Post-Tender Negotiation (PTN): How to Prepare, Respond, and Protect Your Score
Post-tender negotiation isn’t a second competition. It’s due diligence. Commissioners use PTN to confirm feasibility, align assumptions, and document any clarifications before award. This guide shows how to prepare, respond, and finish with a clean, award-ready record.
If you’ve been invited to PTN and time is tight, we can help you shape a concise pack and rehearse responses via Bid Proofreading & Compliance Checks. For larger opportunities, our sector builds — Bid Writer – Home Care, Bid Writer – Learning Disability, and Bid Writer – Complex Care — ensure your delivery, safeguarding and mobilisation logic stand up under questioning.
🎯 What PTN Is (and Isn’t)
Is: A structured clarification after evaluation to confirm deliverability, risks, assumptions, and value for money. Notes are recorded and can form part of the contract clarification schedule.
Isn’t: A chance to introduce a new model, materially change price, or dilute commitments that affected scoring. Commissioners must preserve fairness and auditability.
🧭 The PTN Objectives (Commissioner Lens)
- Feasibility: Can the service start on time with safe staffing and systems?
- Assumptions: Are casemix, geography, and volumes understood?
- Risk: Are workforce, TUPE, digital/IG, medication, and escalation risks owned with mitigations?
- Value: Does the financial model remain viable, lawful and within scope?
- Clarity: Are any ambiguities resolved in writing for contract signature?
📦 Build a 6-Page PTN Pack (Reusable)
Keep it short, visual, and scorable. Aim for six pages:
- Summary & Assumptions (1 page): service description, volumes, geography, response times, inclusion/exclusion; list key assumptions (TUPE numbers, travel, night cover).
- Mobilisation Timeline (1 page): 0–8 weeks, gateways at Weeks 2/4, go-live checks, named owners.
- Workforce & Safer Staffing (1 page): pipeline/TUPE, skill mix, supervision cadence, relief pool, escalation on-call.
- Governance & Safety (1 page): incident loop, documentation audit cadence, safeguarding timescales, oversight by Nominated Individual (NI).
- Digital & IG (half page): DSPT ‘Standards Met’, role-based access, incident logging, action tracker sampling.
- Finance & Sensitivities (1.5 pages): price basis, wage/inflation inputs, travel and training allowances, scenario deltas (±10% volume), and what happens if a sensitivity triggers.
Appendices (optional): risk register, rota sample, training matrix snapshot, sample action tracker screenshot.
🧱 Answer PTN Using the Four-Line Scaffold
Use the same leadership tone you use in bids:
- Behaviour: “We run weekly practice reviews; actions logged same day.”
- Owners & cadence: “NI chairs monthly governance; safeguarding decision within 48–72 hours.”
- Evidence: “Q2 documentation compliance 96% (84% Q1); 100% incident triage in 72 hours last quarter.”
- Assurance: “Re-audit confirmed; themes shared in supervision and monthly brief.”
📋 Typical PTN Topics (and Sample Responses)
1) Mobilisation Readiness
Question: “What gives confidence you can start safely in Week 1?”
Response: “Daily huddles in Weeks 1–2; weekly Mobilisation Board; gateway checks at Weeks 2/4; mock-run before go-live. Week-6 re-audit confirms stability. One-page weekly dashboard shared with the commissioner.”
2) Workforce & TUPE
Question: “How will you manage unknown TUPE volumes?”
Response: “We modelled ±20% TUPE variance. Relief pool covers 10% swing; mentors ring-fenced in rota. If volumes exceed baseline, we extend agency quality sampling and trigger a short-term escalation rota until induction and sign-off are complete.”
3) PBS & Enablement
Question: “How early will enablement be visible?”
Response: “Visual schedules and graded exposure start in Week 2; enablement tracked monthly. Two people recently moved from 2:1→1:1 for community access within eight weeks, verified by observation and PBS review.”
4) Safeguarding
Question: “How do you guarantee timely decisions?”
Response: “Same-day alert; decision within 48–72 hours; quarterly sampling; one safeguarding reflection per staff member monthly. Escalation card is in induction.”
5) Digital & IG
Question: “What proves information governance in practice?”
Response: “DSPT ‘Standards Met’; role-based access; incident logs sampled monthly; action tracker flags overdue items; governance verifies closures.”
6) Finance & Value
Question: “What happens if travel inflation rises mid-year?”
Response: “Base price includes X pence/mile and Y% inflation. If fuel indices exceed Y% for Z months, we propose a joint review under the variation mechanism; mitigations include route clustering and rota optimisation.”
🧮 Pricing in PTN: What’s In-Scope?
PTN can tighten assumptions and arithmetic, but must not create a materially different offer. Safe adjustments include:
- Clarifying inputs: TUPE headcount, mileage zones, night premium rules.
- Arithmetic corrections: fixing transposition errors with audit trail.
- Scenario pricing already permitted: e.g., optional add-ons in the ITT.
Risky (usually out of scope): new service models, wholesale rate changes, or introducing dependencies that weren’t priced.
🧠 Risk Register (PTN Edition)
Bring a one-page risk register with owner, trigger, mitigation, and what happens if the trigger fires pre- or post-go-live:
- Workforce: spike in sickness → relief pool + on-call escalation; agency sampling tightened.
- PBS consistency: early drift → reflective huddles + observation + targeted supervision.
- Digital access: delayed credentials → backup paper protocol; data backfill within 48 hours.
- Medication: double-sign checks + early audit; errors reviewed in 72 hours.
🧩 Governance & Assurance in PTN
Signal steadiness with real routines, not policy recital:
- Weekly incident/audit/feedback review; actions logged and verified.
- Monthly governance chaired by NI; “what we learned” bulletin.
- Supervision as an assurance tool (reflective case + competence check).
📈 Social Value & Partnerships (Stay Measurable)
PTN sometimes touches social value delivery. Keep promises specific and countable:
- Two volunteer placements per quarter with local partners.
- 5% social enterprise spend; quarterly reporting on hours/spend/progression.
Link to governance so it reads as lived, not aspirational.
🗣️ Scripts You Can Borrow (PTN Phrasing)
On scope boundaries: “To remain within the ITT scope and fairness rules, we’ve kept our clarification to assumptions and arithmetic; the service model and offer remain as tendered.”
On uncertain TUPE: “Our price is based on X FTEs. We’ve modelled ±20%; if actuals vary, the relief pool and mentor rota maintain safety while we complete sign-off and induction.”
On inflationary pressure: “We’ve baked in Y% for year one. If the index exceeds that for Z months, we propose using the contract variation mechanism; our first action will be rota optimisation and clustering.”
On data readiness: “All staff will have role-based access at go-live; incident logging and dashboards are live by Week 2; governance samples closures monthly.”
📋 PTN Meeting Logistics (Small Things, Big Signals)
- People: Keep it lean: Registered Manager, Mobilisation Lead, Finance/Commercial, Quality Lead, and (if relevant) PBS Lead. Introduce the Nominated Individual at the start if present.
- Deck: 6 pages + appendix. Print a few copies. Bring a one-page handout with the gateway timeline.
- Time: Stick to the commissioner’s agenda; finish with a recap of clarified points and agreed actions.
- Record: Ask how notes will be shared; confirm any actions and dates in the room.
🧮 Finance & VFM: Keep It Defensible
Arrive with the spreadsheet that sits behind your rate. Know the three costs commissioners probe most often:
- Pay: base rate, differentials, enhancements (nights/weekends), on-costs.
- Non-pay: travel, training, digital licences, equipment.
- Overheads/margin: what’s included, what is risk-priced, sensitivity triggers.
Speak in inputs, not adjectives. Commissioners trust arithmetic and assumptions they can trace.
🧠 Legal & Compliance Boundaries (Stay Safe)
- Material change: Avoid altering your model or price in ways that could disadvantage others.
- Confidentiality: Don’t disclose competitor info if the commissioner accidentally reveals anything.
- Clarification record: Read and confirm the PTN notes; correct mis-statements immediately.
📘 Before/After — Converting a Weak PTN Answer
Before: “We will mobilise quickly with our experienced team.”
After: “Daily huddles Weeks 1–2; weekly Mobilisation Board; gateways at Weeks 2/4; mock-run before go-live; Week-6 re-audit; weekly one-page dashboard to the commissioner.”
🧭 10-Point PTN Checklist (0–2, target ≥17)
- Opener shows behaviour (not adjectives)
- Owners named; cadence visible
- Assumptions listed; in scope
- Mobilisation timeline with gateways
- Workforce/TUPE mitigation explained
- Safeguarding timescales stated
- Evidence anchored (time/source/place)
- Finance inputs traceable; sensitivities shown
- IG/traceability two-liner present
- Clarifications captured with agreed next steps
🚀 Close Strong (and Quiet)
End PTN with a short summary and ask the chair to confirm understanding:
“We’ve confirmed assumptions A–C, gateways at Weeks 2/4, and the TUPE mitigation path. Our offer remains as tendered. We’ll return the clarifications in writing within two working days.”
💼 Rapid Support Products (fast turnaround options)
- ⚡ 48-Hour Tender Triage
- 🆘 Bid Rescue Session – 60 minutes
- ✍️ Score Booster – Tender Answer Rewrite
- 🧩 Tender Answer Blueprint
- 📝 Tender Proofreading & Light Editing
- 🔍 Pre-Tender Readiness Audit
- 📁 Tender Document Review
🚀 Need a Bid Writing Quote?
If you’re exploring support for an upcoming tender or framework, request a quick, no-obligation quote. I’ll review your documents and respond with:
- A clear scope of work
- Estimated days required
- A fixed fee quote
- Any risks, considerations or quick wins
🔁 Prefer Flexible Monthly Support?
If you regularly handle tenders, frameworks or call-offs, a Monthly Bid Support Retainer may be a better fit.
- Guaranteed hours each month (1, 2, 4 or 8 days)
- Discounted day rates vs ad-hoc consultancy
- Use time flexibly across bids, triage, library updates, renewals
- One-month rollover (fair-use rules applied)
- Cancel anytime before next billing date
🚀 Ready to Win Your Next Bid?
Chat on WhatsApp or email Mike.Harrison@impact-guru.co.uk
Updated for Procurement Act 2023 • CQC-aligned • BASE-aligned (where relevant)