What bid writers charge in 2026

There is no regulated price list, but several sources publish figures you can check:

Measure	Published UK figure	Source
Median contract day rate, bid writer	£500 / day	IT Jobs Watch, 6 months to 7 Oct 2026
Junior / independent freelancer	£300–£500 / day	Consultancy fee guide, 2026/27
Senior sector specialist	£500–£750 / day	Consultancy fee guide, 2026/27
Small or simple tender	£500–£2,500	Consultancy fee guide, 2026/27
Standard SME public tender	£2,500–£5,000	Consultancy fee guide, 2026/27
Large framework / major contract	£5,000+	Consultancy fee guide, 2026/27

Treat these as a sense-check, not a quote. Figures are usually plus VAT, and an in-house bid writer is a salary plus on-costs whether you are bidding or not.

What UK bid consultancies publish on their own sites

Many bid writers will not put a price online. These are the figures some UK consultancies do publish, so you can benchmark any quote you receive (checked October 2026):

Consultancy	Published figure
Glaxtons	Bid review from about £950; single tender response £2,000–£8,000; framework application from about £10,000
The Hudson Collective	Starting rate £600 + VAT per day; writing baseline of about £1,500 + VAT in their worked example of a smaller submission
Tsaks Consulting	Average tender it assists with around £4,000 + VAT
Thornton & Lowe	Outsourced or freelance bid writers typically £450–£750 per day

Read the figures together and a pattern appears: a straightforward construction tender with a handful of quality questions lands around £1,500–£4,000, and a framework with method statements, social value and case studies across several lots goes well past £5,000.

Freelancer, agency or in-house: which is cheaper?

Option	Typical cost	Best when
Freelance bid writer	£300–£750 per day	You bid occasionally and already have a decent bid library
Bid consultancy / agency	£1,500–£8,000+ per tender	A large or framework tender where strategy, review and project management matter
In-house bid writer	£20,000–£55,000 salary (Careerpilot), plus employer costs	You submit a steady flow of tenders every month

The rule of thumb we use with contractors: if you are submitting fewer than one or two substantial tenders a month, paying per bid is almost always cheaper than a salary. Once tendering becomes your main route to work, a part-time or in-house bid coordinator, supported by an external reviewer on the big ones, usually wins on cost.

The four fee models (and what to watch in each)

• Day rate. You pay for time. Simple, but ask for an estimate of days up front and a cap, or a tight deadline can quietly double the bill.
• Fixed fee per tender. One price for an agreed scope (number of questions, word count, reviews). Check what is excluded: pricing schedules, social value plans, presentations and clarifications are often extra.
• Retainer. A monthly fee for a set amount of bid support. Makes sense only if you bid regularly; otherwise you pay for capacity you don't use.
• Lower fee + win fee. A reduced upfront fee plus a success fee if you are awarded the contract. It shares the risk, but read the trigger closely: is it payable on award, on contract signature or on first payment, and what happens on a framework where award does not guarantee any work?

What makes a construction bid cost more

• Number and length of quality questions. A 6-question subcontract package is a different job from a 20-question framework with method statements per lot.
• Missing evidence. If there are no written case studies, CVs or project photos, the writer has to interview you and build them first.
• Pre-qualification gaps. If the tender asks for an accreditation you don't hold, no writer can score it. Check this before you pay anyone; our guide to CHAS vs Constructionline vs SafeContractor explains the schemes.
• Social value. Central government contracts under the Procurement Act 2023 must give social value at least 10% of the total score (PPN 002, for procurements started from 1 October 2025). A credible, measurable social value plan takes time to write, and many other public buyers follow the same approach.
• Deadline. A tender handed over with five days to go costs more and usually scores worse.

The payback test: is this bid worth paying for?

Most owners judge a bid fee against the contract value. That is the wrong number. Judge it against the gross margin you would keep and how much the better bid realistically improves your odds.

Expected gain = contract value × your gross margin × (chance of winning with help − chance without)

Illustrative example (not a promise of results): a £400,000 contract at 15% gross margin is worth £60,000 of margin. If a stronger bid moved your chance of winning from 15% to 25%, the expected gain is £60,000 × 10% = £6,000. A £3,000 bid fee pays back on paper; a £7,000 one does not.

Three rules that stop you wasting money:

1. Bid/no-bid first. If you can't meet the pass/fail questions, the turnover threshold or the start date, no writer will fix it. Walk away early.
2. Be honest about the "without" chance. If you have never scored well on quality, your baseline is lower than you think, and help is worth more.
3. Count the cost of losing. A lost tender also costs your own estimating and management time. Read our guide on how to win construction tenders in the UK for the bid/no-bid checklist.

How to cut the cost of every bid

The contractors who pay least per bid have a bid library ready before the tender lands:

• Signed, current policies (health and safety, quality, environmental, equality, modern slavery).
• Accreditation certificates (see CHAS vs Constructionline vs SafeContractor), insurance schedules and the last two years' accounts.
• Three to five project case studies: scope, value, programme, problems solved, photos, a client contact who will take a reference call.
• One-page CVs for the people who will actually run the job.
• Sample RAMS, a quality plan and your subcontractor vetting process.
• A social value record: local labour, apprentices, suppliers, community work, with numbers.

Build it once, update it after every job, and every bid after that needs fewer paid days.

How to choose a bid writer for construction

• Construction experience. Ask for anonymised examples of method statements and quality answers written for contractors, not just for services or care.
• Tender strategy, not just writing. A good writer pushes back on bids you shouldn't enter and reads the scoring criteria before writing a word.
• Clear scope in writing. Deliverables, rounds of review, who uploads the submission, and what is extra.
• Feedback loop. Ask how they use the buyer's feedback after a loss to improve the next bid.

FAQ

How much does a bid writer cost per day in the UK?

Published UK figures in 2026 put most freelance and consultancy bid writers between about £300 and £750 a day, with a median contract day rate around £500. Sector specialists and agencies sit at the top of that range.

How much does it cost to have a tender written?

Roughly £500–£2,500 for a small tender, £2,500–£5,000 for a standard SME public tender and £5,000+ for a large framework, according to published market ranges. Question count, existing evidence and the deadline drive the price.

Do bid writers work on a no-win, no-fee basis?

Some offer a lower upfront fee plus a win fee. Pure no-win, no-fee is rare. Get the success-fee trigger, amount and payment date in writing.

Is it worth paying a bid writer for a construction tender?

It is worth it when the margin on the contract is large enough that a modest improvement in your chance of winning covers the fee, and you can deliver the work. Run the payback test above on your own numbers.

What can I prepare to reduce bid writing costs?

A bid library: policies, certificates, insurance, case studies with photos and references, CVs, sample RAMS and a social value record.

This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Fee figures are published third-party market ranges checked in October 2026 and will change; always get a written quote. Sources: IT Jobs Watch (Bid Writer contract rates, UK); Tsaks Consulting 2026/27 fee guide; GOV.UK PPN 002 — Taking account of social value in the award of contracts.