We win government contracts for specialist SMEs
You are good at what you do. You are probably not set up to chase public sector tenders — the process is built for companies with a bid team sitting in the background. Lentora is that bid team. We find the work, write the bid, and win it on your behalf. You deliver.
How it works
Five steps, from the first conversation to a signed contract. We do the parts you have no reason to be good at.
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1
We find you
We go looking for specialist SMEs who already deliver well — often for private clients, or as a subcontractor to someone larger. If you have never bid for public sector work, that is normal. Most of the suppliers we want to work with have not.
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2
We onboard you
A structured conversation, not a sales call. What you deliver, where, and at what scale. Who your people are. Which accreditations and insurances you hold. How much delivery capacity you genuinely have next quarter.
It takes about an hour, and it is the part that makes everything after it work. Vague answers here produce weak bids later.
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3
We find your angle
We work out what you can credibly win: which buyers, which contract sizes, which categories. That is usually narrower than suppliers expect, and more winnable than they fear.
You get an honest read, including the places you are not competitive yet and what would change that.
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4
Anton watches the market
Anton is our own bid intelligence engine. It reads every notice published across the UK public sector procurement portals — central government, councils, NHS, housing, police — and scores each one against your specific business, not against a generic keyword list.
We are not trying to send you fifty tenders a month. Most of what gets published is not winnable for any given supplier, and we would rather say so. What you get is the short list that is actually worth your time.
A handful you can win, not a firehose -
5
We bid, and we win it
We write the submission. All of it — method statements, social value response, quality answers, pricing narrative, compliance paperwork. You give us the technical detail and the evidence; we turn it into a response that scores.
If we win, you deliver the work and we hold the contract, the reporting, and the client relationship. If we lose, you owe us nothing.
If we don't win it, there is no fee.
No retainer. No monthly subscription. No separate charge for bid writing — it is the service, not an add-on. Where in the range you sit depends on contract size and how much delivery management it needs, and we agree it with you in writing before we bid anything.
Where we bid
We lead with education and training. We also bid across digital and technology, and we will look at any category where there is a real market for what you do.
Education & training
Training and workforce development is where we are concentrated. It has the highest SME share of any UK public sector spending category, the supplier base is fragmented, and there are very few capable primes — which is exactly the gap a thin prime is built to fill. The buyers are the councils, NHS trusts and housing associations we already understand.
Digital & technology
Our commercial side came up through digital transformation bidding, so this is a market we know from the inside — how the evaluations are structured, who the incumbents are, and where an SME can realistically displace them.
Not on this list? We work across all public sector categories. Tell us what you deliver and we will give you a straight answer on whether there is a market worth bidding into.
The thin prime model
We win and manage the contract. Specialist SMEs deliver it. The buyer gets one accountable supplier and the expertise of people who do this every day.
One accountable prime
A single contract, a single point of contact, and a single organisation carrying the risk. No managing a crowd of small suppliers.
Specialists doing the work
Delivery goes to firms who do that one thing well, rather than to whichever team a large prime happens to have on the bench.
Proper programme governance
Status reporting, risk and issue management, change control, and financial governance — run by someone whose actual background is programme management.
Lower cost to the buyer
A two-person operating model carries almost no overhead, so more of the contract value reaches the people delivering it.
Real SME participation
Every contract we win routes public spending to small and medium suppliers who could not have bid for it alone.
Decisions in hours
Two people, no approval chain. When a clarification deadline is on Friday, we answer on Wednesday.
For suppliers
We are not asking you to work for us. We are offering access to contracts you cannot realistically win on your own.
What you get
- A bid pipeline you didn't have to build. We identify and qualify the opportunities. You are not reading tender portals at half past ten at night.
- The bid written for you. Not reviewed, not coached — written. We need your technical input and evidence, not your evenings.
- No cost unless you win. No retainer and no subscription, so trying this costs you time and nothing else.
- The prime's paperwork handled. Contract management, reporting and client relationship sit with us, so you stay on delivery.
- Public sector references. Two or three delivered contracts change what you can bid for on your own afterwards.
- Non-exclusive. Exclusivity applies per bid, not to your business. Keep bidding elsewhere.
What we look for
- A real trading company. Active UK company or established sole trader with a clean filing history.
- Evidence you have done this before. At least two verifiable case studies or references. Public sector is a bonus, not a requirement.
- Insurance in place. Typically £2M public liability and £1M professional indemnity — the levels most public sector buyers ask for.
- Relevant accreditation. Where your category has one — an approved centre status, an awarding body registration — held and current.
- Honest capacity. A straight answer on how many delivery days you actually have. Overcommitting is the fastest way to lose a contract.
- Comfort with subcontracting. You deliver, we hold the contract. That arrangement needs to suit you.
Credentials
Where we are today, stated plainly.
Professional Indemnity
£1M — in progressPublic Liability
£2M — in progressCyber Liability
£1M — in progressCyber Essentials
Planned — IASMEICO Registration
Planned
Lentora is a new company and we are not going to claim otherwise. Insurance, Cyber
Essentials and ICO registration are being put in place ahead of our first contract
award — they are standard requirements on public sector tenders and no bid goes in
without them. ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 are on the roadmap for year two.
Our suppliers carry the subject-matter accreditation in their own field. Buyers
evaluate the consortium, not the prime in isolation.
Talk to us
Tell us what you deliver. We will tell you honestly whether there is a public sector market for it.
Direct
Response time
We reply to every enquiry within two working days.
Where we work
England and Wales, with Scottish and Welsh opportunities monitored alongside.
New to public sector bidding?
Our guides explain how UK procurement actually works — free, no sign-up, written for suppliers.