How much do tender consultants charge in the UK?
UK tender consultants typically charge £5,000 to £15,000 per framework bid, with some charging £30,000+ for complex multi-lot frameworks.
Generic consultants working across all sectors usually operate on fixed fees with no success-based elements, meaning you pay the full amount whether you win or lose.
TenderAI charges £6,000 one-time setup, then £0 per bid until you win. Success fees of 2% (capped at £25,000) only apply when contracts are awarded.
This revolutionary pricing costs nothing per bid whilst delivering superior results through Paul Nightingale’s proven electrical sector expertise, with over £300 million in contracts won during 15 years at CEF and YESSS Electrical.
Plus, TenderAI writes AND prices your Schedule of Rates. Traditional consultants leave you to spend 40 hours pricing every tender. TenderAI delivers fully-priced tenders at manufacturer cost in 2-3 hours.
The success fee alignment means TenderAI only earns when you secure contracts, unlike generic consultants who collect fees regardless of outcomes.
Why Traditional Tender Consultant Pricing is Broken
Generic tender consultants charge premium fees but don’t deliver value that justifies the investment for electrical businesses.
Traditional pricing models:
- Framework bids: £10,000-£15,000 fixed fee
- Complex frameworks: £20,000-£30,000+ fixed fee
- Hourly rates: £80-£150 per hour
- Day rates: £750-£1,500 per day
- Retainers: £2,500-£5,000 per month
The problems with this pricing:
- You pay the full amount even if you lose
- No sector expertise included (they learn on your budget)
- Consultants earn the same whether you win £500k or £5 million
- No ongoing support after submission
- Nothing reusable for future bids
- You still spend 40 hours pricing Schedule of Rates yourself
What you actually get:
A traditional consultant charging £12,000 for a framework bid will spend 100+ hours writing generic responses without electrical sector knowledge, framework-specific intelligence or buyer relationships.
They’ll submit the bid, collect their fee, and disappear. If you lose, you’ve paid £12,000 for nothing reusable. If you win a £2 million contract, they’ve earned £12,000 for work that secured you £8 million over four years.
The incentives are misaligned. They win by submitting bids. You win by securing contracts.
How TenderAI’s Pricing Delivers Better Value
TenderAI charges nothing per bid, delivers superior electrical sector expertise, and only earns success fees when you win contracts.
Transparent pricing structure:
- Setup: £6,000 one-time (creates reusable assets forever)
- Per-bid cost: £0 (unlimited framework and mini-competition bids)
- Success fees: 2% of annual contract value, capped at £25,000 maximum
Why this pricing works better:
No upfront bid costs: £6,000 setup then £0 per bid versus £10,000-£15,000 per bid with traditional consultants.
Unlimited bidding: Submit 5, 10, 20 bids at £0 cost. Traditional consultants charge £10k-£15k each time.
Reusable assets: Setup creates case studies, templates and profiles used for every future bid. Traditional consultants start from scratch each time.
Success fee alignment: TenderAI earns more when you win bigger contracts. Traditional consultants earn the same regardless of outcomes.
Capped protection: Success fees capped at £25,000 even on £10 million frameworks. Traditional consultants might charge percentage fees with no caps.
Sector expertise included: Paul’s £300 million track record applied to every bid. Traditional consultants lack electrical sector knowledge.
Schedule of Rates pricing included: TenderAI delivers fully-priced tenders at manufacturer cost. Traditional consultants leave you to spend 40 hours pricing every bid.
Example comparison:
Traditional consultant (Year 1):
- 5 framework bids: £50,000-£75,000
- Win 1 or 2 at 30% rate
- Total investment: £50,000-£75,000
- Nothing reusable for Year 2
TenderAI (Year 1):
- Setup: £6,000 (reusable forever)
- 5 framework bids: £0
- Success fees (assuming 2 wins at £2m each): £50,000 (2 × £25k capped)
- Total investment: £56,000
- Setup and templates work for all future bids
The difference: Traditional consultants charge £50k-£75k whether you win zero or five bids. TenderAI charges £6k if you win zero, £56k if you win two £2m frameworks.
Year 2 comparison:
Traditional: £50,000-£75,000 (same high costs, no carry-over value)
TenderAI: £0 per bid + success fees only when you win (no setup fee needed)
Real ROI examples:
Scenario 1: Bid on 3 frameworks, win 1 at £500k
- Traditional: £30,000-£45,000 spent
- TenderAI: £6,000 setup + £10,000 success fee = £16,000 total
- Savings: £14,000-£29,000
Scenario 2: Bid on 5 frameworks, win 2 at £2m each
- Traditional: £50,000-£75,000 spent
- TenderAI: £6,000 setup + £50,000 success fees (2 × £25k capped) = £56,000 total
- Savings: £0-£19,000 (plus you secured £4m in annual contracts)
Scenario 3: Bid on 5 frameworks, win 0
- Traditional: £50,000-£75,000 spent
- TenderAI: £6,000 setup only
- Savings: £44,000-£69,000
The difference compounds. By Year 3, TenderAI costs 50-70% less than traditional consultants whilst delivering higher win rates through electrical sector specialisation.
Plus, TenderAI includes complete Schedule of Rates pricing. Traditional consultants charge £10k-£15k per bid then leave you to spend 40 hours pricing every tender. TenderAI delivers fully-priced tenders at manufacturer cost in 2-3 hours of margin review, included at £0 per bid cost.
For electrical businesses evaluating tender consultant costs, TenderAI provides superior value through £0 per-bid fees, reusable assets, success fee alignment, Schedule of Rates pricing and proven sector expertise that generic consultants can’t match.
Stop Losing to the Nationals. Start Winning Contracts.
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