New Edinburgh venture aims to become ‘Waitrose of business bidding’

Andrew Morrison has joined forces with Glasgow-based specialist Chris Denyer to set up Aspire Bidding. Based in Edinburgh, the new venture has started trading with a UK-wide client base already on its books, from the west of Scotland and the Lothians north of the Border, to Yorkshire, Cheltenham and London in the south.

The move comes just eight months after Morrison sold Business Sale Basecamp, which he set up following his disposal of AM Bid in 2023, after nine years at the helm. That latter deal had netted Morrison a “substantial amount”.

The Aspire Bidding consultancy has launched with six people located throughout the country, and there are plans in place to add to the personnel as the firm grows across multiple sectors.

Aspire is targeting firms with a turnover in excess of £10 million, with the co-founders, whose combined experience spans every side of the bidding process - writing bids, shaping strategy, training teams and evaluating submissions - promising to bring a “genuine human touch” to the bid writing process along with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Morrison said he recognised the “benefits and limitations” of AI but insisted that the human element and experience was “extremely valuable”.

He said: “On the surface, bids are becoming faster to produce but in reality many are becoming more generic, more similar and less persuasive. Our bids are shaped by experienced bid professionals, not junior writers following templates or prompts, and are put together in a human and compelling way.

“There are things that AI can do that can make the job quicker. However, AI has its limits and, as yet, is no match for human specialist bid expertise,” he added.

“As AI accelerates the mechanics of bid writing, it exposes a deeper truth: winning bids has always been about judgement, insight and human decision-making. As human beings, we make decisions dictated by the emotional parts of the brain and as of yet, AI doesn’t have these emotions.”

Originally from Sussex, Morrison’s business partner Denyer moved to Glasgow last year and has spent more than a decade writing bids for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in construction - the sector being one of Aspire Bidding’s key focuses in 2026.

Denyer said: “I first met Andrew a year ago and have always been impressed by his knowledge of the sector. The more we worked on things together, the more sense it made to join forces as I believe our different strengths are a powerful match. I’m really looking forward to seeing where the partnership takes us.”

He added: “Our focus is on providing the ‘Waitrose of bidding’. We want to work with companies who aspire to improve and grow. If companies are committed to really investing in their ability to win work, even if they are not the biggest of firms, we can help them.

“Our focus is on people, an element so often overlooked in bidding.”