Guide

Can you use AI to write public sector bids?

Yes. Using AI to help write UK public sector bids is allowed. Government guidance — PPN 02/24, Improving Transparency of AI use in Procurement — states plainly that suppliers’ use of AI is not prohibited during the commercial process, and treats it the way it treats using a bid writer. Buyers may ask you to disclose AI use, for information only, and you remain responsible for making sure what you submit is accurate.

This guide sets out what the rules actually say — PPN 02/24 and the Procurement Act 2023 — so you can use AI on your tenders with confidence, and stay on the right side of disclosure and accuracy.

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What PPN 02/24 actually says

PPN 02/24, published on 25 March 2024, is the government’s guidance on the transparency of AI use in procurement. It applies to all central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, and it sets out three things bidders should know.

AI is not prohibited. The PPN is explicit that suppliers’ use of AI is not banned during the commercial process, and likens it to the use of a bid writer.
Disclosure may be requested. Contracting authorities can ask suppliers to disclose their use of AI in creating a tender. The example questions are for information only and are not scored, so an honest disclosure does not cost you marks.
Accuracy is your responsibility. The guidance expects suppliers to confirm that AI-generated content has been checked and verified for accuracy. Buyers may also run additional due diligence and allow longer timelines to manage the volume of AI-assisted responses.

How this fits the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 has governed most UK public procurement since 24 February 2025, replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and three other regimes with a single rulebook. It sets how procurements are designed, run and awarded — including the new competitive flexible procedure and the shift to the most advantageous tender (MAT) test, which gives quality and social value clearer weight against price.

The Act does not address AI assistance in bids; that sits in PPN 02/24. The two work together: the Act decides how a tender is evaluated, and PPN 02/24 confirms that using AI to help prepare your response is legitimate, provided you can stand behind its accuracy. Nothing in either rulebook requires you to write bids by hand.

What this means for your bids

The practical takeaway is simple. You can use AI to draft and strengthen your tender responses. If asked, disclose that you did — it will not lose you marks. And before you submit, make sure every claim is true: your accreditations, your method, your case studies and your pricing have to be right, because you are accountable for them whether a person or a model produced the first draft.

The failure mode the guidance is built around is the same one that loses bids anyway: generic, plausible-sounding content that nobody has checked against the evidence. The risk is not that you used AI. It is that you submitted something unverified.

How Skim is built for this

Skim is designed around exactly what PPN 02/24 asks for. Drafts are grounded in your own case studies, accreditations and past wins rather than a generic model guess, and every response is scored against the buyer’s published evaluation criteria. The Bid Analysis agent reads the full tender pack and checks your fit before you commit, and high-value drafts are reviewed with the bid team behind £3bn+ in public sector wins.

The standard is a bid your named reviewer would sign off — accurate, evidenced and ready to disclose — not a bid that merely looks plausible. That is the difference between AI that helps you win and AI that puts the contract at risk.

Common questions

Using AI for public sector bids, answered

Are suppliers allowed to use AI to write public sector bids?

Yes. UK government guidance — PPN 02/24, Improving Transparency of AI use in Procurement, published 25 March 2024 — states that suppliers' use of AI is not prohibited during the commercial process. It treats AI the way it treats a bid writer: a legitimate aid, provided the supplier stands behind the content submitted.

Do I have to tell the buyer I used AI on a bid?

Not automatically. PPN 02/24 lets contracting authorities ask suppliers to disclose their use of AI in creating a tender, but the example disclosure questions are for information only and are not scored in the evaluation. So disclosure may be requested, and where it is you should answer honestly, but using AI does not cost you marks.

Does using AI to write a bid break the Procurement Act 2023?

No. The Procurement Act 2023, in force since 24 February 2025, governs how procurements are run and awarded. It does not ban AI assistance. The relevant guidance on AI in bids is PPN 02/24, which permits it. The obligation that matters is accuracy: you remain responsible for everything in your submission.

What are the risks of using AI for tender responses?

The main risk is unverified, inaccurate or generic content. PPN 02/24 expects suppliers to confirm that AI-generated content has been checked and verified for accuracy. A response that reads plausibly but misstates your accreditations, method or pricing is worse than no response — it loses on quality and can put the contract at risk.

Is using AI different from using a bid writer?

In the eyes of the guidance, no. PPN 02/24 explicitly frames a supplier's use of AI as it would the use of a bid writer — a tool that helps produce the response, where the supplier is still accountable for what is submitted. The bar is the same: a bid your named reviewer would sign off, grounded in true evidence.

Sources

Guidance summarised for bidders, not legal advice. Last reviewed 23 June 2026 against the published GOV.UK sources above.

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