How to Spot Growth Gaps in Your Service Before the Next Tender Drops
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Most providers don’t look for growth gaps until a tender forces their hand.
But by then, you’re scrambling — or worse, reshaping your entire model to chase a contract.
Here’s the truth: Commissioners are already watching.
They’re shaping future tenders based on what they see — strengths, weaknesses, gaps in the market.
So the real question is:
Can you spot the gaps before they do?
🔍 What Is a Growth Gap?
A growth gap is the distance between:
- What your service delivers today, and
- What you’ll need to deliver tomorrow to stay competitive and relevant
In tenders, these gaps show up as missed scores, vague responses, or “we plan to...” phrases that signal risk.
📉 The Cost of Waiting for the Specification
If you only start assessing your service when the tender drops, you’ll be:
- Rushing to retrofit solutions
- Overpromising without the infrastructure
- Losing out to competitors who did the work 6–12 months earlier
Commissioners want evidence of readiness — not intentions.
🧠How to Spot Growth Gaps Early
Here’s how to get ahead:
- Review recent tenders: What trends are emerging in commissioning priorities?
- Analyse competitor strengths: What are others offering that you’re not?
- Talk to your frontline staff: They know where the pressure points are.
- Use your feedback data: Look for consistent themes in complaints or compliments.
- Ask your local authority contacts: What upcoming needs are they hearing about?
This is the work most providers don’t make time for — and the reason some services consistently lose out.
🚀 Want Help Identifying Your Growth Gaps?
Our Strategic Reviews are designed for exactly this.
We assess your current service, risks, and readiness — then help you build a focused plan to grow into what commissioners will need next.