UK care tender guides
Plain, practical guides to finding, writing and winning UK care tenders and framework places, from the people who write the bids. Start anywhere, then send us a tender for a free eligibility check.
How care tenders work, and how to win them
The process, the portals, and what commissioners actually score.
How to find care tenders
Where to find UK care tenders: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, council portals and framework alerts. Free eligibility check on any care tender.
How to win a care tender
Win care tenders by checking eligibility first, answering the scoring grid and evidencing every claim. Free eligibility check before you commit.
Care frameworks explained
What a care framework is, how approved provider lists work and how referrals flow. Free eligibility check before you apply to any framework.
What is a DPS in care
A dynamic purchasing system stays open for new care providers throughout its life. How a DPS differs from a framework. Free eligibility check.
SQ and PQQ in care tenders
The SQ/PQQ is the pass-fail stage of a care tender: turnover, insurance, exclusions. Pass it to reach the scored quality stage. Free eligibility check.
Invitation to tender (ITT)
The ITT is the scored quality stage of a care tender, built on method statements and evidence. How to score well. Free eligibility check on any tender.
Minimum turnover requirements
Care tenders often set minimum turnover at around twice the contract value. What it means and what to do if you fall short. Free eligibility check.
CQC rating requirements
Many care tenders require a CQC rating of Good or above as a pass-fail gate. What it means for newly registered providers. Free eligibility check.
Insurance requirements
Professional indemnity, public liability and employer's liability cover required by care tenders, with typical levels explained. Free eligibility check.
TUPE in care contracts
TUPE in care contracts: take over an existing contract and current staff may transfer to you on their existing terms. What that means for your bid.
Mobilisation plans
A mobilisation plan shows how you will stand up a new care contract safely and on time. What commissioners want to see. Free eligibility check.
KPIs in care contracts
Key performance indicators in care contracts: call monitoring, missed and late calls, continuity, complaints. What you commit to. Free eligibility check.
Find a Tender Service (FTS)
Find a Tender Service replaced OJEU after Brexit as the UK portal for higher-value public contracts. The thresholds and how it works. Free check.
Social value in care tenders
What social value means in a care tender, how it is scored, and how to win the marks with local jobs, training and community benefit.
Procurement Act 2023 for care providers
The Procurement Act 2023 went live on 24 February 2025. What changed for UK care providers bidding for council and NHS contracts.
Contracts Finder for care
How to use Contracts Finder to find lower-value care contracts and opportunities from councils and the wider public sector.
ProContract and Due North
What ProContract by Proactis (Due North) is, how many councils use it, and how to register and find care tenders on it.
Atamis NHS portal
What Atamis is, why NHS England uses it, and where to find NHS and continuing healthcare opportunities on the Health Family system.
In-Tend portal
What the In-Tend e-tendering portal is, which buyers use it, and how to register and express interest in care tenders.
Care tender timescales
How long a care tender takes from publication to deadline, and from award to contract start, with a clear timeline to plan around.
Contract examples in care bids
Why buyers ask for past contract examples in care tenders, what makes a strong example, and what to do if you are new.
Bid library for care providers
How a reusable bid library of answers, policies and evidence speeds up future care tenders and keeps quality consistent.
Why care bids lose
The real reasons care bids lose: weak references, failed accounts checks, missed clarifications, vague answers and price.
Framework vs DPS vs contract
The difference between a framework, a dynamic purchasing system and a single contract in care, and when each is used.
Care tender checklist
A practical pre-bid checklist for care tenders: eligibility, CQC rating, turnover, insurance, policies, examples and deadlines.
How to respond to a care tender
The practical steps to respond to a care tender: express interest, read the scoring grid, plan answers, write, sign off and submit.
NEPO and the OPEN portal
What NEPO is, the twelve North East councils it covers, the care frameworks it runs, and how to register free on the OPEN portal at open-uk.org to bid.
ESPO frameworks for care providers explained
What ESPO is, which health and social care frameworks it runs, and the East Mids Tenders process to become an ESPO supplier. Free eligibility check first.
YPO frameworks for health and social care
What YPO is, its health and social care frameworks and the Care Technology DPS, and how to get evaluated and awarded a place. Free eligibility check first.
CCS (now GCA) healthcare staffing frameworks for care providers
What the CCS (now GCA) healthcare staffing frameworks RM6281 and RM6397 cover, who they suit, and how to win a place. Free eligibility check first.
Bloom & NEPRO³: managed procurement for care services
Bloom NEPRO³ for care providers: what the neutral-vendor service is, whether social care runs through it, the 5 percent fee and how to get accredited.
Delta eSourcing for care providers
Delta eSourcing for care providers: how to register, get found on the SID, find council care tenders and set alerts. Which buyers use it. Free check first.
Proactis Supplier Network for care providers
Proactis Supplier Network for care providers: how to register, which councils and NHS bodies use Proactis portals, and how to find care tenders.
Jaggaer / Bravo eSourcing for care tenders
Jaggaer (formerly Bravo) eSourcing: which NHS and government buyers use it, and how care providers register and respond to a tender on it. Free check.
NHS SBS frameworks for care providers
NHS Shared Business Services frameworks for care and staffing providers: who can buy off them and how to apply via SAP Ariba and Find a Tender. Free check.
NHS procurement hubs explained
NHS procurement hubs for care providers: which hub covers your region, and how to register and bid for their frameworks. Free eligibility check first.
Provider Selection Regime (PSR) for care providers
Provider Selection Regime since January 2024: the three NHS award routes, the five Regulation 5 criteria, the standstill and being named most suitable.
Carbon Reduction Plan (PPN 06/21) for care tenders
Does your care tender need a Carbon Reduction Plan? The PPN 06/21 £5m threshold, what the plan must contain, and when a missing CRP disqualifies you.
Cyber Essentials for care contracts
Is Cyber Essentials mandatory for NHS and council care tenders? How it differs from Cyber Essentials Plus, the cost, and how it sits with the DSP Toolkit.
Modern slavery statements in care bids
Do you need a modern slavery statement for a care tender? The £36m threshold, what to submit below it, and how to win the SQ mark. Free eligibility check.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in care tenders
Equality, diversity and inclusion questions in care tenders: the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty and the evidence buyers expect.
DSP Toolkit for care bids
The Data Security and Protection Toolkit for care tenders: is it mandatory, the 30 June deadline, and what 'Standards Met' requires. Free check first.
Safeguarding policy evidence in care tenders
Safeguarding evidence care tenders ask for: the right policies, a named Designated Safeguarding Lead, enhanced DBS checks and the escalation pathway.
Business continuity plans for care contracts
What a business continuity plan needs for a care tender: the CQC Regulation 17 link, contingency staffing, review evidence and the upload that sinks bids.
Scenario and competency questions in care bids
Scenario and competency questions in care tenders: how to answer with STAR, a worked safeguarding example, and how evaluators score them. Free check.
The presentation stage of a care tender
Presentation or interview stage of a care tender: how it is scored under the Procurement Act 2023, what to prepare, who to bring and what it can change.
Consortium and subcontracting in care bids
Consortium and subcontracting routes that help small care providers meet turnover and experience requirements, and the Procurement Act 2023 rules.
Framework Further Competition and Mini-Competitions in Care
On a care framework but seeing no work? How call-offs run, direct award versus further competition or mini-competition, and how to win the actual packages.
Rate Cards and Fee Uplifts in Care Contracts
Rate cards and fee uplift clauses in UK care contracts: how they work, 2025-26 benchmark rates, and evidencing a higher price without losing on cost.
How to Handle Tender Clarification Questions
Tender clarification questions in a care bid: the deadline, why answers go to every bidder, and how to phrase questions without tipping off rivals.
Voids and occupancy evidence in supported living bids
Voids, referrals and occupancy evidence for supported living tenders: void turnaround, referral SLAs, the re-let process and the figures to show.
Method statements in care tenders
Method statements in care tenders: how they are scored, the structure that wins marks, the evidence commissioners want and the mistakes that lose places.
YORtender portal
How to register and log in to YORtender, the Yorkshire and Humber council portal on Mercell EU-Supply, find care tenders and submit a bid that counts.
Public Contracts Scotland
How care providers find and bid for social care work on Public Contracts Scotland and PCS-Tender: CPV codes, alerts, the SPD and reserved contracts.
NHS and local authority care tenders
Councils buy social care under the Procurement Act 2023 and the Care Act. NHS bodies buy health care under the Provider Selection Regime. How to bid.
Live-in care contracts for providers
How councils and ICBs buy live-in care: framework service types, CHC arrangements, direct payments, where it is advertised and what bids are scored on.
Care tender writing options compared
An honest comparison for UK care providers: write it yourself, use ChatGPT, hire a freelance bid writer, a care specialist or a generalist bid agency.
Applying by service
How to get on a framework or DPS for your specific kind of care.
Domiciliary care framework application
How to apply to a council domiciliary care framework: the selection stage, quality questions and the pitfalls that cost places. Free eligibility check.
Home care contract bidding
How to bid for council home care contracts: finding them, passing the selection stage and scoring on quality. Free eligibility check before you pay.
Supported living framework application
How to apply to a supported living framework or DPS: eligibility, quality questions on outcomes and tenancies, and pitfalls. Free eligibility check.
Residential care framework application
How to apply to a residential care framework: eligibility, quality questions on safeguarding and quality of life, and what trips providers up. Free check.
Nursing home framework application
How to apply to a nursing home framework: eligibility, clinical quality questions, registered nurse cover and CHC funding. Free eligibility check.
CHC homecare framework application
How to apply to an NHS continuing healthcare homecare framework: ICB procurement, clinical quality questions and complex care evidence. Free check first.
Live-in care tender
How to apply for live-in care tenders: where councils and the NHS buy live-in care, the quality questions and continuity evidence. Free eligibility check.
Extra care housing tender
How to apply for extra care housing tenders: the on-site care contract, quality questions and how care and housing fit together. Free eligibility check.
Reablement tenders
How to apply for short-term reablement and enablement contracts. What commissioners score, outcome measures, the process, and the pitfalls that lose bids.
Complex care tenders
How to bid for complex care packages, often CHC funded: clinical competence, nursing oversight and the evidence commissioners score. Free check.
Children's home tenders
How to bid for children's home placements: Ofsted registration, Reg 44 and 45, the placement framework process and what councils score. Free check.
16+ supported accommodation tenders
How to bid for 16+ supported accommodation: Ofsted registration under the 2023 Regulations, the framework process and what councils score. Free check.
Day services tenders
How to bid for day services and day opportunities, often for adults with learning disabilities. The process, what councils score, and common pitfalls.
Respite and short breaks tenders
How to bid for respite and short breaks contracts: what councils score, CQC requirements and the pitfalls that lose bids. Free eligibility check.
Learning disability framework application
How to get on a learning disability and autism support framework. Transforming Care, PBS evidence, the application process, and what commissioners score.
Shared Lives scheme tenders
How to bid for a council Shared Lives scheme contract: the CQC and Shared Lives Plus gates, single-supplier commissioning and what councils score.
Care leavers support tenders (16-25)
How to bid for council care leavers support tenders for ages 16 to 25: the right regulator, the legislation, who commissions and the scored questions.
Dementia specialist care tenders
Dementia care contracts: where they sit in residential and nursing frameworks, the CQC and training bar bids are scored on, and the EHCH model. Free check.
End-of-life homecare tenders
How to win end-of-life and palliative homecare tenders when the buyer is the ICB via CHC Fast Track: scoring, mobilisation and a free eligibility check.
Sensory & physical disability support tenders
How to bid for sensory and physical disability support tenders under the Care Act 2014: why CQC is usually not the gate, and the specialist-assessor test.
Autism support framework application
How to apply to an autism support framework: choosing the lot, the CQC versus ICB split, Oliver McGowan training and the scored autism questions.
Direct Payments & PA Support Framework Tenders
How to win council Direct Payment Support Service and PA register tenders: the lots, who can bid, and why CQC registration is usually not the gate.
Prison and secure healthcare tenders
NHS England Health and Justice tenders for prison, secure and custody healthcare: the commissioner, the CQC gate, the lots and the scored questions.
Acquired brain injury and neuro-rehab support tenders
Acquired brain injury and neuro-rehab support tenders from councils and ICBs: how to win them, the frameworks, CQC rules, neuro specialisms and scoring.
Supported employment and Connect to Work tenders
How to bid for Connect to Work and supported employment contracts for disabled people: IPS and SEQF fidelity, open frameworks, job-outcome evidence.
Befriending and community wellbeing service tenders
Befriending and community wellbeing funding: which money comes by tender and which by grant, where to find each, and how social value scores. Free check.
Carers support services tenders (unpaid carers)
Council carers support service tenders: the Care Act drivers, why the service is not CQC-regulated, and what scores on carer reach and young carers.
Care tender writing by region
We work remotely across England. Find the buyers and frameworks in your region.
Send us a tender, free
Text TENDER to +44 7822 030677and we'll tell you whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny.