Pitching and networking: A no-nonsense guide for SMEs

Your pitch is more than a presentation, it’s your opportunity to showcase how your innovation solves real-world problems, adds value and stands out. This section offers guidance on developing a data-backed narrative, refining your delivery and ensuring you focus on the needs of your audience.

We encourage SMEs to adopt a problem-solution approach, clearly highlighting why your product or service is the best fit for local authorities or public sector organisations. Visual storytelling is key, so your deck should contain more visuals than text, with concise messages that will resonate with your audience. Practice makes perfect, so rehearsing your pitch and tailoring it to each audience is essential.

Tips for creating clear, compelling pitches

• Know your audience
• Have a strong data-backed narrative
• Keep it inspiring
• Emphasise value proposition and benefits
• Focus on problem-solution approach
• Illustrate why what you’re doing is better/innovative
• In your pitch deck, have more good visuals than text
• Don’t read it; practice delivery
• It’s good to have both short and longer versions of your pitch
• In a live setting it’s also important to avoid falling into a long monologue by asking questions or for thoughts throughout to check it’s on point for the audience (for a sales pitch rather than a fundraising one)

Crafting a strong pitch deck is a critical part of your journey. In this section, you’ll find useful links to resources, templates, and guides that can help you build a professional and engaging deck.

These suggestions represent just a selection of tools available, many others, including free platforms or those offering free trials, are also available. Choosing the right tools depends on your brand, your audience and your technical skillset, so experiment to find what works best for you.

A well-structured deck not only tells your story but also answers the key questions public sector buyers will have, such as: How does your solution meet their needs? Is it innovative, cost-effective and sustainable? Use these resources to refine your message and make every slide count.

Resources

• Preparing a Good Investment Pitch A useful step-by-step guide – Innovate UK
• Building and Scaling Climate Hardware: A Playbook
• Work on Climate Pitch Deck Workshop Video
• Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done” – Harvard Business Review Article
• How to create an awesome startup pitch deck for investors – Seedrs Academy
• How To Approach Pitching to Climate-Tech Investors – Medium.com
• Climate-Positive Business Models: Buildings – Video
• Canva Pitch Deck Templates

With a polished pitch deck in hand, the next crucial step is building relationships with organisations you want to work with — and with those who can champion your product or service. Public sector contracts often rely on trust, reputation, and visibility, so the more you embed yourself in relevant networks, the stronger your chances of success.

This section highlights practical ways to network, build community connections, and foster collaborations with like-minded businesses and influential platforms. These connections can provide insight into upcoming opportunities, help you refine your pitch for specific audiences, and even open doors to unexpected collaborations.

The suggestions in this section are a great starting point, but remember: the public sector ecosystem is vast, and there are many more networks, groups, and forums you can join depending on your sector, location, and specialism.

Organisations and pages to follow and connect with:

• Innovate UK Business Connect Net Zero Places Innovation Network
• Climate Connection
• Kind Community
• The Climate Brick
• Ellen Macarthur Foundation (Circular Economy)
• Work on Climate
• Edie- A business media brand with sustainability content for professionals of all levels

Speak to your local Chambers of Commerce or Growth Hub who will often have local networking and events available to you. Coworking spaces are also a great place to network and find new connections!

Attending and exhibiting at industry events can be one of the most effective ways to raise your profile, meet potential partners, and gain direct access to decision-makers within local authorities and the public sector. Events offer a platform to showcase your expertise, gather intelligence on market needs, and directly engage with buyers and influencers.

This section lists some key climate and sustainability-focused events, which are particularly relevant for businesses developing solutions aligned with Net Zero and sustainability goals. However, these are just a small sample of the many exhibitions, conferences, and networking events out there. Often a simple online search such as “Net Zero Networking Events Near Me” can provide a varied list of opportunities.

To get the most from events, consider:

• actively participating in panels or talks
• researching attendee lists and setting up one-to-one meetings
• following up after events to build long-term relationships

Local business support organisations, innovation hubs and sector-specific groups often promote events too, so staying connected to these channels will help you discover new opportunities as they arise.

Events and networking opportunities

• Innovate UK Business Connect Events
• Climate Action Week Events
• Climate Innovation Forum
• Innovation Zero
• Crown Commercial Services Events
• Reset Connect
• London Climate Technology Show

Check local events – your Chambers of Commerce, Growth Hubs, Local Authorities and private organisations often host networking and showcase events!

The built environment is a significant focus area for public sector procurement, particularly as local authorities work towards Net Zero goals. This section highlights useful resources and platforms that can help you understand current challenges, innovation priorities and procurement opportunities in the built environment sector.

These links provide a starting point, but SMEs should also consider exploring:

• built environment innovation challenges run by organisations such as the Construction Innovation Hub
• partnership opportunities with larger construction and infrastructure firms looking for innovative SME solutions
• sector-specific networking groups focusing on sustainable construction and circular economy approaches

By engaging with these resources and networks you’ll gain insight into the priorities shaping future public sector procurement, ensuring your products and services align with emerging needs.

Resources and networks

• ARUP and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Buildings Toolkit
• Let’s Go Zone for Schools
• Solar Information- Solar Energy UK
• Innovate UK Business Connect – Place
• Decarbonisation Scheme
• Energy Systems- Catapult

An online search with keywords such as “decarbonisation” “place based” and “net zero” will provide a rich variety of advice, guidance and information.

When pitching to local authorities and the wider public sector, SMEs must recognise that public sector buyers have different priorities, processes and constraints compared to private sector clients. Understanding what public sector decision-makers are looking for will help you tailor your pitch and increase your chances of success. Here are some tips to help:

Alignment with public sector priorities

Local authorities are driven by policy objectives, public benefit, and value for money. They are increasingly focused on:

• Net Zero and climate action – solutions that contribute to carbon reduction or environmental sustainability
• social value – creating positive impacts for local communities, such as job creation, skills development, inclusion and health improvements
• cost-effectiveness and efficiency – demonstrating long-term value, not just short-term cost savings
• innovation – particularly solutions that enhance service delivery, digital transformation and public engagement

Clear problem – solution fit

Public sector buyers want to see that you:

• understand the specific challenges they face (these could be environmental, economic, social or operational challenges)
• have a solution that is tailored to those needs, not a one-size-fits-all product
• can demonstrate the outcomes and benefits – including clear performance metrics

Risk management and deliverability

Local authorities are risk-averse — they need to feel confident that you can:

• deliver on time and to budget
• meet regulatory and legal standards (especially for health, safety and data protection)
• adapt to changing requirements or funding constraints

Including clear risk management plans and contingency strategies in your pitch can reassure public sector buyers.

Public sector buyers need evidence to justify procurement decisions, so make sure you:

• provide data, case studies and testimonials to back up your claims
• link your benefits to measurable outcomes – for example, reduced carbon emissions, improved public engagement or financial savings over time

Compliance with procurement rules

Local authorities must follow strict procurement processes and rules, so it’s important to:

• show you understand and are ready to comply with public procurement standards
• highlight any previous experience working with public sector clients, even if this was as a subcontractor
• be transparent about pricing and contract terms

Focus on social value and local impact

Since the introduction of the Social Value Act, public sector bodies are legally required to consider how the services they procure improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of their areas. SMEs can gain a competitive edge by demonstrating:

• how your solution supports local economic development (e.g., using local supply chains or hiring local staff)
• positive environmental impact
• support for community projects or initiatives

Key tip for SMEs

Keep your pitch clear, focused and tailored to the specific authority or public sector body. Show how you can solve their challenges, meet their priorities and deliver real value – all backed up by solid evidence.

The best advice we have found when speaking with local authorities is to “Read the tender documentation, highlight it in different colours, make sure your submission and pitch hit every single aspect of the tender documents, and where possible, aim for some other areas that the Council are focussed on that we aren’t expecting, it’ll really make you stand out!”

There are multiple platforms and portals where public sector opportunities are advertised. For SMEs, understanding where to look and how to register can open up a steady pipeline of tenders and contract opportunities. These are some suggestions to help guide you:

Contracts Finder (England)
The UK Government’s Contracts Finder is a central hub for public sector procurement notices in England. Contracts above £10,000 are listed.

Sell2Wales (Wales)
This is the official procurement portal for Wales, covering local government, health and education contracts.

Public Contracts Scotland (Scotland)
The Scottish Government’s portal lists all public sector procurement opportunities in Scotland.

eTendersNI (Northern Ireland)
For SMEs targeting Northern Ireland’s public sector, this is the main procurement platform.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS)
CCS manages framework agreements for the UK public sector, including technology, professional services and construction.

Local authority procurement portals

Many local authorities have their own procurement portals or work with regional purchasing consortia. Visit the local authority website to find their tender or procurement portal.

Specialist Portals for Certain Sectors

• Delta eSourcing – Used by many public sector bodies across the UK.
• ProContract (Proactis) – Widely used by local authorities.

Innovation-specific opportunities

• Innovate UK Funding Finder – While not a procurement portal, this is essential for SMEs developing innovative solutions for public sector challenges.
• Speak to your Local Authority, Regional Authority or Growth Hub to find out about funding and opportunities within your area! Many often send out an email with new opportunities, which makes it easier for you to keep an eye on potential tenders or support.

Top tips for finding opportunities

• Register on all relevant portals to receive email alerts.
• Use good keywords and filters to identify relevant tenders.
• Join local authority supplier lists – some councils maintain preferred supplier registers for lower-value contracts.
• Build relationships with local procurement teams – they can offer guidance and notify you of upcoming projects.