There are some excellent bid consultancies in the market, many of whom I’ve worked with and would highly recommend.

What sets Millar Tender Solutions apart is the level of tailored, hands-on support you receive and the focus on getting you genuinely ready to bid - not just producing submissions.

You work directly with an experienced procurement professional who takes the time to understand your business, your goals and the opportunities you’re targeting. This means the support you receive is always relevant, practical and aligned to what buyers are actually looking for.

With over 20 years’ experience on the buyer side of public sector procurement, I bring a clear understanding of how bids are evaluated, what strong submissions look like in practice and where common gaps lie.

The focus is not on a “bid conveyor belt” approach, but on building your capability, strengthening your positioning and putting the right elements in place to support consistent, credible bidding over the longer term.

Costs are based on the level of support you need - whether that’s a focused Bid Clarity Session, a structured consultancy package or support with a live tender.

Bid Readiness Consultancy packages have a fixed cost:

Diagnostic £900

Bid Readiness Foundations £3500

Strategic Bid Partner £7500

These are base packages and can be bespoked to your own needs, including extended duration, additional work and inclusion of bid management services.

For bid management, writing or review, costs are tailored to the specific opportunity. This reflects factors such as complexity, timescales and the level of input needed. You’ll receive a clear, transparent quote upfront, with a full breakdown of what is included.

Investing in the right support at the right stage can make a significant difference - not just to a single bid, but to your overall approach and long-term success.

For many clients, bid readiness is the starting point - giving you clarity on where you are and what needs to be in place.

From there, I can continue to support you on an ongoing basis as opportunities arise, helping you maintain momentum, strengthen your approach and respond effectively to live tenders.

Retained bid management support is available for organisations with a developing or active pipeline of opportunities. This provides you with consistent, priority access to support, alongside a reduced day rate.

Retainers are based on a minimum commitment and additional days can be purchased - this allows us to work in a more joined-up way, building familiarity with your business and supporting you more effectively over time.

If this is something you’d like to explore, we can discuss what level of support would work best for you.

Many of my clients are new to public sector tendering. Where possible, I always recommend starting with bid readiness - taking the time to get the right elements in place before you begin bidding.

This approach reduces pressure, improves the quality of your submissions and puts you in a much stronger position when opportunities arise.

That said, I can support on live bids at short notice where needed. This will depend on timescales, the complexity of the opportunity and the level of information and evidence already available - and may attract a higher day rate depending on level of urgency.

Where I do take on live bid support without having had the opportunity to do the bid readiness work, I will always be clear and realistic about what can be achieved within the time available, so you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Yes - this is something many clients choose, particularly when they already have internal resource in place.

A structured review provides an objective, experienced perspective on your draft submission, highlighting areas for improvement, strengthening your responses and ensuring alignment with what evaluators are looking for.

This is typically delivered as a one-day assignment, although the exact scope will depend on the complexity of the tender and the volume of content to review.

Some clients also take a hybrid approach - preparing the initial draft in-house, with targeted support to review, refine and enhance the final response before it is submitted.

I’m based in Scotland and work with bidders and buyers based across the whole of the UK.

Most of my work is done remotely from my home in Bathgate, West Lothian.

I do like to meet local clients at least for a coffee at some point but I’m flexible to your preferences.

I can deliver training, workshops and consultancy sessions in person if that’s preferred depending on your location.