tendering for a contract

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jog

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After sub contracting for six yrs for a local authority on price plastering ,the time has come ,they say by law I have to tender for contract ,, first part which I'm doing now is pqq ,if I pass that hurdle ,it will be the tender , I've been told it is complicated pricing and the rest sh##in myself now ,any advice would be appreciated
 
Hi jog, I was in the same boat mate, gave up subbie work and starting dealing direct. Biggest prob I came across is cash flow, rates may be great but the time it takes to receive payment can cripple! Just be aware that it will take time to be able adjust to these forms of payment systems, get through that and your rolling.
 
then get around, main contractor discounts, rententions, cis deductions, contractor haggling, ridiculous heath and safety obligations, etc,etc its then a walk in the park.
 
I've been doing local authority grant work for a long time and had to go through the pqq tendering process last year it's a pain in the neck but had help to get through it from guy the council recommended.
Had to get h&s and asbestos courses up to date and raise liability insurance limits . Had to do it to stay on their books as only 20 firms were picked out of about 80 that applied for this area .
Just carried on as before and not tendered so far but still had loads of work offered and done for them.
I signed contracts last week so will have to do the on line tendering for work soon, but get loads of e mails from them offering help and local courses to get on top of it all.
They give a pricing schedule so you can see their rates and decide if its worth it for you .
 
i have none of the pissing around with my local council. they phone me up, tell me what they require, i send off a quote, they phone to give me the go ahead, i find out when the council meetings are, make sure i complete the works a few days before the meeting, send off my invoice, pick a cheque up from the treasurer a couple of days later. as you can see i am on the ball!
 
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i have none of the pissing around with my local council. they phone me up, tell me what they require, i send off a quote, they phone to give me the go ahead, i find out when the council meetings are, make sure i complete the works a few days before the meeting, send off my invoice, pick a cheque up from the treasurer a couple of days later. as you can see i am on the ball!
wish it was that easy malc kept me going now six yrs decent prices until our eastern EU pals stuck their oar in earned too much top shop said hold on a minute earning more than us
 
I've been doing local authority grant work for a long time and had to go through the pqq tendering process last year it's a pain in the neck but had help to get through it from guy the council recommended.
Had to get h&s and asbestos courses up to date and raise liability insurance limits . Had to do it to stay on their books as only 20 firms were picked out of about 80 that applied for this area .
Just carried on as before and not tendered so far but still had loads of work offered and done for them.
I signed contracts last week so will have to do the on line tendering for work soon, but get loads of e mails from them offering help and local courses to get on top of it all.
They give a pricing schedule so you can see their rates and decide if its worth it for you .
Yes we have a pricing schedule as well, but they want value for money ,and say not always the lowest price either ,so my plan is to sell myself to them and get a proof reader to glam it up
 
wish it was that easy malc kept me going now six yrs decent prices until our eastern EU pals stuck their oar in earned too much top shop said hold on a minute earning more than us

we just do their contracts, not full time.
 
Right lads won that contract ,thought I,d ask ye lads how the tax system works paying lads on the 20%
 
As an employer ,just enter them on your hmrc and deduct every month after the fifth and before 16th giving each a record of the deduction unless you are a ltd the your accountant can set it up differently
 
You'll need to look into it jog, it's all added layers of grief that's a definite
Going Ltd could cost you £1k a year in accountants fees alone, but they will tell you how to "manage" your tax affairs. Check hmrc for turnover test, which will allow you to be paid gross. Your guys will be labour only subbies
 
If you mainly do new build ,vat is good ,if not most customers do not want to pay the 20% added ,think the vat is 60k ,but not sure ,along time ago
 
If your dealing mostly with vat registered clients then I'd vat register regardless of your turnover being under the vat threshold.
The local authority payments should be regular right? And not 30 days etc. Makes planning your cash flow a bit easier, as vat has to be paid when due. Paying Labour only subsides is straightforward. If they want paid with no deductions they need to apply to hmrc to have their status changed.
Personally I don't mind having deductions when I'm sub, as the out of sight payments take the sting out the bill come payment time. speak to an accountant about Ltd etc
 
If your dealing mostly with vat registered clients then I'd vat register regardless of your turnover being under the vat threshold.
The local authority payments should be regular right? And not 30 days etc. Makes planning your cash flow a bit easier, as vat has to be paid when due. Paying Labour only subsides is straightforward. If they want paid with no deductions they need to apply to hmrc to have their status changed.
Personally I don't mind having deductions when I'm sub, as the out of sight payments take the sting out the bill come payment time. speak to an accountant about Ltd etc
Take it your not vat mate ?
 
not at moment Keithuk. Have been, killed the domestic work stone dead & gave me cash flow issues, when we had delays on jobs. Will have to go back to it soon.
 
not at moment Keithuk. Have been, killed the domestic work stone dead & gave me cash flow issues, when we had delays on jobs. Will have to go back to it soon.
Unless new build nil rated ,you will find it hard to compete with the 20% on top of your price
 
Don't listen to @johniosaif!! Here he is doing his new "knee friendly" business venture!!?? :-0
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