Global public procurement spend is significant and although its central goal is essentially the acquisition of goods and services for governments at the best possible value, it must also serve to promote equal treatment of all interest groups in the process. Although a number of different policies and measures have been adopted to increase access for female-led companies to successfully bid for public sector contracts, progress has been slow. This suggests that barriers exist that are preventing the full implementation of gender-responsive procurement and this paper explores the possibility that there is gender-biased language in a range of public sector Invitations to Tender.