Manchester Primecare - Mastering Pass/Fail Framework Success

Case Study

Manchester Primecare – Mastering Pass/Fail Framework Success

Tender Overview

In August 2025, we assisted Manchester Primecare in achieving approved provider status on the Greater Manchester Supporting People to Live Well at Home Framework, procured through STAR Procurement (the shared service between Stockport, Trafford, and Rochdale Councils) on behalf of Rochdale Council. This framework used comprehensive pass/fail evaluation across thirteen specialized criteria.

Our client sought to expand their community care services across Greater Manchester, accessing packages for people with complex support needs. The framework’s breadth required demonstrating competencies across multiple adult care specializations simultaneously, from learning disabilities to complex mental health and dementia care.

Main Challenges

The framework’s comprehensive scope and binary evaluation created distinct challenges requiring careful navigation:

Previous bid failure trauma: Manchester Primecare had recently lost a significant bid after hiring a random person with no relevant experience to write their tender response. This failure had cost them both money and a major contract opportunity, leaving them genuinely scared about trusting anyone else with their bidding efforts and terrified of experiencing another devastating rejection.

Pass/fail risk management: Unlike scoring systems where strong areas can compensate for weaker ones, every single criterion had to achieve pass status, requiring consistent quality across all responses with no strategic trade-offs possible.

Specialization range breadth: Demonstrating credible capability across thirteen diverse areas required either extensive direct experience or convincing evidence of rapid capability development for areas outside Manchester Primecare’s core expertise.

Multi-authority framework complexity: STAR Procurement operates across three councils (Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale), requiring understanding of different local contexts, demographics, and service integration approaches within the Greater Manchester system.

Failed criteria impact: The binary system meant that failing any criteria would limit approved service areas, requiring strategic decisions about capability development versus realistic positioning.

Our Intervention

When Manchester Primecare contacted us, they were traumatized by their recent bid failure and desperately needed our expert bid writing consultants to restore their confidence and deliver professional results they could trust.

Trust rebuilding and expert reassurance: Our senior bid writing consultants immediately understood the psychological impact of Manchester Primecare’s previous failure. Our experts took time to explain their proven methodologies, track record of success, and systematic approach to pass/fail evaluations, rebuilding confidence through transparency and professionalism that was completely absent from their previous experience.

Expert-led multi-criteria response development: Our experienced bid writing specialists took complete control of developing responses across all thirteen evaluation criteria: Values, Workforce, Quality, Case Study, Social Value, Learning Disabilities, Neurodivergent, Complex Lives, Complex Mental Health, Complex Dementia, Individualised Commissioning, and Preparing for Adulthood. Each response was crafted by experts who understood exactly what evaluators needed to see.

Binary threshold expertise: Our consultants brought specialized knowledge of pass/fail systems, understanding that every criterion required robust responses that clearly exceeded minimum standards. Unlike the random person who had previously failed them, our experts knew exactly how to navigate binary evaluations with no room for error.

Risk mitigation through specialist knowledge: Our bid writing experts conducted systematic capability mapping against each criterion, identifying Manchester Primecare’s strengths and developing professional strategies for areas requiring development – something their previous writer had completely failed to do.

STAR Procurement system expertise: Our consultants brought specific knowledge of how STAR Procurement operates across Stockport, Trafford, and Rochdale, understanding the multi-authority complexity that had contributed to their previous failure when addressed by someone without relevant experience.

Quality assurance that actually worked: Unlike their previous disappointing experience, our experts implemented rigorous multiple review stages, ensuring each response clearly demonstrated pass-level capability with consistent quality across all thirteen criteria.

How We Worked

We used a comprehensive risk-minimization approach ensuring consistent quality across all evaluation criteria:

Systematic capability mapping: We conducted detailed reviews of Manchester Primecare’s strengths against each criterion, identifying areas of proven capability and developing strategies for areas requiring development or partnership approaches.

Evidence portfolio diversification: We helped create varied evidence across criteria, ensuring authentic examples while demonstrating breadth of capability without repetition or generic responses.

Partnership integration strategy: For areas where Manchester Primecare lacked direct experience, we helped identify and reference credible partnerships that would enable service delivery while meeting pass requirements.

Quality assurance consistency: We implemented multiple review stages ensuring each response clearly demonstrated pass-level capability with consistent quality and approach across all thirteen criteria.

Results

On 5th August 2025, Manchester Primecare received confirmation of their approved provider status on the Greater Manchester Supporting People to Live Well at Home Framework, achieving “Pass” status in eleven of thirteen evaluation criteria.

Successful areas included Values, Workforce, Quality, Case Study, Social Value, Learning Disabilities, Complex Lives, Complex Mental Health, Complex Dementia, and Individualised Commissioning.

Outcome

This framework approval delivers Manchester Primecare significant strategic value:

Greater Manchester market access: Framework membership provides direct access to care packages across the STAR Procurement area (Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale), establishing Manchester Primecare within the integrated commissioning system.

Multi-specialization validation: Success in eleven areas validates Manchester Primecare’s service range and quality systems, providing credible evidence for future procurement opportunities across Greater Manchester and the wider North West.

Development area identification: The two unsuccessful criteria provide clear guidance for service development priorities, particularly in neurodivergent support and transition services for young adults.

Category: Healthcare Tender
Client: Private
Date: August 2025
Website:

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