For contracting authorities and publicly funded charities
A strong specification is your most important procurement tool. It sets the scope, invites fair competition, protects budgets and enables contract management after award. A weak specification does the opposite. It drives confusion, attracts poor bids, inflates cost and leaves you with little leverage during delivery.
Thornton & Lowe writes clear, enforceable specifications for public sector and publicly funded buyers. We work with councils, housing associations and registered providers, NHS bodies, schools and trusts, colleges and charities that are classed as contracting authorities. Every document we create is practical, measurable and aligned to the Procurement Act principles of transparency, equal treatment and value for money. We also build social value and sustainability into the requirement, evaluation and reporting so benefits show up in your communities and can be evidenced.
You choose the level of support. We can guide your team, review and assure a draft, or deliver a complete outsourced build that includes specification, pricing schedule, evaluation model and contract schedules.
When our specification service is the right move
- A retender is approaching and you want a pack that attracts the right market response, with pricing that is comparable and auditable
- Performance has drifted and you need measurable outputs and KPIs that allow recovery and sustained improvement
- A new delivery model is being considered and you want to balance control, risk and value without over specifying
- Social value and sustainability must be meaningful and reportable rather than general statements in a bid
- Your internal experts are time poor and you need specification writing capacity that understands public procurement
Choosing the right type of specification
No single style works everywhere. We use the approach that fits your category, risks and market depth, often blending styles across different elements of the same contract.
| Specification type | Best used for | Good because | Watch for | Example use |
| Prescriptive | Safety critical work, statutory compliance, interfaces with legacy systems | Tight control and like for like pricing | Buyer carries method risk, potential to add unnecessary cost | Lift maintenance where component standards and test methods are fixed |
| Performance | Services where innovation is valuable and outcomes can be measured | Encourages better methods and competitive pricing | Requires crisp metrics and evidence rules | IT service desk with response, fix and satisfaction targets |
| Output | Routine, repeatable services where volumes and standards are known | Clear acceptance and easier contract management | Can miss wider outcomes if written too narrowly | Cleaning with defined frequencies and ATP testing on high risk touch points |
| Outcome | Strategic change or place based goals | Aligns to public benefit and value for money | Needs careful translation into measurable contract terms | Social value outcomes linked to local skills plans |
| Hybrid | Complex contracts with different risk profiles across elements | Puts control where you need it and flexibility where you want it | Takes discipline to avoid contradictions | FM lots with prescriptive statutory testing and performance based soft services |
How we build a specification that works in practice
We keep the process focused and fast without cutting corners. You see early drafts, and stakeholders stay engaged through short working sessions, not long workshops.
| Phase | What we do | What you get |
| Discover | Gather spend and demand data, review the current contract file, visit sites, interview service leads and budget holders | A clean baseline and a short list of issues the specification must fix |
| Engage the market | Run preliminary market engagement that is fair and structured, test delivery models, lotting and pricing structures | A market note and findings that inform the pack without bias |
| Draft | Write specification sections, social value and sustainability requirements, KPIs and SLAs, pricing schedule, method statements and evidence rules | A complete draft pack ready for legal review and internal sign off |
| Prove | Walk through the draft with service teams and finance, test the pricing schedule and acceptance criteria using real scenarios | A refined pack that stands up to day one delivery and audit |
| Finalise | Align with evaluation criteria, scoring guidance and moderation plan, then lock references across the pack | A consistent, issue free tender pack that invites strong bids |
Make it enforceable, not just readable
Good specifications make measurement easy. We define how success will be checked, who checks it and what happens when it is not met. That turns a paragraph of text into an outcome you can manage.
| KPI or requirement | Measure | Evidence | Tolerance and remedy |
| Response to urgent call outs | Attendance within 2 hours from logged time | System time stamps and arrival photo at site | 95 percent per month. Below target triggers a service credit and a recovery plan |
| Grounds presentation on priority estates | Residual grass height 30 to 50 mm, litter free, edges defined | Photographic route audit and monthly site inspections | Failure at two consecutive audits requires rework within 48 hours at no cost |
| Carbon reduction plan delivery | Contract carbon intensity year on year reduction | Fuel and energy data, telematics and meter reads | Annual reduction target agreed at award. Missed target triggers a carbon improvement meeting and corrective actions |
| Social value local jobs | Apprentice weeks and local hires delivered | Payroll extracts and training records | Targets by quarter. Shortfall is made up in the next period with agreed catch up actions |
Pricing schedules that create fairness and control
We build pricing schedules that let suppliers price how they deliver while keeping you in control of evaluation and contract management. That can mean a mix of unit rates, composite rates and outcome payments. We remove ambiguity in quantities, define which costs are included and give the contract manager the evidence to certify payments without debate.
Typical choices we help you make include site based versus portfolio pricing, day rates versus activity rates, response bands for call outs, and mechanisms that share risk fairly where volumes are uncertain. The schedule is cross referenced in the specification so evidencing and payment rules are consistent.
Social value and sustainability woven into the specification
Social value and sustainability are not add ons. They belong in the requirement, the evaluation and the contract. We select a small set of measures that match your local plan and the category. We then define how they are delivered, evidenced and reported. This means a bidder cannot win on a promise that is impossible to track, and a supplier who delivers more can be recognised through performance mechanisms.
Examples include apprentice weeks linked to real programmes, local SME and VCSE supply chain spend, community hours delivered to named projects, low emission fleet requirements where the market can deliver them, and circular economy approaches for waste, furniture and equipment. Where carbon is material to the service, we set out the data the supplier must capture and the minimum reporting cadence.
Roles, responsibilities and boundaries
Specifications often fail at the edges where responsibilities meet. We document those edges clearly so the contract manager can hold the right party to account.
| Area | Buyer | Supplier | Shared |
| Access and security | Provide access protocols and training | Comply with protocols and maintain records | Agree site specific access plans before mobilisation |
| Asset data | Provide opening asset list and updates | Validate data and report changes found during service | Keep a single source of truth under change control |
| Health and safety | Set buyer policies and reporting requirements | Implement RAMS, report incidents, investigate and correct | Joint review of incidents and trends each month |
| Service variations | Approve scope changes and funding | Price changes transparently and deliver to agreed plan | Use a simple change control template with a running log |
Procurement Act alignment and preliminary market engagement
We design specifications and packs that reflect the Act’s emphasis on transparency, fair treatment and value for money. Preliminary market engagement is used to test and de risk your approach without shaping the competition for one supplier. We document who was engaged, the questions asked and the responses received so the audit trail is clear. Where appropriate we help you choose the right procurement route, whether that is open competition, a compliant framework or a dynamic market.
Category examples that benefit from expert specification writing
- Grounds maintenance. We structure seasonal outputs, route design and evidence rules. Site lists, site plans and risk constraints are integrated so bids reflect reality and invoices match delivered work.
- Facilities management. For soft services we use performance and output metrics that link to user experience. For hard services we make statutory testing and asset data requirements precise, with planned preventative maintenance regimes set out clearly.
- Cleaning and janitorial. We use outcome tests that are quick to verify, such as ATP on high risk areas, and specify consumables, materials and environmental standards where relevant.
- Waste and recycling. We define container strategies, contamination control and diversion targets, with a pricing structure that deters unnecessary lifts and rewards correct segregation.
- IT managed services. We focus on service desk outcomes, security standards and change control, with service credits tied to user experience rather than only raw response times.
- Transport and fleet. We set duty cycles, telematics and safety requirements, and build in mileage bands so cost and risk are balanced.
- Building compliance and statutory testing. We lock down standards, frequencies, certificate formats and evidence handling so the responsible person can rely on the data.
What you receive at the end of the engagement
- A complete specification in plain English with measurable requirements and acceptance criteria
- A pricing schedule that produces comparable bids and clean payment certification
- KPIs and SLAs that matter, with evidence rules and simple dashboards
- Social value and sustainability requirements that can be delivered and reported
- Method statements and evaluation questions that match the specification
- A moderation guide so evaluation is consistent and defensible
- Contract schedules that support performance management, change control and exit
Practical tips that we bring to every assignment
We bring thousands of tender hours to bear, not theory. A few patterns that make a difference across buyers and categories.
- Write from the end first. Decide how you will certify performance and payments, then write the requirement that makes that possible
- Keep measures few and meaningful. Five good measures beat fifteen that no one trusts
- Avoid brand names and proprietary methods unless there is a clear and legal justification. If a brand or drawing is unavoidable, include or equal language and the test it must pass
- Give bidders the data they need to price responsibly. Site lists, opening volumes, constraints and any known change drivers
- Use contractor feedback loops only where they add value. If a dashboard is not used to make decisions, stop collecting the data
Frequently asked questions
Can you work from our current specification
 Yes. We audit the current pack against performance, risk and market practice. We keep what works, fix what does not and add what is missing.
Will the specification limit innovation
No. We use performance and output requirements where the market can innovate. We keep prescriptive language for safety and statutory points or where interfaces leave no choice.
Can you include social value and sustainability without overburdening suppliers
Yes. We select a small number of measures that match your local plan and the category. We specify simple evidence and reporting so delivery is real and not admin heavy.
Do you also write the pricing schedule and evaluation model
Yes. Most clients ask us to produce the full pack. That gives you a joined up set of documents and avoids contradictions that bidders can exploit.
Can you moderate our evaluation
Yes. We can train your panel, provide model answers, sit as an independent moderator, or run the full evaluation as an outsourced service within your governance.
Ready to turn requirements into results
If you want a specification that invites strong bids, protects your budget and makes contract management easier, we can help. Start with a short scoping call and a look at your current documents. We will suggest the smallest next step that proves value.