Variant bid
A variant bid offers a different solution from the one specified in a tender. When alternatives are allowed in the UK and how to present one.
Updated on September 5, 2026
A variant bid, also called an alternative tender or alternative bid, is a tender that proposes a different solution from the one the buyer described in the tender documents while meeting the same need: another material, another method, another way of organising delivery. It lets a company sell what it is good at instead of pricing someone else's design.
How it works
The Procurement Act 2023 has no separate regime for variants. What it does is let the authority design its own competitive flexible procedure and require it to publish the procedure and the award criteria up front (verified 2026-09-05, sections 20 and 23 of the Act). In practice, therefore, alternatives are allowed only where the instructions to tenderers or the tender notice say so, because otherwise there is nothing in the published rules to score them against.
Where alternatives are invited, the documents should state the minimum requirements a variant must satisfy, how it is to be presented, and whether a compliant bid against the base specification must also be submitted. Variants are then assessed against the same criteria and weightings as everyone else's tender: an authority cannot invent a separate scoring scheme for them after the event.
Below threshold, and in the lighter procedures buyers design for themselves, there is more latitude, and many small tenders simply invite suppliers to propose a better way of doing the job. Scotland and Ireland keep the older wording drawn from the EU directives, under which variants must be authorised in the contract notice and linked to the subject matter of the contract.
Do not confuse a variant, which is your initiative, with an option or a priced extra defined by the buyer, which every bidder has to price on the same terms.
What it means for a bidder
A variant is a real differentiator for an SME with a particular technique or a better product. It is the way to offer something cheaper, faster or more durable than the specification assumes, and often the way to win on quality rather than on price.
Before you start, confirm that alternatives are accepted, read the minimum requirements carefully, and follow the presentation rules exactly. If a compliant base bid is also required, price it too, or the whole submission may be rejected. Present the variant separately and unmistakably: its own form of tender or clearly labelled section, its own pricing, its own method statement.
Explain precisely how the variant meets the need and what it gives the buyer. The evaluators have to score it against the published criteria without guessing, and a variant that forces them to work it out will lose to one that spells it out. Where alternatives are not invited, ask the question during the clarification window rather than submitting one anyway.
Example
A district council tenders the construction of an 80-space car park, estimated at £320,000, with an asphalt surface in the specification. The instructions accept alternatives provided capacity and accessibility are unchanged. A civils contractor submits a compliant asphalt bid and a variant using permeable block paving, 8 % dearer but scoring better on the environmental criterion because of surface water infiltration. The council awards the variant.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit a variant without a compliant bid?
Only if the instructions say a base bid is not required. If there is any doubt, submit both.
Does the buyer have to evaluate my variant?
Yes, where alternatives are invited and yours meets the minimum requirements and the presentation rules. It must be scored against the same criteria as every other tender.
Can a variant be about price alone?
No. A variant means a different technical or organisational solution. A simple discount is a price, not a variant.