THE new business pipeline is critical to the survival of many companies and keeping that pipeline full and flowing has never been more important than it is now.

We usually look to mainstream marketing methods to help us in this task — advertising, search engine optimisation, direct marketing, even getting our face in the local paper.

However, how many businesses are tapping into a new business stream which is already in place and has a tried and tested route to get to it? Tendering for public sector contracts is something every business should include as part of its marketing mix.

The statistics are out there for all of us to see: £175bn of public sector services are tendered every year; the NHS outsources £30bn and local councils in England £40bn.

The business is there to be won — but far too many companies are simply not taking advantage.

There are a number of reasons for this. Firms, particularly smaller businesses, are put off tendering because they don't know how to find out about the tenders; even if they are aware the processes seems prohibitively complicated and there is a sense that the contracts will only be won by the big players.

Smaller businesses in particular can feel as though they are not "fit for purpose".

In a region like the South West, with so many entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses, this issue is heightened.

I am here to reveal a public procurement secret — the tender playing field is an even one — big or small is irrelevant. Each tender is judged on its own merit and its suitability for the job in hand. The size, age and geography of the organisation is simply not a factor.

Indeed, I would argue, small businesses in many cases are even better placed than the big boys to win public sector business.

They can often offer specialist, niche products, high levels of service and competitive pricing. All major ticks in the public sector check list.

Where a small business can fall down is when it is not "tender fit". Unlike other parts of the marketing mix, businesses forget about preparing themselves for the work ahead. Just like you train your body, you must train your business to be ready for the task in question.

There are several prescribed stages nearly all public tenders go through and businesses must invest time in getting ready for them if they are to take advantage of the contracts to be had. These include:

Business processes need to be in order, checked and documented;

You must be prepared to disclose financial information;

You will need to meet certain business standards including environmental policies, people policies and ISO standards;

A full knowledge of the tender notification stage, responding with expression of interest and a working knowledge of the Pre Qualification Questionnaire process that will be required.

Get these things done, and businesses can focus on presenting their services in the best way to win.

Like other marketing disciplines, sometimes the advice of experts is the best way forward.

Public sector contracts fulfil so many of the marketing "must haves" — they offer qualified leads, with guaranteed business and payment at the end.

So, are you taking advantage?