United Kingdom · notice literacy · ITT pack boundary
Notice-visible gates vs pack-only gates
Most SMEs download ITT packs they should have killed from the notice page alone — or skip a good lot because they assumed turnover detail was missing when it was never going to appear on the URL. This guide separates what Contracts Finder and Find a Tender publish on the notice HTML from what only lives inside the pack. For facilities, cleaning and trades SMEs on roughly £10k–£250k lots. Informational only — not procurement or legal advice.
Free weekly · £19/mo daily · £9.99 memo · £29.99 pack
Why the split matters
Every bid/no-bid decision runs the same gates — clock, trade fit, geography, insurance, TUPE, turnover, incumbent, framework access. The question is where each gate gets its evidence.
- Notice-visible gates can be marked Pass, Fail or Unknown from the published notice URL — before you register on a buyer portal or download documents.
- Pack-only gates stay Unknown on the notice. You need the ITT, SQ or buyer attachments — or a £29.99 pack memo after you forward them.
Confusing the two wastes time: downloading packs for notices you could Fail on geography, or ordering a £9.99 memo expecting full turnover detail that only appears in the SQ. See also when a notice match needs a memo.
Notice-visible gates — kill early from the URL
On a typical Contracts Finder or Find a Tender notice page, these gates often have enough text to decide without the pack:
| Gate | What to read on the notice | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Clock / deadline | Submission date and time (BST), enquiry window if printed | Fail if you cannot resource in time |
| Trade fit / CPV | Title, description, CPV code — does it match what you deliver? | Fail if “cleaning” means a bundled FM lot you do not hold |
| Geography | Region, site list, “must attend” locations if named | Fail if sites are outside your travel-to-work |
| SME flag | SME suitability or contract value band | Pass or Fail against your scale policy |
| Framework / DPS | “Call-off from framework”, “DPS mini-comp”, panel-only wording | Fail if you are not on the named framework |
| Stated insurance | PL or other limits printed on notice HTML | Fail if stated minimum exceeds your cover — see PL on soft FM notices |
| Stated accreditations | ISO, CHAS, SafeContractor if named on notice | Fail if you lack a stated mandatory cert |
| TUPE mention | Staff-transfer wording in description | Fail if TUPE is a hard no — see TUPE wording cues |
| Turnover (if printed) | Explicit minimum turnover or 2× rule on notice | Fail if you fail the stated multiple — see turnover on notices |
| Incumbent hint | Renewal language plus your own Award Notice search | Pass / Fail / Unknown — see find incumbent guide |
Run these in a ten-minute notice read before you touch the pack.
Pack-only gates — Unknown until the ITT or SQ
These gates commonly stay blank on the notice page. BidFit marks them Unknown on a £9.99 memo unless the buyer pasted the detail on the URL:
- Full insurance stack — multiple limits (PL, PI, EL), endorsements, period of cover.
- Turnover multiples — when the notice says “see SQ” or is silent; the 2× rule may apply but your filed accounts comparison needs the pack schedule.
- TUPE detail — headcount, current pay, pension liabilities, ELI requirements.
- Scoring weights — price vs quality split, social value points, incumbent advantage.
- Method statements and tickets — height access, IRATA, IPAF, sector-specific method asks.
- Site visits and mandatory briefings — dates that are not on the notice HTML.
- Portal steps — registration, two-stage SQ, document passwords.
“See ITT pack” is not a Fail — it is Unknown. Do not guess a £5m PI limit from what other councils usually ask.
Decision tree — digest, £9.99, pack download, £29.99
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Discovery. A notice arrives from portal alerts or the free weekly digest / £19/month daily list. Open the URL.
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Ten-minute triage. Run notice-visible gates. Obvious Fail → discard, no pack, no memo.
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Survived triage, pack-only Unknowns do not matter yet. Order £9.99 public-notice memo if someone will ask for a sourced Go / No-go before bid-writing spend. The memo covers notice-visible gates and marks pack-only rows Unknown.
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Survived triage, pack-only gates could kill the bid. Download the ITT yourself, or order £29.99 pack memo after you forward the pack. Use when insurance schedules, turnover tables or TUPE detail must be filled.
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Verdict Go. You still need a bid writer — in-house or hired. BidFit does not write the response.
What BidFit will not do
- Not bid writing. Filling pack-only gates does not write your method statement or price schedule.
- Not invent Unknowns. We do not assume turnover or insurance from sector norms.
- Not open buyer portals for you. Pack memos need the ITT you forward.
Questions
What can I check on a Contracts Finder notice without downloading the ITT pack?
On the published notice page you can usually read the deadline, buyer, title, description, CPV, value band, procedure type, SME flag, geography if printed, framework wording, and any insurance or accreditation minimums on the notice HTML. These are notice-visible gates.
What stays Unknown until I open the ITT pack?
Pack-only gates include the full insurance schedule, detailed turnover multiples unless on the notice, TUPE headcount, scoring weights, method-statement requirements, and mandatory site visits. BidFit marks these Unknown on a £9.99 memo unless the buyer pasted them on the notice page.
When should I buy the £9.99 memo versus the £29.99 pack memo?
Buy £9.99 when you want a sourced Go / No-go on notice-visible gates. Buy £29.99 only when pack-only gates must be filled from the ITT or SQ you forward. Neither writes the bid.
Does BidFit guess pack-only gates from industry norms?
No. Unknown stays Unknown. If the notice does not state a limit and the pack is not opened, we do not invent one from sector averages.
More guides
All BidFit guides: /guides/. Ten-minute triage: how to read a tender notice in ten minutes. Memo vs digest: when a match needs a memo. Bid/no-bid checklist: bid/no-bid decision for UK SMEs. Turnover gates: turnover requirements on notices. PL limits: PL and insurance on soft FM notices. Framework call-offs: framework call-offs vs open tenders.
Start with discovery, decide on one notice
Take the free weekly list. When a named notice survives triage and you want notice-visible gates sourced before bid-writing spend, order a £9.99 memo.