What is IR35 and Why Does It Matter for Bid Consultants?

IR35 is a UK tax legislation that significantly impacts bid consultants, interim bid support professionals, and contractors who provide services through a personal service company (PSC) or other intermediary. 

Designed to address “disguised employment,” IR35 determines whether you, as a bid consultant, are genuinely self-employed or should be classified as an employee for tax purposes.

Understanding IR35 is crucial for anyone in bid consultancy or interim roles, as it directly affects your tax obligations, income, and the way you manage your professional services.

For a comprehensive guide that explains IR35 in detail, including how to determine your IR35 status, the implications for your bid consultancy business, and how to stay compliant, download our full guide below.

Download IR35 Guide

What You’ll Learn in Our IR35 Guide for Bid Consultants

Our detailed guide provides you with everything you need to know about IR35, specifically tailored for bid consultants and interim support professionals, including:

      • Understanding IR35: A thorough explanation of IR35, its purpose, and who it affects within the bid consulting industry.
      • IR35 Status Determination: How to assess whether you are inside or outside IR35 based on your contracts and working practices as a bid consultant.
      • Contractual Clauses: Essential contract clauses that can help protect you from falling inside IR35 while working on bids.
      • Implications of IR35: What it means for your tax, finances, and business operations if you’re inside or outside IR35 as a bid consultant.
      • Professional Indemnity Insurance: The role of insurance in ensuring IR35 compliance for bid professionals.
      • April 2021 Reforms: A breakdown of the changes to IR35 and how they impact bid consultants and interim bid support roles.
      • Practical Steps for Compliance: What to do if you’re inside IR35 and how to adjust your business practices as a bid professional.
      • Future of Freelancing and IR35: Insights into how IR35 might affect the future of freelance bid consultancy and interim support work.

Why This Guide is Essential

Protect Your Bid Consultancy Business and Stay Compliant

Navigating IR35 can be particularly challenging for bid consultants and interim support professionals, but it’s essential for protecting your consultancy business and maintaining your career in the bid industry. Whether you’re new to freelancing in bid consultancy or a seasoned professional, our guide provides you with the information and tools you need to stay on the right side of the law and avoid costly mistakes.

 

By understanding IR35 and implementing best practices in your contracts and working arrangements, you can safeguard your income, avoid penalties, and continue to work flexibly and independently within the bid sector.

Download IR35 Guide

Unlock your winning potential with our expert bid services.

At Bid Perfect, we specialise in bid consultancy services designed to elevate your bidding strategy, enhance your win rates, and ensure your bids stand out in a competitive marketplace.

Contact us

Some of our clients

Building success together with our trusted and valued clients.

Exceptional Training, Exceptional Outcomes

Bid Perfect is providing bid training for c.100 Mitie sales colleagues under our Sales Academy, with universally excellent feedback confirming our confidence in their design and delivery. They were professional and patient as we developed our requirement, offered expert advice, and delivered a taster session at our annual sales conference. We also invested in their eLearning modules within our LMS. Bid Perfect have since supported us with consultation, editing, and review on a major bid, helping us significantly improve our proposition. They’ve become a trusted partner.

Chris Piper

Group Sales Director

Long-Term Partners in Bid Improvement

Bid Perfect has provided us with bid consultation, interim support, and training services for ten years, first running a bid training course for us in 2009. They recently carried out a detailed firm-wide consultation on our bidding processes, helping us identify key areas for improvement and the need to equip stakeholders with stronger bid strategy and writing skills. As a result, they designed a two-day bid training course that’s been met with enthusiasm and excellent feedback, with around 70 colleagues due to be trained by the end of the programme. Bid Perfect are easy to deal with and work hard to deliver consultancy and learning experiences that meet our objectives and make things less complicated.

Joseph Mackey

Sales & Marketing Operations Manager

Professional, Reliable and Integral to Our Bids

Bid Perfect is Babcock’s trusted partner for bid support services and has consistently delivered excellent results since 2014. Originally one of three strategic suppliers, they are now our principal partner due to a strong relationship built on trust, value for money, and a pre-negotiated rate card that supports accurate bid budgeting. We rely on them for a continuous supply of professional and dependable bid personnel, including writers, managers, directors, and graphic specialists who adapt quickly and help shape winning content from the start. Their high standards and mandatory training ensure quality throughout, and we envisage continuing to work with Bid Perfect for many years to come.

Nigel Hudson

Head of Bid Programmes

Specialists Who Understand Our Business

Our association with Bid Perfect began in 2014 after meeting their directors at a European bid seminar, where it was clear their services could meet our unique tendering challenges. Since then, they’ve delivered a range of bid training programmes, learning seminars, process consultancy, and interim bid management and writing support. We’ve found them to be flexible, quality-driven, and empathetic to our business and people, delivering both ad-hoc services and formal programmes. The directors are engaging, knowledgeable, and highly skilled, and we look forward to continuing our partnership long into the future.

Ian Stout

Vice President of Business Strategy Technology & Consulting

Targeted Training and Strategy That Delivered Results

NATS recently secured a major new ten-year contract with strong growth potential. Bid Perfect supported the bid through a series of highly regarded training courses, followed by a defensive bidding workshop tailored to this opportunity. Neal Basson also helped shape the structure and narrative of our executive summary. Their Bid Value Matrix tool was particularly well received by the team and added real clarity to our value proposition. Given the success of this partnership, we fully intend to engage Bid Perfect for further customised workshops on upcoming competitive bids.

Mike Marshall

Senior Commercial Manager

Latest insights