YPO frameworks for health and social care: a supplier guide
YPO is a publicly owned procurement organisation that supplies products and services across England, Wales and Scotland, with a specialist health and social care procurement team. For care suppliers, its strongest verified routes are equipment and care technology, including a Care Technology Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS 895, reference 900283) and a Health and Social Care Equipment and Associated Services framework (framework 1061). A DPS stays open for new applicants throughout its life, while a closed framework opens only at fixed windows. You tender against a published specification and are evaluated on quality and price before a place is awarded. We check whether you qualify, for free, before you write a word.
What YPO is and what it covers
YPO is a publicly owned buying organisation that supplies products and services to the public sector across England, Wales and Scotland, with a specialist health and social care procurement team, according to YPO (ypo.co.uk). It was originally the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation and now trades simply as YPO. It is owned by a group of local authorities and is one of the four large UK public sector professional buying organisations, alongside ESPO, NEPO and CCS. For care suppliers, the decisive point is what YPO actually procures in this space. Its verified health and social care strength sits in equipment and care technology rather than the direct delivery of domiciliary or residential care. That makes YPO a natural fit for care-tech and equipment suppliers and for tech-enabled-care providers, and a weaker fit for a pure home care or care home operator, who will usually find live work on a council portal or a regional buying group instead. Knowing which buyer matches your service is the first filter, because it stops you spending days on a bid that was never meant for your business model.
YPO's health and social care portfolio
YPO runs a dedicated health and social care framework portfolio, and its clearest care-relevant routes are technology and equipment. It operates a Care Technology Dynamic Purchasing System, DPS 895 (reference 900283), within that portfolio, according to YPO Health and Social Care frameworks (ypo.co.uk). Alongside it sits a Health and Social Care Equipment and Associated Services framework, framework 1061, listed on YPO and discoverable through Find a Tender. These routes cover telecare and telehealth, assistive technology, daily living aids, and the services that wrap around them such as installation, maintenance and monitoring. If you supply alarms, sensors, falls technology or digital care platforms, this is your lane. If you deliver hands-on care, you are better served by council home care or supported living frameworks. Always read the published specification for the exact scope, lots and any sub-categories, because the title rarely tells the whole story. The lot you pick decides which questions you answer and which evidence is scored, so map your products to the right lot before you draft a single response.
DPS versus framework: why the distinction matters
The practical difference is timing. A Dynamic Purchasing System such as YPO's Care Technology DPS stays open throughout its life, so new suppliers can apply and be admitted at any point. A closed framework, such as framework 1061, only opens for new entrants at fixed windows, so if you miss the window you usually wait until it is re-tendered, often after three to four years. That changes how you plan. With the Care Technology DPS you can prepare your evidence properly and apply when you are ready, rather than racing a single deadline. Once admitted, buyers run further competitions or compliant direct awards from the pool of admitted suppliers, so being on the DPS is the entry ticket, not the finish line. With a closed framework you must hit the procurement window or lose your chance for the whole term, which can sideline a strong supplier purely on timing. For a fuller comparison of these routes against a single one-off contract, see our guides on what a DPS is and framework versus DPS versus contract, both linked below.
How a DPS admission works in practice
Admission to YPO's Care Technology DPS is a rolling process, not a one-off competition, so you apply against the published specification whenever your evidence is ready. You submit your selection responses and, where required, your category or product details; YPO assesses them against the criteria; and if you pass you are admitted to the relevant category and become eligible for call-offs. Because a DPS stays open throughout its life, late-arriving suppliers are not shut out, and you can be admitted to additional categories as your range grows. The trade-off is that admission alone wins you nothing. Buyers then run further competitions or direct awards from the admitted suppliers, scored on the call-off criteria, so your DPS application and your call-off responses are two separate pieces of work. Treat admission as the qualifying round: get your insurance, accreditations, data security evidence and product documentation in order once, keep them current, and reuse them at speed every time a relevant further competition is published. Suppliers who maintain a tidy evidence library convert far more call-offs than those who scramble each time.
How YPO evaluates and awards places
YPO awards framework and DPS places through a published contract specification that suppliers tender against, with a rigorous evaluation based on key criteria such as quality and price, according to YPO (ypo.co.uk). These are run as compliant public sector procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 and are published through the Central Digital Platform and Find a Tender, not the older OJEU regime. Expect two stages. A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, or selection stage, screens your capability first, covering economic and financial standing, insurance, relevant experience and grounds for exclusion. Clear that and your scored quality responses, set against the published criteria, decide your result alongside price. Score each answer against the marking scheme, answer the question actually asked, and evidence every claim with named systems, accreditations, quantified outcomes and real examples. Vague, generic copy loses marks even when the underlying service is strong, because evaluators can only score what is written on the page in front of them. Mirror the buyer's language, address every bullet in the question, and leave nothing for the assessor to infer.
What the PQQ and quality stage assess
For care suppliers, the selection stage and the quality questions cluster around a few predictable themes, so prepare evidence for them in advance. Key PQQ themes that YPO and similar buyers assess include workforce development, covering recruitment, training and retention, cultural and values alignment with the authority, and social value commitments. In practice that means showing how you recruit and keep skilled staff, how you induct and train them, and how your values match the buyer's priorities around people and place. Social value is scored in its own right under the Procurement Act, so come with specific, measurable local commitments rather than warm words: local employment, apprenticeships, carbon reduction and supporting community organisations. For equipment and technology bids, add concrete detail on product quality and certification, data security and information governance, interoperability with existing systems, and support response times against agreed service levels. Our selection questionnaire guide, linked below, breaks the screening stage down question by question so nothing on the pass-or-fail list catches you out.
How to prepare a winning YPO application
Start by confirming the route fits, then build your evidence around the published specification before you write prose. The single biggest error is treating a care-tech route as a generic care bid: YPO's verified care strength is equipment and care technology, so a pure domiciliary or residential operator should usually look elsewhere first. Once you have the right route, read the specification, map your products and services to the correct lot or category, and list every pass-or-fail selection requirement so you can confirm you meet each one. Then assemble a reusable evidence library: insurance certificates, accreditations, data security documentation, case studies with quantified outcomes, and social value commitments you can stand behind. Write answer-first, address every scored bullet, and quantify wherever the question allows. Because the Care Technology DPS stays open, you control the timing, so apply when your evidence is genuinely strong rather than rushing. If you want a second pair of eyes before you submit, our free eligibility check confirms which YPO route fits what you supply and flags any gaps before you commit time or money.
YPO health and social care routes for care suppliers
The main YPO care-relevant routes, who they suit, and how entry timing works. Always confirm scope and status against the live listing on ypo.co.uk and Find a Tender.
| YPO route | Reference | Best suited to | Entry timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care Technology DPS | DPS 895 / 900283 | Telecare, telehealth and assistive-technology suppliers | Open throughout its life; apply any time |
| Health and Social Care Equipment and Associated Services | Framework 1061 | Daily living aids and equipment suppliers, plus associated services | Closed framework; opens only at fixed windows |
| Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (selection) | All routes | Any supplier applying | Screens capability before quality and price scoring |
| Quality and price evaluation | All routes | Any supplier applying | Scored against the published specification and criteria |
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. Text TENDER to get started.
Common questions
What is YPO and what does it stand for?
YPO originally stood for Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation and is now known simply as YPO. It is a publicly owned procurement organisation, owned by a group of local authorities, supplying products and services to the public sector across England, Wales and Scotland. It is one of the four large UK public sector professional buying organisations, alongside ESPO, NEPO and CCS, and it has a specialist health and social care procurement team.
Does YPO have health and social care frameworks?
Yes. YPO runs a dedicated health and social care framework portfolio. Its strongest verified care lines are equipment and care technology, including a Care Technology Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS 895, reference 900283) and a Health and Social Care Equipment and Associated Services framework (framework 1061). These suit care-tech and equipment suppliers and tech-enabled-care providers more than a pure domiciliary or residential care operator.
What is the YPO Care Technology DPS?
The YPO Care Technology DPS is a Dynamic Purchasing System, DPS 895 (reference 900283), within YPO's health and social care portfolio. It covers care technology such as telecare, telehealth and assistive technology, plus associated services. Because it is a DPS, it stays open throughout its life, so new suppliers can apply and be admitted at any point rather than waiting for a fixed framework window. A care provider can therefore join at any time, which a closed framework does not allow.
How do I become a supplier on a YPO framework?
You tender against YPO's published contract specification through the Central Digital Platform and Find a Tender. First you complete a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, or selection stage, that screens capability on areas like insurance, experience and exclusion grounds. Then your responses are evaluated on quality and price criteria, and successful suppliers are awarded a place. Score every answer against the marking scheme and evidence each claim with named systems and real examples.
What is the difference between a YPO framework and a DPS?
A YPO framework, such as framework 1061, is closed and only opens for new suppliers at fixed windows; miss the window and you usually wait until it is re-tendered, often after three to four years. A Dynamic Purchasing System, such as the Care Technology DPS, stays open throughout its life, so new suppliers can apply and be admitted at any time. Buyers then run further competitions or compliant direct awards from the admitted suppliers.
How much does Selective Care Match charge to write a YPO bid?
Your first tender is £795. 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. After the first tender, standard bids are £3,000, with £50 per extra lot. We start with a free eligibility check to confirm the right YPO route, the Care Technology DPS or framework 1061, actually fits what you supply before you commit.
Keep reading
What is a DPS in care
Care frameworks explained
SQ and PQQ in care tenders
Framework vs DPS vs contract
How to find care tenders
Browse all care tender guides, or see care tender writing by service.
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