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 or In-Tend, and listed on Find a Tender or Contracts Finder above a value threshold. Registering on your local council's portal is the reliable way to catch them. A lot of packages are referred off an existing framework, so getting onto the list early is what gives you a flow of work later.
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.
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. Our home care and domiciliary care tender writing page sets out how we build each answer from how your service really runs.
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 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 001898and we'll tell you free whether you'd qualify, before you spend a penny.