contractors that supply general services such as window cleaners for example. You should only include the sub-contractors that supply key services such as translation or data processing. If you’re a qualitative research agency, you aren’t required to list all recruiters you may use in your work.

For each Call to Competition, you’ll be required to provide a list of sub-contractors. You only need to provide the sub-contractors you plan to use for that specific contract.

Modern Slavery Act

A business will need to provide evidence that they comply with the Modern Slavery Act (2015). This is only applicable if your organisation has a turnover of more than £36 million. For this, you’ll need to provide a link to your anti-slavery and human trafficking statement.

What skills are required for market research contracts?

If you’re applying for a research bid, you might be wondering what qualifications and requirements are needed. Some of these skills required for contracts are:

Experience of conducting strategy or programme reviews.
Experience in mixed research methods.
Expertise in data gathering and conducting interviews.
Dedicated teams that have suitable qualifications and experience.

There are some qualifications that are typically needed when applying for market research bids. These are not always the same requirements for public and private sector tendering. It’s best to read the spec carefully to make sure you have the right qualifications that are asked for. These could include:

ISO 20252
ISO 27001
IQCS (Interviewer Quality Control Scheme)
Cyber Essentials

It’s also worth going over the Market Research Societies (MRS) Code of Conduct. In addition to these standards, researchers should also be aware of other legal, professional, ethical and regulatory rules.

Here are just a few examples of past market research bids that we have sourced on Research Tenders:

Research to identify best communications practices and tools to engage and inform priority groups

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

15-01-2021

User Research Participants for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy- London- Budget: Undisclosed

12-01-2021

User Research Capability

NHS Test and Trace- London- Budget: £370,000

11-01-2021

Development and dissemination of regional research and knowledge products

UN Women- International- Budget: Undisclosed

12-01-2021

How Hudson Succeed can help you win a place on the DPS

If you’re interested in joining the Research Marketplace DPS but don’t know where to begin, we can help.

Here at Hudson, we have over 40 years’ experience in bid writing across a variety of industries. Our 87% success rate speaks for us. Whether it’s your first-time tendering, or you simply need someone to take a look at a bid response you’ve written. We have four bid writing packages to suit your needs:

Tender Writing

If you’re interested in getting on the Research Marketplace DPS we can help. Our Bid Writers will help you every step of the way. They’ll even submit your research bid for you! They’ll provide you with a full tender writing breakdown and will let you know how long it’ll take.

If you need extra support with tendering for additional work outside the DPS, we can help. Just send us over the bid you’re wanting to go for, and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll let you know if we need anything further from you.

Tender Ready

This package is perfect for those who are completely new to the tendering process. We offer this three-stage process over a total of four weeks. If you choose this option, you’ll receive:

A 12-month Discover subscription to Research Tenders

This summarises the UK’s latest public and private sector opportunities relevant to your industry and area of expertise. This includes daily notifications via email of new opportunities.

Development of an Organisation-wide Bid Library

This includes developing new bid-specific content ranging from 3 case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies. We provide a templated library for your team to manage all content easily when it comes to bidding. We arrange all of your company credentials, undertaking a full bid library audit. Then, we provide advice and guidance to increase your quality and tender competitiveness.

Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals

Our Bid Writers have over 40 years bidding experience in numerous industries.

A dedicated Bid Consultant

The programme can last up to three months.

Additional Flexible Benefits Options

Meet the specific needs of your business and tendering activity over 3 days’ worth of consultancy. You can choose from one of the three following options:

A bespoke proposal covering 5,000 words of boilerplate responses accustomed to your company. This is fully editable and designed on Microsoft Word.
Three days Bid Consultancy support, coaching and training with Hudson’s senior team.
Three days Bid Consultancy support towards one tender, private sector proposal or public sector framework.

Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package has similar benefits as the Tender Ready package mentioned above. It’s perfect for any business that has tried tendering but didn’t see success. Our Bid Writers analyse your previous tendering responses and supporting documents. They can then provide you with recommendations for improvement.

Tender Mentor

Our Bid Writers will make sure your research bid is the best it can possibly be. Our writers will provide some guidance and feedback on a tender that you’ve already written before you submit.

Research Tenders

At Research Tenders, we source hundreds of current research opportunities. We know you’re busy. Our goal is to save you time and money by manually searching for new opportunities for you. We will send you daily alerts when new research bids are released.