How to write a method statement for a care tender
A method statement is a written, scored answer that explains how you will deliver a specific part of a care contract, such as safeguarding, staffing or person-centred support. Commissioners mark it against a published scale, usually 0 to 4 or 0 to 5, and the quality section it sits in commonly carries 60 to 90 percent of the total marks. Winning answers are specific to how your service really runs, evidenced, and mapped to the marking scheme. We write them around your real delivery, and check you qualify for free first.
What a method statement is and why it decides the bid
A method statement is a written answer to a scored question in the tender, asking how you will deliver a defined part of the service. It is the heart of a care bid, because the selection questionnaire only screens you in or out, while the method statements decide who actually wins. Commissioners set a question, such as how you will safeguard people, cover missed calls, or deliver person-centred support, attach a word or character limit, and mark your answer against a published scale. Because the quality section commonly carries 60 to 90 percent of the marks under the most advantageous tender basis introduced by the Procurement Act 2023, these written answers usually outweigh price. A strong provider with weak method statements loses to a weaker provider who writes to the scheme. That is why the wording, the evidence and the structure of each answer matter so much, and why most of the real work in a care bid sits here rather than in the pricing schedule.
How method statements are scored
Method statements are marked against a published scoring scale, most often 0 to 4 or 0 to 5, where each score has a written definition the evaluator must follow. A typical scale runs from 0 for a missing or non-compliant response, through a middle mark for an answer that meets the requirement, up to the top mark for a comprehensive, fully evidenced response. Evaluators usually score independently and then moderate to an agreed mark, so your answer has to convince more than one reader. The marking scheme tells you exactly what moves an answer from a 2 to a 4, and the difference is almost always specific evidence and named outcomes rather than more description. Read the scale before you write, because writing to a 0 to 5 scheme is different from writing to a pass or fail one. The questions are also weighted, so a 10 percent question deserves far more of your effort than a 2 percent one.
The structure that scores marks
Open every method statement with a direct answer to the exact question asked, then back it with evidence and a measurable outcome. The single most common way to lose marks is to answer a related but different question, so mirror the language of the question and the marking criteria in your first line. After the direct answer, give the specifics of how your service does it, with named roles, timescales, systems and escalation routes, not a restatement of policy. Then show the outcome or measure, so the evaluator sees the result and not just the activity. Keep paragraphs short and follow any sub-questions the buyer provides, because evaluators score against a checklist and reward answers that are easy to map. If the question has three parts, answer all three in order. A tidy, signposted answer that follows the scheme scores better than a denser one that makes the reader hunt for the points.
The evidence commissioners actually want
Commissioners score evidence of how your service really runs, so anchor each claim to something concrete from your own delivery. For care that means real detail on continuity of carer and how your rostering and electronic call monitoring prove it, missed and late call escalation with timings and named roles, safeguarding reporting routes and what you learned from a real case, recruitment and retention figures, and how you mobilise a new package without dropping existing ones. Worked examples from your own service score far higher than generic statements, and a short anonymised case study often lifts an answer a full mark. Where the question asks for outcomes, use measures the commissioner recognises, such as reductions in missed calls, avoided hospital admissions, or tenancy sustainment on supported living. Attach the certificates and policies named in the document checklist, but never let a policy reference stand in for an answer. The evidence is what separates a top score from a safe but average one.
Why method statements lose marks
Most lost marks are avoidable and come from a small set of repeated mistakes. The biggest is answering a related but different question, which can cap a score no matter how well written the answer is. Close behind are vague staffing plans that do not add up, treating continuity or safeguarding as a promise rather than something your data can prove, ignoring the word or character limit so the answer is cut off, and burying the strongest evidence at the end where a time-pressed evaluator may never reach it. Thin social value answers and missed sub-questions also cost places. None of these are about the quality of your care; they are about how the bid is written. We mirror the scoring criteria, put your best evidence where the evaluator reads it first, and keep every answer inside the limit. See why care bids lose for the wider pattern, and our domiciliary care tender writing page for how this looks on a live home care bid.
A simple way to plan each answer
Before writing, map each method statement to the marking scheme and plan it as claim, evidence, outcome. Start by writing the question and its marks at the top, then list the criteria the scheme says earn the top score. Draft a one or two sentence direct answer, which is the claim, then note the specific evidence from your service that proves it, then the measurable outcome it delivers. Only then write the full answer, checking each criterion is covered and the word limit respected. This claim, evidence, outcome pattern, sometimes taught as situation, task, action, result, keeps answers specific and stops them drifting into policy. It also makes review easy, because you can check the plan against the scheme before investing in prose. Build a bid library of your strongest evidence over time, so each new tender starts from proven material rather than a blank page.
A typical care tender method statement scoring scale
Scales vary, but most care tenders mark each method statement against a defined 0 to 4 or 0 to 5 scheme like this one. Always use the exact scale printed in your tender.
| Score | What it usually means | What lifts you to the next mark |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No response, or an answer that fails to address the question or is non-compliant | Answer the actual question asked, in the buyer's own terms |
| 1 to 2 | Partially addresses the requirement, with limited or generic detail and little evidence | Add specific detail on how your service delivers, with named roles and timescales |
| 3 | Addresses the requirement with relevant detail and some evidence | Add measurable outcomes and a worked example from your own service |
| 4 to 5 | Comprehensive, fully evidenced, specific to the service, with clear outcomes | Already at the top; protect it by staying inside the word limit and answering every sub-question |
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
How long should a care tender method statement be?
As long as the word or character limit allows, and no longer. Most care tenders set a limit per question, often a word count, a number of sides of A4, or a character count, and anything beyond it is usually cut off unread. Length itself is not scored; evidence is. A focused answer that uses the space well beats a padded one, so write to the criteria and stop when they are covered.
What is the difference between a method statement and a policy?
A policy says what you do; a method statement shows how you will deliver it on this contract, and it is scored. Evaluators want your real delivery, with roles, timescales and outcomes, not a restated policy. Reference the policy if you are asked to, but answer with specifics about how your service actually runs, because that is what earns the marks.
How are method statements scored?
Each answer is marked against a published scale, commonly 0 to 4 or 0 to 5, with a written definition for each score. Evaluators usually mark independently and then moderate to an agreed mark, and the questions are weighted, so a higher-weighted question carries more of the total. The marking scheme tells you what moves an answer up a mark, which is normally specific evidence and clear outcomes.
Should I use a method statement template?
A reusable structure helps, but a generic template that ignores the specific question loses marks. The fastest way to lose a place is to paste a standard answer that does not mirror this buyer's question and scheme. Build a bid library of your strongest evidence, then tailor each answer to the exact wording and criteria of the tender in front of you.
How many method statements are in a care tender?
It varies, from a handful to a dozen or more, depending on the contract size and the number of lots. A small home care framework might ask four or five quality questions; a large or complex contract can ask many more across safeguarding, staffing, outcomes, social value and mobilisation. The tender document lists them with their word limits and weightings, which is where to start planning.
Can you write our method statements for us?
Yes, that is the core of what we do. We write each method statement around how your service really runs, mapped to the marking scheme, with your evidence placed where the evaluator reads it first. Your first tender is 795 pounds. We only take bids we believe you can win, and if a loss is clearly down to our writing error we rewrite the next one free. Our win rate is 96 percent.
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.