How to bid for home care contracts
Home care is the everyday term for domiciliary care, and councils buy it through frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems and occasional standalone contracts. To bid, you find the opportunity on the right portal, pass a pass-or-fail selection stage, then score on quality questions about call coverage, continuity and escalation. We confirm you are eligible for free before you start.
Finding the contracts
Most home care work is advertised on the council's procurement portal, often ProContract, Due North or In-Tend, and listed on Find a Tender or Contracts Finder above a value threshold. Registering on your local council's portal and setting alerts is the reliable way to catch them. A lot of packages are referred off an existing framework or DPS, so getting onto the list early is what gives you a flow of work later. Watching only the high-value central portals means missing the smaller call-offs where much of the work actually sits.
Reading the documents before you commit
Before drafting, read the specification, the pricing schedule and the marking scheme together. The specification tells you the volumes, geography and visit types; the pricing schedule tells you whether rates are fixed or you bid your own; the marking scheme tells you exactly how each answer is scored. Under the Procurement Act 2023 the award goes to the most advantageous tender, so quality, price and social value are weighed together, commonly 60/40 or 70/30 in quality's favour for care. Knowing the weighting before you write tells you where to spend your effort.
Passing selection and scoring on quality
The selection stage checks CQC registration, insurance, turnover and exclusion grounds. The scored stage tests how you actually staff rounds, cover sickness, monitor calls electronically, and escalate a missed visit. Commissioners buying care in their own patch want proof you can staff the rounds locally, not a generic template. Specific timings and named escalation routes score; promises do not. Build each answer from your real rotas, your monitoring system and your recruitment pipeline, then show how they hold up when something goes wrong.
Pricing without losing the contract
Where you bid your own rates, price is a scored axis, not a race to the bottom. A rate that cannot fund safe staffing, travel time and the real Living Wage reads as undeliverable and can be challenged or rejected. A rate well above the field loses on the price score. Work out your true cost per hour including travel, training, supervision and on-call, then price to be sustainable and competitive. Where rates are fixed by the framework, the contest is entirely on quality and social value, which changes how you weight your effort across the bid.
Handling TUPE and mobilisation
When a home care contract transfers from another provider, TUPE usually applies, so the existing carers may move to you on their current terms. Tenders often ask how you will manage the transfer, consult staff and keep continuity for people receiving care during mobilisation. A credible mobilisation plan with a realistic timeline, named roles and a continuity-of-care commitment reassures commissioners that day one will be safe. Underestimating TUPE, or promising a transition faster than is deliverable, is a common way to lose otherwise strong bids.
Where bids lose marks
Home care bids most often lose on a staffing plan that does not stack up, weak missed-call escalation detail, or answering a slightly different question to the one asked. Thin social value, an unsustainable price and a vague mobilisation plan also cost marks. Our home care and domiciliary care tender writing page sets out how we build each answer from how your service really runs, mirroring the marking scheme so the evaluator finds the evidence quickly.
Where home care contracts are advertised
The main routes councils and the NHS use to publish home care opportunities. Register where your target buyers post.
| Route | What it carries | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Find a Tender | Central UK notices, including higher-value care contracts | Catching larger framework awards |
| Contracts Finder | Lower-value opportunities in England | Smaller call-offs and pilots |
| Council portal (ProContract, Due North, In-Tend) | The full tender pack and submission area | Bidding and document downloads |
| Framework or DPS call-offs | Packages referred to providers already on the list | Steady flow once you are listed |
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 domiciliary care tender writing or text TENDER to get started.
Common questions
Do I need a CQC rating to bid for home care contracts?
You must be CQC registered. Some contracts accept a registered-but-not-yet-rated provider, others require Good or above. We check the exact requirement for your target contract in a free eligibility check before you commit.
Do I need a local office to win a home care contract?
Often, yes. Many councils want a base or registered office in the area, or a credible plan to recruit and supervise carers locally. We flag this against the specific tender before you write anything.
How is the winner chosen?
Under the Procurement Act 2023 the contract goes to the most advantageous tender, weighing quality, price and social value together. For home care the split is commonly 60/40 or 70/30 in favour of quality. We help you put effort where the marks are.
Does TUPE apply when I take over a home care contract?
Usually, yes. When a service transfers from another provider, TUPE generally moves the existing staff to you on their current terms. Tenders often score your transfer and mobilisation plan, so we build a realistic one with you.
Can I set my own prices?
It depends on the tender. Some let you bid your own rates against a price score; many frameworks fix banded rates so the contest is purely on quality and social value. We explain which applies before you start.
How much does bid writing cost?
Your first tender is £795. We only take on bids we believe you can win, with a 96% win rate, and we rewrite free if a loss is clearly down to our writing error.
Keep reading
Service
Domiciliary care tender writing
Domiciliary care framework application
How to find care tenders
Framework vs DPS vs contract
Browse all care tender guides, or see care tender writing by service.
Got a tender to check?
Text TENDER to +44 7822 030677and we'll tell you free whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny.