How to apply for a day services tender
Day services provide daytime activity, skills and community access, usually for adults with learning disabilities, autism or older people. Most day services are not CQC regulated unless they include personal care. Councils buy them through adult social care frameworks or block contracts and score outcomes: community inclusion, skills progression, and meaningful activity. You apply through the council portal. Bids win on personalised, outcome-focused models, not on attendance numbers.
What day services commissioners score
Councils are moving away from building-based day centres towards community-based day opportunities. Commissioners score how you build independence, employment and social connection, not how many people attend. Strong bids show personalised outcome plans, links to volunteering and supported employment, travel training, and how you measure progression. If you support people with complex needs or autism, evidence your environment, staffing ratios and sensory approach. Many day services do not need CQC registration, but if you provide personal care during the day you do. Be clear in your bid which applies, because getting the regulatory status wrong undermines trust.
The application route and pitfalls
Day services are usually let as an adult social care framework or a block contract through the council portal, such as ProContract. You complete the selection questionnaire, then method statements on the support model, safeguarding and outcomes. The common losing pattern is describing a traditional centre when the council wants community inclusion and progression. Bids that focus on activities rather than outcomes score poorly. We run a free eligibility check before you pay, so you know whether your model and evidence match what the council is buying.
Not sure if you qualify for a tender? We check it for free, before you pay anything, and we only take bids we believe you can win. See our learning disability tender writing or text TENDER to get started.
Common questions
Do day services need CQC registration?
Often not. Pure daytime activity and support is not a CQC regulated activity. If you provide personal care during the day, that part is regulated and you must be registered. State clearly in your bid which model you run.
What outcomes do councils want from day services?
Community inclusion, skills and independence progression, supported employment or volunteering, and reduced social isolation. Commissioners want personalised goals and evidence of progression, not headcount or attendance figures.
How does Selective Care Match price a day services bid?
Your first tender is 795 pounds. We only take bids we believe you can win, we hold a 96 percent win rate, and if a loss is down to our writing error we rewrite the next one free. Begin with the free eligibility check.
Keep reading
Service
Learning disability tender writing
Learning disability framework application
Social value in care tenders
Browse all care tender guides, or see care tender writing by service.
Got a tender to check?
Text TENDER to +44 7822 001898and we'll tell you free whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny.