Most painting contractors who lose tenders assume it’s down to price. In reality, most public sector and commercial bids are scored across three areas: quality, price and social value.
Price matters, but it rarely wins on its own.
Where contractors fall short is in the quality and social value sections, where the majority of marks are often allocated. If your submission doesn’t give the commissioner confidence across all three areas, it doesn’t matter how competitive your price is.
GME Group has recently bid for 12 commercial painting contracts and secured 10. The two we didn’t win were lost on scoring, not cost.
Here’s what that tells us about what actually wins work.
The quality section is where tenders are won or lost.
When commissioners review your method statements, they're assessing risk. The person marking your submission has likely dealt with missed programmes, poor communication or contractors overpromising and underdelivering.
Every quality question is really asking: “If something goes wrong, how will this contractor manage it?”
Submissions that score highly demonstrate:
The stronger your quality response, the more confidence you build, and that’s where the biggest percentage of marks usually sits.
Price is important, but it’s only one part of the equation
Yes, price is scored. But it’s typically a fixed percentage of the overall evaluation, and once you’re within a competitive range, it’s rarely the deciding factor.
A low price without supporting quality introduces risk.
Commissioners will often favour a contractor who demonstrates:
… over one who is simply the cheapest.
Price wins you consideration. Quality wins you confidence.
SafeContractor, CHAS, Constructionline, CSCS, IPAF, PASMA, DBS - these are expected.
They are baseline compliance.
They don’t score highly on their own because they don’t show how you operate day-to-day. Commissioners want to understand:
That level of detail sits firmly in the quality scoring, not compliance.
It’s no longer enough to deliver well, you have to evidence it properly.
Across frameworks and housing contracts, commissioners expect:
Submissions that clearly define how this is managed, who owns it, and what systems are used consistently outperform those that treat reporting as an afterthought.
Social value now carries real percentage weighting in most tenders. It's a scored section that can directly impact whether you win or lose.
Commissioners are assessing what you bring beyond the contract:
At GME, our approach is simple: make it measurable. Instead of broad statements, we commit to:
Structured, evidenced commitments are what score well here.
Winning tenders aren’t built on one strength, they’re balanced across:
The contractors who consistently win frameworks understand this balance and treat the tender as the start of a long-term relationship, not a one-off transaction.
Because ultimately, commissioners also remember whether you delivered what you said you would on previous contracts.
And that's what wins the next contract.
Planning your next commercial painting tender? Get in touch using the form below and the team will be happy to talk through how we can support your project.
Mr Samuel David Peel, trading as CP Business Finance (FRN: 1034961), is an appointed representative of White Rose Finance Group Limited (FRN: 630772), which is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. CP Business Finance acts as a credit broker, not a lender. Please consider borrowing decisions carefully — property or other assets offered as security may be at risk if you cannot keep up with repayments.
