How to win at waste procurement in an evolving market

In our recent webinar titled ‘Navigating municipal procurement challenges in a transitioning market’, our panel of experts unpacked the reality of the current market. Hosted by SUEZ Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer Dr. Adam Read MBE, our guests included Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd Principal Consultant James McMahon, SLR Consulting’s Technical Discipline Manager for Sustainable Waste Management Richard Garfield and SUEZ recycling and recovery UK’s Head of Municipal Development David R. Wood. All of them have decades of combined procurement experience to draw on both supporting local authorities and working with bidders directly and each of them gave important, practical tips on navigating this complex field.

Timing is everything

Building and mobilising a new contract isn’t a quick win – it’s a marathon. Councils often underestimate how long it takes to get from initial planning to mobilisation. In fact, expect the process to take up to three years.

A contract is not won in the bidding war, or even at mobilisation. It’s won – or lost – in the groundwork. It’s in the messy, detailed, often underappreciated space of planning, honest dialogue and understanding exactly what risks you’re asking others to carry.

Right now, with councils facing a procurement squeeze not because of lack of effort, but because the market itself is tightening. According to one guest, there are fewer bidders, more contracts up for grabs and escalating pressures around cost, carbon and community impact and that means some councils when they come to market might be surprised by a lack of apparent interest.

But instead of looking at it as a source of frustration, why not take it as an opportunity. The best-prepared councils treat procurement like a strategy, not a transaction, and in our panel’s experience usually get the best results!

With many existing contracts expiring around 2027, the race is quietly heating up. Councils that give themselves time to engage properly with the market, sharpen their brief and lock in operational details are the ones attracting real competition and better value. Procurement right now feels like a “beauty pageant”, as one speaker pointed out, with councils competing to attract the best suppliers in a market that’s busy and selective.

Early dialogue is a superpower

Early and open engagement with the market isn’t just good practice – it can deliver real benefits. According to one speaker, they’ve seen price gaps between initial and final submissions narrow by £1 million to £2 million due to councils having invested in meaningful early dialogue.

Good dialogues are genuine two-way conversations that build relationships and early conversations can transform results. It gives you the space to work through risks, refine specifications and understand exactly what’s affordable. It helps bring clarity and avoids nasty shocks later.

As one of the speakers warned, too many contracts arrive overloaded with dozens of pricing permutations and KPIs that try to do too much. Not only will this raise concerns with prospective bidders but it can also result in expensive third-party consultancy support in assessing all the permutations when, in many cases, they just aren’t necessary. Keep it focused, keep it achievable and be honest about your constraints. You’ll get better responses and better value.

Getting depots, data and decision-making right

Some of the biggest procurement risks come down to the basics. Depots, for example, can make or break your bid. If you’re not clear on depot provision, or leave it unresolved, many suppliers won’t even bid. Lock it down early, and where possible, consider passing through costs directly to keep bids competitive.

Data is another silent deal-breaker. Suppliers can’t price confidently if your data is incomplete or unclear. Clean, accurate information about current service levels, risks and assets is a big advantage.

Don’t forget internal decision-making timelines. Mobilisation delays are often caused by councils waiting for approvals. Build flexibility into your timelines and keep decision-making quick to maintain momentum.

Sharing risk fairly

In one of the online polls during the session, we asked the audience who should bear the greatest risk in a procurement process. Overwhelmingly, 86% said risks should be shared according to the nature of the contract. Pushing all the risk onto the supplier is a quick way to lose bidders.

High-risk, penalty-heavy contracts deter bidders – or worse, push them to inflate pricing to cover uncertainties. Be transparent about price inflation, depot provision and performance penalties. All these need to be discussed openly and structured fairly.

When asked their top two priorities when procuring a new service, site or facility, responders said saving money (59%) and increasing recycling rates (55%) are of prime importance. This was no surprise to the panel but given there are expectations for improvements in service performance output and for overall real-world savings, this is not always easy to achieve!

When local authority participants were asked about which stage in the tendering or contract extension process they are currently in, 39% said they are already in the process with 25% expecting to be in it soon. So there are plenty of contracts coming to market and that means getting it right first time is vital for these authorities given the rapidly evolving policy landscape and the demands from elected members for savings, enhanced social value and carbon reductions!

Take all these as nuggets of wisdom, if you will. What separates the contracts that attract quality bids from those that struggle are clarity, realism and the tried-and-tested (and early!) preparation. Our panel of experts summed it up in their key takeaways from the session – get planning, understand your risks, keep it simple and be thorough. Do these things and you will come out ahead of the rest.

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch it on-demand here.