Upcoming Tender Training Opportunities for Local Suppliers
Do you know local businesses or social enterprises that could fulfil some of the contract opportunities below or would benefit from our free tender training? Please share these upcoming tender training webinars with your network, supply chain, and local suppliers:
1.1 Working with the Public Sector - All You Need to Know
Thursday 16 July 2026, 1:30-3:00pm
Webinar
New to bidding, tendering and procurement? Join this introductory course to gain a comprehensive overview of the public sector marketplace in Scotland and beyond.
Quick Quotes Made Easy
Tuesday 21 July 2026, 10:30am-12:00pm
Webinar
Quick Quote is an online quotation facility within Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), that enables buyers to request competitive quotes electronically for low value purchases. Join our webinar to find how you can increase your chances of being invited to Quote.
1.2 Using Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) – How to Find and Bid for Opportunities
Wednesday 22 July 2026, 2:00-3:30pm
Webinar
Join this webinar to learn everything you need to know about Public Contracts Scotland, the national public sector tender portal for Scotland.
1.3 Getting Your Business Tender Ready - The Checklist
Thursday 30 July 2026, 2:00-3:30pm
Webinar
Knowing what your business needs to have in place before you start tendering is the foundation to success. This webinar will provide you with an easy to use checklist and description of all the policies, processes and evidence you need to have ready before you bid on an opportunity.
1.4 Planning Your Bid – Time and Resources
Tuesday 4 August 2026, 2:00-3:30pm
Webinar
The biggest learning curve in tendering is understanding the time, energy and resources that go into creating a winning bid. This webinar will walk you through the steps of how to plan and manage your bid, making it as stress free as possible.
1.5 Pricing Your Tender – A Sustainable Approach
Thursday 6 August 2026, 10:30am-12:00pm
Webinar
Do you find the pricing element of your bid challenging or is it a stab in dark, then let’s shine a little light on it! ? During this course, an SDP expert will help you to overcome the common challenges faced by suppliers and explain how your pricing is evaluated by public sector buyers
2.1 Passing the Selection Stage – The Single Procurement Document (SPD)
Wednesday 12 August 2026, 2:00-3:30pm
Webinar
During this webinar we take an in-depth look at the Single Procurement Document (SPD), which was formerly known as the ESPD and PQQ. Attend this course to gain tips and hints that will help you ace this first step and move forward in the bidding process.
Aligned Tender Training: SLC Carer Support Services for Adult and Young Carers
How to use PCS & PCS-t to bid for this SLC opportunity electronically
Thursday 13 August 2026, 2:00-3:30pm
Webinar
South Lanarkshire Council is seeking to work in partnership with experienced third sector organisations to deliver cost?effective, outcome?based Adult Carer and Young Carer Support Services, in line with the priorities set out in the Carers Strategy 2023–2026.
2.2 How to Write Outstanding Tenders - The Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage
Thursday 20 August 2026, 10:00-11:30am
Webinar
Bidding is all about getting the right words on the page and getting a compliant bid submitted on time. This webinar will demonstrate how to use PCS and PCS-T and will also look at how to construct excellent responses to buyers' questions.
Inverclyde Meet the Buyer
Tuesday 25 August 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm
SDP Event
Inverclyde Council, in partnership with Supplier Development Programme, invite local businesses and third sector organisations to a Meet the Buyer event, on Tuesday 25 August 2026, at the Beacon Arts Centre.
What is a Meet the Buyer event?
Meet the Buyer events are an opportunity for suppliers to introduce themselves to public sector buyers and private sector primary contractors to learn about new projects, contracts, framework opportunities and supply chain opportunities. For buyers, these events enable them to increase their pool of potential suppliers and widen their supply chains. Overall, Meet the Buyer events offer suppliers a great opportunity to network.
Whatever the size of a business, Meet the Buyer events are useful to attend when considering bidding for future contracting opportunities, as they are specifically designed to help suppliers with the tendering process. Meet the Buyer events can help suppliers understand what the buyers are looking for, introduce them to innovative goods, works and services, and can give suppliers insight on how bids are and will be evaluated from a procurement perspective. Meet the Buyer events also offer the opportunity to engage with business support initiatives, such as the Supplier Development Programme, local authority economic development representatives and Business Gateway representatives.
