Social Work Sector: HMRC Crackdown, Compliance Minefields and ESG – Tackle with Confidence

Fiona Brunton is one of the few professional tender writers dedicated to the recruitment industry.  A recent winner of APSCo’s Recruitment Service Provider of the year award, Fiona has worked in the recruitment sector for over 20 years (Manpower, Search Consultancy & Pertemps) before setting up her own consultancy and training business in 2005. 

For the last nine years, she has specialised in helping recruiters to understand what makes the Buyer tick (and indeed fume!) by providing a portfolio of tender writing and training services to help independent and SME agencies in all sectors to compete effectively with the “big boys.” Her partnerships with purchasing experts have allowed her to really get under the skin of procurement, and translate this knowledge into practical techniques that recruiters can use to move their proposals and tender submissions from “acceptable” to “outstanding.”

Fiona has an exceptional track record, winning over 75% of all the business she has been commissioned to work on. To date, she has written in excess of 800 PQQs, tenders and proposals; with business wins valued at multiple millions for her recruitment clients. 

Range of training expertise:

• Understanding OJEU notices and finding profitable tender opportunities
• Unscrambling procurement jargon
• Writing compliant PQQs (i.e. getting through the first stage evaluation!)
• Tackling challenging tender questions and method statements
• Constructing winning proposals
• Writing powerful case studies & examples
• Structuring executive summaries
• Compiling an effective tender library
• Effective use of electronic tender portals
• Understanding and avoiding common mistakes when tendering
• Engaging successfully with procurement

Chris Bryce is Chief Executive of Freelancers & Contractors Services Association.  Chris joined FCSA in January 2022 with an accomplished record of delivering excellence, growth, cultural change, and influence across a range of complex businesses and non-profits. His overall aim is to ensure all parties in the supply chain – especially workers served by FCSA members – can expect the highest levels of compliance, transparency, and reliability and to raise standards of compliance across the industry.

Chris began his career in sales, becoming Sales Director of a business logistics company and then moving on to become its General Manager. He then stepped into the world of contracting and consultancy at several financial institutions, delivering multiple global-scale change programmes as a consultant Programme Director. Chris has also acted as President of The European Forum of Independent Professionals (EFIP), a collaboration of national associations from across Europe which represents independent professionals at EU level through targeted research and advocacy.

Corinne leads Operations at the Better Hiring Institute (BHI), an independent body set up between UK government and industry to make UK hiring faster, fairer, and safer and has also worked for Reed for almost a decade. As part of her role at BHI, Corinne has set up the UKs first National Hiring Committee between employers and UK government and has been instrumental in working with MPs and Peers to influence changes to right to work and criminal record checks. Corinne has been integral in launching industry best practice guidance for UK employers on topics such as Tackling Hiring Fraud, AI in Hiring, and most recently launched Employ with Conviction in Parliament with the Disclosure & Barring Service and Disclosure Scotland.