The Health and Social Care sector offers many potential benefits to contractors from a wide range of sectors, including private care providers, construction industries, and cleaning services, among others.

New public sector tenders are made available every day in all areas of the United Kingdom, and with a wide range of tenders available, there are contracts on offer for businesses of every size - from those that are better suited to SMEs, to others that offer higher-value contracts more appropriate for larger enterprises.

When bidding for Health and Social Care tenders, it is important to remember that this sector demands high-value services at cost-efficient prices. Plus, it is essential to ensure that your business is fully compliant, registered, and accredited in order to meet the needs of the industry, while you must also be able to meet the requirements of the contract within the budget offered by the buyer.

In addition, when bidding for a tender in the Health and Social care industries, your business will be required to adhere to strict standards of competence, professionalism, and qualifications to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their patients, staff, and members of the general public.

As Health and Social Care tenders become increasingly more competitive, you will need to have the ‘edge’ on your competition, with a strong narrative that demonstrates what you can offer your buyer that your competition cannot.

In this article, we will address the steps your business should take before applying for a Health and Social Care tender, outline what you should be able to evidence in your bidding document, and discuss the most common mistakes made when bidding for UK Health and Social Care sector contracts.

Before You Bid

In bid writing, preparation is essential to ensure an efficient bid management process and to prevent wasting valuable resources.

Here are a few of the points you must consider before you begin writing your Health and Social Care bid:

  • Does your business meet the requirements of the contract? While it may seem obvious, it can be easy to miss or overlook an important requirement of the job. You must check that your business is fully compliant, registered, and accredited, that you hold the required qualifications, and that you meet the minimum criteria in areas such as your turnover figures, insurance coverage, and previous experience.
  • Research your buyer - Your buyer will have specific requirements according to their area of Health and Social Care. You will be expected to have a thorough understanding of the type of service your buyer offers, the needs of the patients or residents, safeguarding and risk management considerations, and relevant legislation.
  • What experience do you have with this type of contract? Your buyer will want to see evidence that you have supplied services to a similar buyer. For example, if the tender is for a care contract in Learning Disability services, you might use previous experience in Mental Health services or care. You should also ensure that you have access to any key data, dates, figures, examples of added value, and details of obstacles that your team managed to overcome.
  • Can your business afford to make this bid? Remember - once you offer a pricing strategy to your buyer, you cannot retract it! Always check that you can deliver your service within the budget, and calculate any costs your business might have in advance. If your business cannot make an adequate profit margin from the contract, you may not be able to afford to carry out the contract.
  • Check, check and check again! Always ensure that you have read and understood the tender requirements before you begin bid writing. You may need to read the document several times to get a good idea of what your buyer is looking for. In your response, you will also be expected to be able to show evidence that your business has the required:
  • Knowledge of the sector - You will be expected to be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the Health and Social care sectors, including safeguarding and risk management procedures, guidance and legislation, and other relevant information about the specific service that you are applying for.
  • Staffing capacity - Your buyer may ask for details regarding your staffing processes, including recruitment, training, staff support, supervision and CPD, rotas, and roles. They may also ask for more specific details about your staff, such as their names and CVs.
  • Service delivery - You will need to evidence that your service aligns with care pathways, outcome-based care, and clinical governance.
  • Compliance documentation - You must be able to evidence that your processes are fully compliant with NHS and government regulations.

The Common Mistakes Made In Health And Social Care Tenders

  • Failing to answer the question - This is a common mistake in bid writing across all sectors, and it is guaranteed to get your tender dismissed! So if you are basing your tender on a previous document, make sure all your responses answer the question directly.
  • Not adhering to the question structure - The questions you will be given will be broken down into individual criteria. Directly answer each of the criteria in order, so that the evaluator can quickly and easily mark them as complete. If you answer the question in a roundabout or rambling way, you risk failing to meet the criteria.
  • A weak narrative - You should establish your key themes and messages before you begin writing your bid, then reassert them These should highlight your business’ unique selling points (USPs) and provide examples of added value to help you stand out from your competition.
  • Writing issues - Poor language, sentence structure and use of grammar may lead your evaluator to consider your business unprofessional. You should also ensure that your use of terminology is consistent and appropriate for the service. Don’t rely on industry jargon or acronyms - while this seems like it may demonstrate industry knowledge, some services use Patient/Service User Engagement to evaluate bids. As such, you may be presenting your bid to a layperson, not an expert. In addition, always provide the expanded form of the acronym the first time you use it, for example, ‘CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group)’.
  • Inconsistencies - While using a team to construct your tender is an efficient bid management process and gives you access to a wide range of expertise, an inconsistent tone could jeopardise the impact of your bid. Always ensure that you fully proofread and edit your bid before submitting it, making changes to avoid inconsistencies.

By following our top tips, your business can benefit from winning more work in the health and social care sectors!