Competitor intelligence, from public records only

There is a version of competitor intelligence that is unusable: rumours, leaked figures, things a marketer heard at an awards dinner. And there is the version hiding in plain sight: contract award notices naming winners and values, framework appointment lists by lot, planning documents crediting consultants, case studies rivals publish themselves. The second version is free, current and citable.

Assemble the picture

Tracked over time, public records answer the questions that matter: which rivals keep winning in your target sector, at what contract values, through which frameworks, for which repeat clients. That converts the vague dread of a big-name competitor into a specific shape: strong here, absent there, priced thus, dependent on that framework.

Use it for decisions, not decoration

Competitor intelligence earns its keep at three moments. Bid/no-bid: who else will realistically be on the shortlist, and what will they claim? Positioning: which of our differences are real against this rival, provable from evidence? Framework renewals: whose appointments lapse when ours do, and who is hungriest? A file of clippings is a hobby; intelligence attached to those three decisions is an edge.