On 29 July 2026, Thornton & Lowe and Executive Compass, two of the three most visible names in UK bid writing and direct competitors since both were founded in 2009, came together under the newly formed Procurement Growth Group. The group describes itself as the UK's largest specialist bid writing group with a 76-strong team. Dave Thornton became Group CEO, Neil Capstick Group Strategy Director and Christian Rowe Group Commercial Director, with Tom Sander-Daniel and Matthew Walker continuing as managing directors of the respective firms.
This is a straightforwardly good outcome for the businesses involved and we would not pretend otherwise. For buyers it narrows the field, and it raises one question that neither firm has an obvious incentive to answer: on a framework lot attracting dozens of bidders, what happens when two of them are advised from inside the same group?
That is not an accusation. Large professional services groups manage conflicts routinely and there are established ways to do it. But the client is entitled to ask how the information barriers work, who sees the pricing strategy, and whether the same evaluator-facing arguments are being developed on both sides of a competition. Ask for the answer in writing. Ask us the same question, and the answer is that Glaxtons is a single independent firm with no sister company in the market.
