If you have read my previous blog on whether you can use AI to write a tender, you will know my honest view. AI has its place in the tender writing process - but only if you know what you are doing and you understand what good looks like.
This blog is the practical follow-up. Not a step by step guide to outsourcing your tender to your favourite LLM, but a realistic look at where AI can genuinely support your bid writing process - and how to use it in a way that does not undermine your submission.
Before we get into it, one thing worth saying. The businesses that use AI well in tendering are not the ones who hand the whole thing over and hit submit. They are the ones who use it as one tool among several, with their own knowledge and judgement guiding every step.
Start with the tender documents - not the AI tool
Before you open an AI tool, read the tender documents. All of them.
This sounds obvious but it is where many submissions go wrong. The questions are only part of the picture. The specification tells you what the buyer actually needs. The evaluation criteria tell you how your response will be scored. The terms and conditions may include mandatory requirements that will disqualify you if you do not meet them.
You can use AI to help interrogate the documents - asking it to identify key requirements, evaluation criteria, or mandatory conditions. However, to do this effectively you need to provide a clear, detailed prompt and give AI a lot of context about your business. Without that context, AI will not know what to highlight or what is relevant to you specifically. And even with it, the output needs to be checked carefully by someone who understands the process.
It is also worth knowing that even on paid AI plans there are practical limitations. The size of document you can upload, the number of sources you can provide, and the processing capacity available can all vary - sometimes from day to day depending on demand. A lengthy tender specification may not upload in full, which means AI may be working with incomplete information without flagging that to you.
Before you upload anything - check the terms
This is something most people would not think to check - but it is important.
Some tender documents include confidentiality clauses that restrict how the information can be used or shared. Uploading a tender specification to an AI tool could, in some cases, put you in breach of those terms. If that happened, it could affect your bid or your relationship with the buyer.
Before you upload any tender document to an AI platform, read the terms of the procurement carefully. If you are in any doubt, do not upload it.
This sits alongside broader government guidance on the use of AI in procurement. PPN 017 aligns with the Procurement Act 2023 and addresses transparency around AI use in tendering. It asks buyers to be clear about how AI is used in the procurement process and encourages suppliers to do the same. If you are asked to declare whether you have used AI in preparing your response, answer honestly. Under current guidance, declarations of AI use are for information only and are not scored - but the integrity of your submission is your responsibility.
Data protection and legislation - what you need to know
Using AI tools in your tendering process is not just a practical question. It also raises some important considerations that are worth being aware of.
GDPR
If a tender document contains personal data - named individuals, staff details, references, or contact information - uploading it to an AI tool may raise data protection considerations under GDPR. Personal data should not be processed without a lawful basis, and consumer or free AI tools may not offer the data protection safeguards that a business handling personal data needs to have in place.
The practical advice is straightforward: if a document contains personal data, think carefully before uploading it to any AI platform. Enterprise versions of AI tools typically offer stronger data protection terms than free or consumer versions - but always check before you use them.
AI and the evaluation of your bid
Something that is worth bearing in mind as a supplier - buyers may also be using AI in how they evaluate tender responses. This is an emerging area, and practice will vary from buyer to buyer.
If you are unsure, it is worth asking. Some buyers will confirm whether AI will be used in the evaluation process and in what capacity. A buyer I am aware of was recently asked this question directly by a supplier and confirmed that AI would not be used in their evaluation. Knowing that information allows you to tailor your response accordingly.
Transparency around AI use in procurement is increasingly expected on both sides of the process - not just from suppliers.
A note on the legislative landscape
This is an area where guidance and practice are still developing. This blog gives you a practical overview rather than legal advice. If you have specific concerns about how AI regulation applies to your business, it is worth taking advice from a qualified professional.
Where AI can genuinely help
Once you have read the documents, understood the requirements, and checked that uploading is not an issue, there are specific points in the process where AI can add real value.
If you are staring at a blank page, AI can help you get words down quickly. Give it the question, tell it about your business and your relevant experience, and ask it to produce a first draft. Treat that draft as a starting point -- not a finished answer.
If you have written a draft but are not happy with how it reads, AI can help. It can tighten your sentences, improve the flow, and make your response easier to read without changing what you are saying.
Once you have a draft, it is worth asking AI to sense check it. Has it answered the question that was actually asked? Is it clear and specific? Is anything missing? This is a useful final step -- but not a substitute for reading it carefully yourself.
If the specification runs to many pages, AI can also help you pull out the key points quickly. Bear in mind the upload limitations mentioned earlier and always verify that the full document has been processed.
In every case, the output needs to be reviewed by you. AI does not know your business the way you do, and it cannot make the judgements that will determine whether your response scores well.
Getting it right
There is no shortcut to a winning tender -- and AI will not change that. What it can do, used carefully and with the right knowledge behind it, is make the process a little less daunting and a little more efficient.
The key word is carefully. Your submission represents your business. A buyer reading it should be in no doubt about who you are, what you have delivered, and why you are the right choice for this contract. That is something only you can bring to the page.
If you missed my first blog on whether you should use AI to write a tender, you can find it here.
Ready to use AI for your next tender?
Before you do, work through my free checklist - six things every small business should check before submitting an AI-assisted tender response.