Everything you need to know about how to get courier contracts in the UK

If you’re wondering how to get courier contracts in the UK, we can help. The courier industry has grown significantly in the last year and online deliveries are on the up. We’ve put together a blog for everything you need to know about how to get courier contracts in the UK.

Important points to consider

You may be wondering how to get courier contracts in the UK. Below are some points worth considering when it comes to tendering:

• Investment in technology

Technology is always growing and changing the way people and businesses operate. Whilst technology is shaping all industries, there are big changes in the logistics industry. More companies are being asked to provide evidence of their use of technology and what it can bring to buyers. Some examples of technology becoming more common in logistics include:

• Vehicle tracking software

 This is vital for couriers, as you are delivering goods from one place to another. No matter the size or value of the goods, this is a great piece of technology to invest in.

Buyers will ask for evidence of how you record how products are collected and delivered on time. Using a tracking system will show that you monitor and track all items in transit effectively. It also shows how you monitor your delivery times. This software is crucial in seeing success over your competitors. If you’re unable to demonstrate this, you may lose marks.

• Route optimisation software

This is a great way of how to get courier contracts in the UK. This is a great tool to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions. The buyer wants to know how you’re going to deliver items on time, factoring in traffic or other delays.

We are all becoming more aware of how our transport contributes to our overall carbon footprint. By having route optimisation software in place, you can show how you’re actively reducing your emissions.

If you deliver in busy cities such as London and Manchester, you’re more likely to face congestion. This becomes a major challenge when delivering goods.

• Elastic logistics

Simply, this term means the ability to expand and shrink logistics capabilities to align with current demands.

For example, this may involve products in demand or market fluctuations. For example, during the coronavirus outbreak, the demand for face coverings and hand sanitiser significantly rose.

A buyer wants to know how you will keep up with any market advancements or trends. You should have software in place to help you keep up with trends and demands.

Now you understand important factors of how to get courier contracts in the UK, how can you be successful?

Managing your journeys

As you’re a courier service, you need to demonstrate how you’re able to manage your journeys effectively. Some things to think about include:

• How will you coordinate your journeys?
• Will you use any technology to help with journeys?
• How is your system efficient and will it save you money?
• How will you deal with delays?
• How will you record delivered or collected items?

Read the tender documents carefully

If you don’t read through the tender documents thoroughly, you may misunderstand what the tender is asking for. You need to make sure you can meet the requirements. If you can’t, it isn’t worth bidding. Once you have read the documents you can decide whether or not you’re going to tender.

Answer the question in full

Leaving any questions blank or half answered doesn’t look good to the examiner. Not answering the question in full or at all will tell the examiner you aren’t capable of delivering the contract. If the questions are asking for a 4-page answer and you submit 1 page, you haven’t answered the question fully. The examiner is looking for a detailed answer. If you’re struggling to answer the question, break it down. If the question has 5 points to it, break it down into 5 smaller questions. This will help you answer the question better and consider all points.

Research your competitors

Understanding who you are up against when it comes to tendering allows you to plan your tendering approaches. Research your competitors and see what technology they use or what their Unique Selling Point (USP) is.

Proofreading

The final step of how to get courier contracts in the UK is proofreading your bid. Although the writing process is done, the work isn’t over yet. Before submitting your bid, check it and check it again. It’s easy to miss mistakes when typing a long document. The last thing you want to do is to submit a bid full of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. You could lose marks which could have easily been avoided. Ask someone else to take a look at the document to see if they spot anything you may have missed.

Transport Tenders

Still looking for ways of how to get courier contracts in the UK? A subscription to Transport Tenders could help. With time saved and numerous opportunities found, Transport Tenders can feed seamlessly into your business development strategy. With a subscription to the portal, you receive:

• Unlimited access to the Transport Tenders portal. Increase your chance of success.
• A dedicated Account Manager on hand to help you with any and all courier contracts in the UK.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation. Chat to one of our team about a courier contracts in the UK you’re interested in. We can provide expert advice, insight and guidance to support your tendering efforts.
• A daily email bulletin of all the logistics tenders published that day helping you stay ahead of the game.

Transport Tenders is a time-saving tool that allows you to focus on running your business, while we source tendering opportunities, directly relevant to your service offering. It’s because we’re passionate about business growth. Every company should have the chance to succeed – and we know that Transport Tenders will fit perfectly into your business growth strategy.

On Transport Tenders, we post contracts for:

• Courier services;
• Public transport;
• Transport services;
• Logistical planning consultancy;
• Recycling logistics;
• School taxi contracts;
• Bus tenders;
• and supply chain solutions.

Book a free live demo today for a quick tour of our portal. Get in touch to learn more about our bespoke bid writing services.