Bidding for public sector work? How a mentor can support you

The Help to Grow: Management Course is a government-funded, 12-week course with a combination of online sessions and face-to-face learning delivered by business schools. Businesses with five or more employees can receive expert mentoring to aid their future growth.

Mentorship is a crucial element of the course. Mentors provide insight and expertise into business processes and management, act as a personal sounding board and encourage their mentees to think creatively. They also help mentees work towards a growth action plan for their business.

Here, we spotlight a business owner who has prospered since being matched to a mentor of their own through the Help to Grow: Management Course platform.

Sarah Plummer is a PR and marketing consultant and director at sarahBee marketing. Sarah sought a mentor to help her win tenders for her business consortium, The Consortium (East) Ltd, of which her company is a member.

How did your business start, and what key steps have you taken to get where you are now?

The Consortium (East) Ltd is a group of professional business consultants, coaches and mentors who design and deliver business support programmes which are public sector-funded (like the UK Shared Prosperity Fund).

From 2007 to 2017, Essex County Council engaged Graham Broughton and I as independent consultants to deliver the successful Essex Innovation Programme. When that programme ended, Graham and I created the Consortium.

The Consortium now has seven members and is continuing to grow. After many years of brand-building, networking, pitching and submitting formal tenders, we're approved suppliers to over 10 public sector organisations.

The criteria to become a supplier to the public sector is extremely selective, based on things like skill, expertise, experience, price, innovation, reputation and much more. The Consortium (East) Ltd has built a reputation for excellence.

What challenges did you face before working with a mentor?

The process of writing tenders involves a great deal of effort, and it's a skill to be able to respond to a tender within the prescribed number of words, while making the key benefits clear and relevant.

We thought we knew what the procurement team wanted to see in our tender, but could never be sure. We lost a couple of tenders that we were favourites to win and we weren't sure exactly why. I wanted a mentor to help me analyse and understand the reasoning.

Small businesses see significant development through mentoring: Become a mentor and provide 10 hours of one-to-one support. Find out more

What specific areas of the business did you need a mentor to help you with?

Tender responses and getting in the mindset of public sector procurement officers to ascertain where they see value in the submissions they receive.

How has working with your mentor helped you reach your goals?

As a local authority employee, my mentor had direct experience of procurement and tender analysis – she could give direct input "from the other side of the fence".

Which key metrics have improved most since you took part in the mentoring?

• Our sales have increased by 80% as we've been more successful with our recent tender submissions.

• We've increased our team of staff to seven people – and we're still growing.

• We've added skills training and brokerage to our core offering.

• We won a tender to design and deliver a two-day Digital Skills Showcase for Braintree District Council in Autumn 2024.

Which parts of your business have been affected most, and how?

Tendering. I now have a clear understanding of the type of background information and KPIs that procurement teams appreciate when considering a tender.

Finally, what's the main thing you've learned so far from your sessions with your mentor?

Data and KPIs are crucial when you submit a tender. My mentor also encouraged us to use an organisation chart in tenders, as well as delivery plans and infographics that show key KPI information.

Want to help a small business grow?

Being a mentor goes far beyond the rewarding feeling of 'giving back'. Mentors gain a range of personal development benefits from the experience.

Become a voluntary mentor for the Help to Grow: Management Course and commit 10 hours over 12 weeks to support businesses with their growth action plan. Sign up today

The national mentoring element of the Help to Grow: Management Course is being delivered by a partnership of Newable, Enterprise Nation and the Association of Business Mentors on behalf of the Department for Business & Trade.