Instructions to tenderers (ITT)
The instructions to tenderers set the rules of a UK tender: documents to submit, deadline, award criteria. How to read them so your bid is not rejected.
Updated on September 5, 2026
The instructions to tenderers, usually shortened to ITT and sometimes called conditions of tender or bidder guidance, is the document in the tender pack that sets the rules of the tender exercise: who may bid, what has to be submitted, in what form, by when, and how tenders will be assessed. It is the instruction manual for responding to a public contract.
How it works
The buyer writes it and it binds every bidder. Under the Procurement Act 2023 the tender notice and the associated tender documents must describe the procedure the authority intends to run and the criteria against which tenders will be assessed, and it is the instructions that carry most of that detail (verified 2026-09-05, sections 20, 21 and 23 of the Act). They normally set out:
- the subject of the contract, its duration, its division into lots and the procedure chosen (below threshold, open or competitive flexible);
- the tender deadline and how to submit through the eTendering portal;
- the selection stage documents, typically a standard selection questionnaire or the supplier information requirements, and then the tender itself: the form of tender, the pricing schedules and the method statement;
- the award criteria and their weightings, including social value and any sub-criteria;
- whether variant bids are allowed, whether there will be negotiation, a dialogue stage or interviews, and the rules for consortium bids;
- the tender validity period, the clarification question window and the standstill arrangements.
Part of the same information appears in the tender notice. Where the two conflict, the buyer must put it right by publishing a clarification or amendment to all bidders, not by an answer to one of them.
What it means for a bidder
The instructions are the first document to read, before the specification. A bid that breaks their formal requirements can be set aside without being scored: a missing certificate, a method statement over the page limit, a late upload, a file format the portal rejects.
Build a checklist from them: every document requested, its format, its page or word limit, who has to sign it. Read the criteria paragraph closely, because it tells you where to spend your effort. A quality criterion weighted at 60 % justifies a carefully written method statement; a price criterion at 70 % calls for a sharp number.
Check the points that shape your strategy too: whether you may bid for a single lot, whether variants are accepted, whether a pricing template must be used unaltered, and whether a site visit or supplier day is mandatory.
Example
Mereworth District Council tenders a four-year catering contract for its schools, estimated at £750,000. The instructions set price at 40 %, quality at 45 % scored on a method statement of twenty pages maximum, and social value at 15 %. They forbid variants and require a kitchen visit before a stated date. A local catering SME that skips the visit sees its bid rejected, however good the rest of it is.
Frequently asked questions
Is a separate instructions document compulsory?
No. Below threshold a buyer may simply send a short brief by email or through the portal. In practice nearly every published tender has one.
What happens if my bid does not comply?
It is likely to be treated as non-compliant and set aside. The buyer may allow a clarification in some cases, but it is not obliged to, and it cannot accept a late tender.
Can the instructions change during the tender?
Yes, by a clarification or an amended notice issued to all bidders, with the deadline extended where the change is material.