What Thornton & Lowe does

Thornton & Lowe Limited is a UK-based bid writing and tender management consultancy headquartered in Bolton, Greater Manchester, serving businesses seeking to win public and third sector contracts. Founded in 2009 and operating under Company No. 07600205, the company runs a directly-employed team of bid professionals who provide end-to-end tender support, including bid writing, bid management, bid review, bid administration, bid design, and consortium bid support. Its core verticals are construction and engineering, facilities management, healthcare and NHS, and professional services, with the company claiming coverage of more than 120 sectors and completion of nearly 300 construction bids per year.

The business operates a hybrid services-plus-software model. Revenue is generated primarily through bespoke project-based bid writing and management engagements (quote-based, with day-turnaround quotes) and a monthly Bid Mentor retainer priced at £650, supplemented by a pay-as-you-go Bid Review service from £450. The proprietary Tender Library search engine and free Tender Pipeline monitoring tool provide embedded software that supports service delivery and creates a self-service entry point for new clients. Additional revenue lines include CPD-accredited bid training courses (online and in-person in Birmingham, London, and Manchester), the Bid Resource recruitment sub-brand for permanent and freelance bid professionals, and a suite of adjacent services such as Carbon Reduction Planning, marketing and content, and procurement compliance support for public sector buyers.

Thornton & Lowe markets itself through content-led SEO, a regularly updated blog covering procurement legislation (including the Procurement Act 2023) and major framework opportunities, plus direct inside sales via phone and email. Certifications include ISO 9001:2015, Cyber Essentials, CPD accreditation, Living Wage employer status, and NFB membership, providing baseline credentials for public sector work. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and operates exclusively in the UK market with a 1-10 employee headcount, reporting a 75%+ bid win rate and 90%+ client retention.

Name

Thornton & Lowe

Legal name

Thornton & Lowe Limited

Website

https://thorntonandlowe.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thornton & Lowe is a UK-based bid writing and tender management consultancy that helps businesses win public and third sector contracts through directly-employed bid professionals, proprietary Tender Library and Pipeline software, and CPD-accredited training across 120+ sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bid Writing & Tender Management Services

akta.pro primary industry

Supplier Performance, Quality & Development (BPAHAHAI)

Keywords

• Bid writing services
• Tender management
• Public sector procurement
• Bid management software
• Bid training courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Bid Writing & Consultancy Services: Project-based professional services charging for bid writing, bid management, bid review, bid mentor, and bid administration engagements. Fees are quoted per project or as monthly retainer packages (e.g., Bid Mentor Service at £650/month). Clients engage on an ad-hoc or retained basis for ongoing tender support.
2. Bid Software Subscriptions: Access to Tender Library and Tender Pipeline software tools, with some features available free (Tender Pipeline opportunity monitoring) and others requiring demos or logins (Tender Library). Software access complements the professional services offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thornton & Lowe is a UK bid writing and tender management consultancy that helps businesses win public and third sector contracts through end-to-end bid writing, bid management, bid review, and bid mentor services. The offering is complemented by CPD-accredited bid training courses and proprietary bid management software (Tender Library and Tender Pipeline) that supports opportunity identification, response tracking and competitor intelligence.

Product overview

Thornton & Lowe is a bid writing consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of tender management services primarily for businesses seeking public sector contracts. The core offering centres on Bid Writing Services (with 75%+ success rate) complemented by Bid Training courses accredited for CPD points. The company provides access to proprietary Bid Management Software (Tender Library and Tender Pipeline) for tender search, tracking and monitoring. Additional services include Bid Administration, Bid Design, Carbon Reduction Planning, Search & Selection, Bid Mentor Service (monthly retainer), Bid Templates, Marketing & Content Services, Bid Review Service, and Bid Resource recruitment division. Public & Third Sector Buyer Solutions round out the offering with procurement compliance and contract management services. The portfolio is structured as a professional services consultancy with both service-based offerings and SaaS-style software tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bid Resource: Specialist bid recruitment division providing bid writers, bid managers, and bid coordinators to clients

Products and services

• Bid Writing Services End-to-end tender writing consultancy providing planning, writing, review and submission management for public sector and third sector opportunities. The service is delivered by a directly-employed UK team of bid professionals and reports a 75-78% win rate across supported submissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75% bid win rate across supported submissions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CCS / GCA (Crown Commercial Service / Government Commercial Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThornton & Lowe helps suppliers access and maximise Crown Commercial Service (now Government Commercial Agency) frameworks. These frameworks are a core route for UK public sector procurement and a significant part of the company's value proposition to clients.
• Fusion21coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFusion21 is a public sector procurement organisation offering construction and improvement works frameworks. Thornton & Lowe supports clients in winning positions on Fusion21 frameworks and has a dedicated article covering the Fusion21 Improvement Works Framework.
• PagabocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPagabo is a national procurement framework for construction and professional services. Thornton & Lowe assists clients in framework applications and maximisation for Pagabo opportunities.
• EN ProcurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEN Procure is a public sector procurement organisation. Thornton & Lowe supports clients applying for EN Procure frameworks across the UK.
• North West Construction Hub (NWCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWCH is a regional construction framework covering the North West of England. Thornton & Lowe has helped multiple clients win positions on NWCH frameworks.
• Procure PluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProcure Plus is a housing and construction procurement framework. Thornton & Lowe supports clients seeking positions on Procure Plus frameworks.
• LHC (London Housing Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLHC is a housing consortium offering construction and maintenance frameworks. Thornton & Lowe assists clients in winning LHC framework positions.
• National Grid / NHS SBSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Grid and NHS SBS (Shared Business Services) are framework authorities. Thornton & Lowe supports clients in bidding for opportunities on these frameworks.
• NEPO (North East Procurement Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEPO, trading as the Association of North East Councils, runs the NEPO234 Asbestos Management Framework worth £150m. Thornton & Lowe actively supports clients in assessing and responding to NEPO framework opportunities, including market engagement guidance.
• ESPO (Leicestershire County Council trading as ESPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESPO is a major public sector buying organisation. Thornton & Lowe supports suppliers in engaging with ESPO frameworks including the £220m Staff Benefits Framework (319_27) co-led with YPO.
• YPO (Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPO is a public sector buying organisation jointly leading the £220m Staff Benefits Framework (319_27) with ESPO. Thornton & Lowe supports suppliers preparing engagement responses and tender submissions for YPO-led frameworks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AM Bid: UK-based bid writing and management consultancy with a directly-employed team of bid professionals and proprietary bid software, directly comparable to Thornton & Lowe's core service and software offering.
• Bid Solutions: One of the largest UK bid writing and recruitment consultancies, offering a directly comparable mix of bid writing services, recruitment (overlapping with T&L's Bid Resource) and training to the same public sector supplier audience.
• HICAPS: UK bid writing and management consultancy serving the same SME and enterprise supplier base pursuing public sector frameworks, with a similar services-plus-software proposition to Thornton & Lowe.
• K Force: UK-based bid and proposal consultancy providing end-to-end bid management, writing and training services to organisations pursuing public and private sector contracts, directly comparable to T&L's core offering.
• The Bid Coach: UK bid writing and training consultancy providing PQQ/ITT support, training courses and bid mentoring to public sector suppliers, overlapping with T&L's bid writing and Bid Mentor services.

Broad incumbents

• BiP Solutions: Long-established UK procurement intelligence and bid notification platform that sells tender data, frameworks and intelligence to the same public sector supplier audience T&L targets, but as part of a broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Tussell: UK public sector contract awards and procurement data platform that provides competitive intelligence to suppliers winning UK government work, overlapping with T&L's Tender Pipeline competitor-contract-monitoring feature.
• Tracker (intend.do or similar bid intel tools): UK-based bid tracking and tender notification software tool serving the same SME supplier audience as T&L's Tender Pipeline, representing a software-only competitor to T&L's lower-priced offering.
• Ashridge Group (Procurement & Bid Consultancy): UK bid and proposal management consultancy offering bid writing, training and recruitment services to public sector suppliers, providing a smaller but directly comparable peer in the same niche.

Others

• Procurious: Global procurement professional network and learning platform serving the same procurement and bid management community that T&L addresses, but focused on community, training content and careers rather than bid writing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thornton_lowe

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thornton & Lowe