Guide
Early market engagement, and how to get in before the tender
How public buyers talk to the market before a tender through prior information notices, supplier days and pipelines, and how small IT firms can use these to get known and shape the work.
The best time to start bidding for a public contract is before it is advertised. By the time a tender is posted, the buyer has already decided what it wants, how to split it and how to score it. Early market engagement is your chance to be part of those decisions.
Where to find early signals
- Procurement pipelines. Many public bodies publish what they plan to buy in the next one to three years. In the UK, larger contracting authorities have to publish a pipeline notice under the Procurement Act 2023. In Canada, many departments and provinces publish annual procurement plans.
- Prior information notices and planned procurement notices, posted on portals such as TED and Find a Tender.
- Preliminary market engagement notices, inviting suppliers to a briefing or survey.
- Requests for information and sources sought notices. See how to respond to an RFI.
- Budgets, digital strategies and council minutes, which reveal projects long before procurement starts.
- Contracts coming to an end. Award notices tell you when a contract started and how long it runs. StackBid's coming back up page lists IT contracts due to be re-tendered.
Supplier days and briefings
Buyers run these to explain a project and hear from the market. Go to them.
- Come prepared with one or two short, useful points, not a pitch.
- Ask about the problem behind the project: what has gone wrong before and what success looks like.
- Note which larger firms attend. They may need small partners.
One-to-one sessions
Some buyers offer short individual meetings during market engagement. Rules usually require them to offer the same chance to everyone. Use the time to understand their constraints and to explain anything in the emerging requirement that would shut out small suppliers.
What not to do
- Don't try to lobby for a requirement that only you could meet. Buyers are trained to spot it, and it can backfire.
- Don't keep contacting the buyer once the tender is live. Contact rules change at that point.
Keep a simple pipeline
Track the opportunities you spot early in a spreadsheet with the buyer, the expected tender date, the contract end date and your next action. Our guide to building a public sector pipeline has a template.
Common questions
Is it allowed to talk to a buyer before a tender?
Yes. Most procurement rules encourage early engagement, as long as the buyer treats suppliers fairly and does not give anyone an unfair advantage.
How far ahead do buyers plan IT procurements?
Large IT contracts are often planned one to two years ahead, especially renewals of existing contracts. Smaller purchases may only be planned a few months ahead.
What is a prior information notice?
It is an early notice that a buyer intends to tender a contract, sometimes used to shorten the later tender period. It gives you time to prepare.