At start of each and every week we circulate an up to date list of tender opportunities, mostly from the public sector. These are a great chance to develop good working relationships with external partners and to engage with current issues facing the public sector, contribute to policy development and expand your research track record.

Unlike an open research call, there’ll be a much clearer description of the work that needs carrying out. Most often, the organisation commissioning the research will have a clear sense of the challenge/obstacle they have, but won’t have the internal expertise or capacity to tackle it themselves. They will be looking for an organisation that can:

• Devise a methodology that meets their needs and offers them value for money
• Provide access to the latest research in a format that’s easily understood and useful
• Offer them the additional value of working with experts in their field

The amount of freedom you’ll have in constructing your project will vary, depending on how much the commissioner has been able to pin down the service that they’re looking for. However prescriptive they are, it’s always worth considering what extra value you can add and what would set your response apart from other organisations.

As commissioned research means fitting in to an external organisation’s timelines, there’s often short deadlines for the submission of responses – especially when compared to big research funds. RIFS can help you put together your application and ease the pressure cause by a short deadline.

If you’re interested in learning more about responding to tenders or want to receive our weekly tender mailing list then get in touch.