AI tender writing (UK): what the rules say about using AI on bids

You've got a council or government tender open and 12 quality questions to answer. You're wondering if you're even allowed to let AI help. You are.

UK government guidance says suppliers can use AI to write tenders. The note that says so is PPN 017. A buyer can ask whether you used AI, and you should answer honestly. What you submit is still your responsibility, so check every word before it goes.

In short

• AI tender writing is allowed. PPN 017 says suppliers' use of AI "is not prohibited".
• PPN 017 covers central government buyers. Other public buyers may follow it too.
• A buyer may ask if you used AI. The example questions in PPN 017 are for information only and not scored.
• Wrong or misleading answers can get you excluded under the Procurement Act 2023, whoever wrote them.
• Use AI for a first draft. Check every fact, figure and promise yourself before you submit.

Can you use AI to write a tender in the UK?

Yes, you can use AI to help write a UK public sector tender. PPN 017 says "suppliers' use of AI is not prohibited during the commercial process".

It even names the upside. It says AI could help suppliers bid for a greater number of public contracts.

But the note also tells buyers to understand the risks. It says that's the same as if you had used a bid writer. So treat AI like a bid writer you've just hired: useful, fast, and not trusted until you've read what it wrote.

What is PPN 017?

PPN 017 is a Procurement Policy Note from the Cabinet Office on how public buyers should handle AI in tenders. Its full title is "Improving transparency of AI use in procurement".

Here are the key facts:

The February 2025 update didn't change the policy. It brought the wording in line with the Procurement Act 2023.

Does PPN 017 apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

PPN 017 is a UK Government note for central government buyers. Devolved Scottish public bodies, such as a Scottish council, still buy under Scotland's own procurement laws. The Procurement Act 2023 doesn't apply to them.

Welsh and Northern Ireland public bodies buy under the Procurement Act 2023, with some differences. Whoever the buyer is, read the tender instructions. They tell you what that buyer wants to know about AI.

Private clients and main contractors aren't covered by any of this. They set their own rules in their tender pack.

What can a buyer ask you about using AI?

A buyer can ask you to say whether you used AI to write your tender, and how. PPN 017 gives buyers 3 example questions they can add to the invitation to tender.

The examples ask:

1. Have you used AI or machine learning tools, including large language models, in any part of your tender? Give details.
2. Where AI helped write your answers, do you confirm they "have been checked and verified for accuracy"?
3. Will you use AI in the work or service you're bidding to deliver?

A large language model (LLM) is the kind of AI behind most AI writing tools. It writes text by predicting the most likely next words.

Are the AI questions scored?

No, the example questions are not scored. PPN 017 says they "should be used for information only".

But a buyer can still ask other AI questions and score them, as long as it's lawful. If they do, the tender notice or tender documents should say how. So read the scoring section before you assume.

The note also tells buyers not to discriminate against suppliers in how they use these questions or read the answers.

Can a buyer check up on you?

Yes. If you used AI, a buyer may do extra checks that you can really deliver. PPN 017 says these could include site visits, clarification questions or supplier presentations.

That's the real test. If AI wrote a great answer about your quality checks, you'll need to explain those checks face to face.

What happens if an AI-written answer is wrong?

If your tender has wrong or misleading information, you can be excluded, whether you or a tool wrote it. The Procurement Act 2023 lets a buyer exclude a supplier who acted improperly in a procurement.

Schedule 7, paragraph 13, lists ways a supplier might act improperly. One of them is "providing information that is incomplete, inaccurate or misleading". The buyer must also decide that it put you at an unfair advantage.

PPN 017 explains why this happens. It says content made with LLMs "may include inaccurate or misleading statements". The text can look right and still be false.

Common AI slips in tender answers:

• A made-up accreditation or a scheme you aren't in.
• A past project, figure or reference that doesn't exist.
• A promise you can't keep, like a 24-hour call-out you don't run.
• Wording that answers a different question to the one asked.

Never let AI add a fact about your firm that you didn't give it.

How do you answer an AI declaration?

Answer it plainly: say which parts AI helped with, and confirm a person checked everything. Short and honest beats long and vague.

Here's a template to copy and change to fit what you really did:

Use of AI in this tender

We used an AI writing tool to help draft first versions of our answers to questions [question numbers]. We also used it to [check spelling and grammar / summarise the tender documents / measure quantities from the drawings].
Every answer was written up from our own information: our method statements, policies, past jobs and team.
[Name], [role], read and checked every answer, figure and claim against our records before we submitted.
We did not put the buyer's confidential documents into any AI tool that trains on what it's given.
AI checked and verified for accuracy: Yes.

If you didn't use AI, say no. If you only used it for spelling, say that.

How do you check AI-written tender answers before you submit?

Check each answer against the question, your own records and the scoring guide. Go through this list for every answer, not just the long ones.

A worked example

Here's a worked example with a made-up firm. A small groundworks firm uses AI to draft an answer on how it will protect a school's pupils during the works.

The draft reads well. But it says the firm has a "dedicated traffic marshal on every site". It doesn't.

It uses a labourer as banksman (the person who guides vehicles and plant) when deliveries come in.

The owner rewrites that line to say what really happens, and adds the delivery times they'll agree with the school. The answer is now true, and it's specific to this job.

What can AI help with on a tender, and what should stay with you?

AI is good at drafting, summarising and tidying. Judgement, facts about your firm and the final sign-off stay with you.

The price needs its own checks. Our guide to what to check before using AI for tender pricing covers the 8 that matter. For how buyers score the written answers, read bid writing in construction (UK).

Is it safe to put tender documents into an AI tool?

Only if you know where the files go. PPN 017 tells buyers they can put controls in place so suppliers don't use their confidential information as training data for AI.

So check the tender's confidentiality terms first. Then check your AI tool's settings, and whether it uses what you upload to train its models.

If you're not sure, leave out anything marked confidential and any personal details. Our guide on how AI reads tender documents covers what to check in more detail.

Where Nexley fits

Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms. Five AI assistants do the office work overnight, and you approve each one from WhatsApp.

On a tender, Nexley reads the pack you send: drawings, specification, preliminaries and the pricing document. It measures the take-offs and prices the bill from your own rates. It also drafts the quality answers from your real capability and track record, for you to edit and own.

Nexley doesn't submit anything. You review it all before it goes, which makes the AI declaration easy to answer honestly.

See how AI tendering software works, or try it free for 7 days.

Common questions

Do I have to tell a buyer I used AI?

Only if the buyer asks, but answer honestly when they do. PPN 017 lets central government buyers add a question asking whether you used AI. Other public buyers may do the same.

Private clients set their own rules, so read the tender instructions. If there's no question about it, nothing in PPN 017 asks you to add a statement.

Will using AI lose me marks?

Not under PPN 017's example questions, which are for information only and not scored. A buyer can add its own scored AI questions, but the tender documents should say so.

A vague, generic answer is what tends to lose marks. AI drafts can sound like that until you add your own jobs, people and methods.

Can I use ChatGPT to write a tender?

Yes, you can use ChatGPT or a similar tool for AI bid writing, as long as you check what it writes. Give it your own method statements and past jobs to work from.

Don't paste in confidential tender documents unless you know the tool won't train on them. Then read every answer against the question and your records.

Is AI tender writing different from using a bid writer?

Not in the rules. PPN 017 compares the two and asks buyers to understand the risks in the same way.

Either way, you're the supplier, and you sign the tender. A bid writer or an AI tool can draft it. The facts and promises in it are yours to keep.

Sources

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. For a large public contract or an exclusion risk, get advice on the tender documents before you submit.

• PPN 017: Improving transparency of AI use in procurement (Cabinet Office, GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
• Procurement Act 2023, Schedule 7: discretionary exclusion grounds (legislation.gov.uk) (legislation.gov.uk)
• Guidance: devolved contracting authorities under the Procurement Act 2023 (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)