Executive Compass and Thornton & Lowe join together under the newly formed Procurement Growth Group, creating UK’s largest specialist bid writing group
Thornton & Lowe and Executive Compass have formally come together under the newly formed Procurement Growth Group, marking a significant step forward for the UK bid writing and tendering sector.
Both businesses have grown over the past 17 years from regional specialists into nationally recognised bid and tender writing firms, supporting organisations across the UK to compete for public sector contracts, government frameworks and major procurement opportunities.
The move follows Thornton & Lowe’s recent acquisition of Bidding Limited, which had previously acquired Healthbid and AM Bid. Together, the group now represents the largest specialist bid writing organisation in the UK, with 76 staff and further recruitment planned.
The creation of Procurement Growth Group reflects the continued maturity of the bid writing and tendering market. Once viewed by some as a niche professional service, bid support has become an increasingly important part of how organisations compete, grow and access public and private sector opportunities.
As procurement processes become more competitive, more structured and more strategically important, businesses are continuing to seek specialist support to improve their chances of success.
The group has been formed with a clear focus on procurement, tendering and business growth. Its leadership team has ambitious plans to build a stronger, broader and more capable specialist group, while continuing to invest in the people, services and technology that help organisations win more work.
Thornton & Lowe was founded by Dave Thornton in 2009 and is headquartered in Bolton. Executive Compass was founded by Neil Capstick in 2009 and, under the joint leadership of Neil and CEO Christian Rowe, has grown from its North East base into a major SME bid and tender writing specialist.
Under the new group structure, Dave Thornton becomes Group CEO, Neil Capstick becomes Group Strategy Director, and Christian Rowe becomes Group Commercial Director. Tom Sander-Daniel will continue as Managing Director of Thornton & Lowe, while Matthew Walker will continue as Managing Director of Executive Compass.
The combined group brings together a wide range of services and products designed to help organisations identify, manage and win contract opportunities. Alongside bid writing, tender support and procurement consultancy, the group includes bid software-related products, including Tender Library, Tender Pipeline and bidtogether, which are designed to make bidding more efficient, better organised and more accessible.
Dave Thornton, Group CEO of Procurement Growth Group, said: “We are growing something really special here. Bringing these businesses together is part of the group’s highly ambitious plans, and people should watch this space. We are staying focused on procurement, tendering and business growth, and we will be driving hard to build on the strength, talent and reputation across the group.
“It is a real honour and pleasure to be part of the same group. Over the years, we have realised both businesses share the same morals and values: putting customer service first, being solution-driven, and staying highly ambitious. Onwards and upwards.”
For clients, the new structure is intended to provide greater capacity, broader expertise and a more joined-up range of specialist services, while retaining the individual brand strengths, relationships and service standards that each business has built over many years.
Neil Capstick, Founder of Executive Compass and Group Strategy Director, said: “Executive Compass has always been built on practical support, technical quality and a genuine commitment to helping businesses succeed through better bidding.
“Joining forces under Procurement Growth Group allows us to build on that work at a greater scale, while keeping the values and client focus that have made both businesses successful.”
The group’s leadership team said the focus will remain on helping organisations win more work, improve their tendering processes and access opportunities in increasingly competitive procurement markets.
As public procurement continues to evolve, and as more organisations compete for framework places, long-term contracts and sector-specific opportunities, Procurement Growth Group believes specialist bid support and software-enabled tendering will play an increasingly important role in business growth.
Christian Rowe, Group Commercial Director, said: “This is an exciting moment for our people, our clients and the wider bid writing and tendering market. The combined group gives us greater depth, broader expertise and more ways to support organisations at every stage of their bidding journey, from opportunity identification and strategy through to submission, review and long-term improvement.”
The formation of the group brings together established brands, experienced teams and technology-led products at a time when the UK bid writing and tendering sector is becoming more sophisticated, more competitive and more strategically significant.