Tendering Toolkit
Disclaimer: These free tools, templates and calculators are provided for general guidance only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or other professional advice. Figures, rates and regulations change, so always check that any information is current and suitable for your own business before relying on it. Contract and terms templates should be reviewed by a suitably qualified adviser before use. Content produced using our AI tools should always be checked for accuracy. Trade Skills Hub Academy accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of these tools, except where such liability cannot be excluded by law.
Free Winning Work Toolkit
39 free policies, method statements, business forms and records from Winning Work – The Tradesman’s Complete Guide to Tendering
Commercial clients, local authorities, housing associations and main contractors all want the same thing before they give you work: proof that your business is properly run. That means written policies, risk assessments and method statements, and records showing your staff are trained, your equipment is checked and your subcontractors are insured.
Plenty of good tradespeople lose out on this work, or never try for it, because they don’t have the paperwork ready. It isn’t that the work is beyond them. The documents a client asks for take time to write from scratch, and it is hard to know what they should say.
This toolkit gives you that paperwork ready-made. Add your business name and logo, adapt each document to the way you actually work, and you will have a professional set of documents ready for pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs), approved contractor applications and tenders.
Every document comes from Winning Work – The Tradesman’s Complete Guide to Tendering. The book explains what clients ask for, why they ask for it and how to use these documents to win the work.
What's in the toolkit
All the documents are in Word, so you can edit them. The forms, records and policy packs each come with a Start Here guide explaining how to use them.
14 business forms
Including risk assessment, RAMS, COSHH, accident reporting and the Commercial Contractor Pack
10 business records
Registers for training, suppliers, subcontractors, vehicles, equipment and fire safety
6 method statement templates
For electrical, plumbing, cleaning, decorating, grounds maintenance and general building work
9 policy templates
The policies clients ask for most, including health and safety, quality, environmental and GDPR
How to get the toolkit
Fill in the short form below and you will get access to every free tool on the Trade Skills Hub Academy website. That includes this toolkit and the free toolkits for our books on pricing for profit, estimating and marketing. It costs nothing.
Getting ready for your first tender? Start here
1. Open the Commercial Contractor Pack to see the information commercial clients usually ask for, and fill in your introduction document.
2. Adapt the Health and Safety Policy first, then the other policies a client is likely to ask for, such as quality, environmental and GDPR.
3. Take the method statement for your trade and use it with the Risk Assessment Form or the RAMS Form.
4. Set up your Employee Training Matrix, Approved Subcontractor Register and Document Register, so you can show your records are in order.
5. Start using the forms day to day, so you have a record of what you do when a client asks for evidence.
Section 1 – Business Forms
14 Business Forms
Forms you fill in each time something happens: a new job, an accident, a toolbox talk, a complaint or a new starter. Using the same forms every time means the right information gets recorded, and you have the evidence to hand when a client, insurer or inspector asks for it.
| No. | Business Form | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Accident Report Form | Records accidents, injuries and incidents at work so they can be investigated and referred back to later. |
| 02 | Near Miss Report Form | Records incidents that could have caused injury, damage or loss, so you can stop them happening again. |
| 03 | Risk Assessment Form | Identifies the hazards on a job, assesses the risks and records the control measures you will use. |
| 04 | Method Statement Template | Sets out, step by step, how a task will be carried out safely. |
| 05 | COSHH Assessment Form | Records the hazardous substances you use and the controls needed to protect your staff and others. |
| 06 | PPE Issue Record | Records the personal protective equipment issued to each employee, with their signature to confirm they received it. |
| 07 | Training Record Form | Keeps a record of each employee’s training, qualifications and competence. |
| 08 | Site Inspection Form | Records routine site inspections, any problems found and the action needed to put them right. |
| 09 | Customer Complaint Form | Records customer complaints and takes you through investigating and resolving them. |
| 10 | Corrective Action Form | Records problems found in the business and the action taken to stop them happening again. |
| 11 | Toolbox Talk Record | Records each toolbox talk delivered, with signatures confirming who attended and understood it. |
| 12 | Employee Induction Form | Records a new employee’s induction, so you can show the key company information was covered. |
| 13 | RAMS Form (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) | Combines a risk assessment and method statement in one document, for higher-risk work or where a client asks for both together. |
| 14 | Commercial Contractor Pack | A ready-to-fill introduction document for commercial clients, plus a simple structure for replying when you are invited to apply for approved contractor status or bid for a contract. |
Section 2 – Business Records
10 Business Records
Registers you keep and update as the business goes on. Unlike the forms, they aren’t filled in for a single event. They give a client an at-a-glance picture of how you manage your people, your suppliers and subcontractors, your vehicles and your equipment, and they remind you when training, servicing or checks are due.
| No. | Business Record | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Employee Training Matrix | Records each employee’s qualifications, training completed, expiry dates and future training needs. |
| 02 | Approved Supplier List | Keeps a list of the suppliers you have approved, so materials and services come from businesses you trust. |
| 03 | Approved Subcontractor Register | Records your approved subcontractors with their contact details, competence, insurance and qualifications. |
| 04 | Vehicle Register | Records details of each company vehicle, including registration, servicing and inspections. |
| 05 | Plant and Equipment Register | An inventory of your plant, tools and equipment with identification and maintenance details. |
| 06 | Equipment Calibration Register | Records equipment that needs regular calibration or accuracy checks, with the dates they are due. |
| 07 | Emergency Contact List | Keeps emergency contact details for employees, the emergency services and key business contacts in one place. |
| 08 | First Aid Register | Records where first aid kits are kept, who your appointed first aiders are and what first aid resources you have. |
| 09 | Fire Extinguisher Register | Records where each fire extinguisher is, when it was inspected and when it was serviced. |
| 10 | Document Register | A master list of your company documents, with their reference numbers, versions, issue dates and review dates. |
Section 3 – Method Statement Templates
6 Method Statement Templates
Ready-to-adapt method statements for six trades. Each one has sections for the project details, scope of work, sequence of works, equipment and PPE, hazards and controls, emergency procedures and sign-off. A method statement must describe the actual job and site, so use these as your starting point and change them to match the work you are doing.
| No. | Method Statement | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Electrical Work | For electrical installation, maintenance, inspection, testing and repair, including safe isolation and proving dead. |
| 02 | Plumbing Work | For plumbing installation, maintenance and repair, including isolating supplies and pressure testing. |
| 03 | Cleaning | For commercial and domestic cleaning, including warning signs, cleaning products and waste disposal. |
| 04 | Decorating | For internal and external decorating, including protecting the work area, surface preparation and drying times. |
| 05 | Grounds Maintenance | For grounds maintenance work, including hazard checks and setting up an exclusion zone. |
| 06 | General Building Work | For general building and maintenance work, from site induction to leaving the site safe. |
Section 4 – Policy Templates
9 Policy Templates
The written policies commercial clients, local authorities and housing associations ask for most often at pre-qualification stage. Each one is laid out professionally with document control, ready for you to add your business details and adapt to the way you work. The blank Policy Template lets you write any other policy a client asks for in the same style.
| No. | Policy | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Health and Safety Policy | Sets out your commitment to a safe working environment and to meeting health and safety law. |
| 02 | Quality Policy | Sets out your commitment to good workmanship, customer satisfaction and continual improvement. |
| 03 | Environmental Policy | Explains how your business keeps its impact on the environment down and works responsibly. |
| 04 | Equality and Diversity Policy | Sets out your commitment to equal opportunities and to preventing discrimination at work. |
| 05 | GDPR Policy | Explains how your business collects, stores, uses and protects personal data under UK data protection law. |
| 06 | Modern Slavery Policy | Confirms your commitment to preventing modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in your business and supply chain. |
| 07 | Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy | Sets out your zero-tolerance approach to bribery, corruption and unethical business practice. |
| 08 | Complaints Procedure | Sets out a clear, fair process for receiving, investigating and resolving customer complaints. |
| 09 | Policy Template | A blank master template for writing any other policies you need, in the same layout and with the same document control. |
About the book
Winning Work – The Tradesman’s Complete Guide to Tendering
A complete guide to tendering for trade contractors who want to win work from the public and private sectors. It covers finding contracts, pre-qualification, putting together your documents, pricing and writing your tender, and what happens after you submit.
The book follows one fictional contractor, Bright Spark Electrical Services Ltd, through a real-world bid for a housing association contract, so you can see every stage of a tender being put together.
Written by Paul Lewis, a time-served electrician with more than 40 years in the trade. He ran his own NICEIC approved electrical contracting business for over 20 years, winning contracts with BT, British Rail and London local authorities, and later wrote contracts and specifications for a local authority.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Fill in the sign-up form once and you can download everything on this page at no cost.
No. Each document works on its own. The book explains what clients look for and how to use the documents in a tender, so you will get more from them if you have it.
No. They are templates, not finished documents. Add your business name and logo, replace the placeholder text and change each document so it describes how your business actually works. A client will spot a policy or method statement that has been copied without being adapted.
Not always. Which policies you need depends on the size of your business and what each client asks for. Some are legal requirements once you reach a certain size, while others are simply expected by many commercial clients. Start with the ones your clients ask for.
All the documents are Word files. If you do not have Microsoft Office, you can open them in Google Docs or the free LibreOffice Writer.
The documents are written for the UK and refer to UK law, such as health and safety and data protection law. The layout and approach will still help, but you will need to change the legal references to those that apply in your country.
These documents are templates to help you prepare your own. They are not legal advice. You are responsible for making sure your documents reflect your business and meet the legal, contractual and client requirements that apply to you. If you are unsure, get professional advice.
