Clover Healthcare Services Ltd - Achieving Perfect Quality Score In Stockport Day Opportunities Framework

Case Study

Clover Healthcare Services Ltd – Achieving Perfect Quality Score in Stockport Day Opportunities Framework

Tender Overview

In April 2025, we supported Clover Healthcare Services Ltd in securing a successful appointment as preferred bidder for Stockport Council’s FPS Agreement for the Provision of Day Opportunities, procured through STAR Procurement. This exceptional success saw Clover Healthcare achieve a perfect 100% quality score in evaluation, demonstrating comprehensive excellence across all assessment criteria in a competitive procurement process.

Our client sought to establish their day opportunities services within Stockport’s commissioning framework, accessing contracts for providing community-based day services supporting people with diverse needs. Whilst Clover Healthcare had experience delivering day services in Manchester, this represented their strategic expansion into Stockport through STAR Procurement’s shared services framework, requiring demonstration of capability that would meet the rigorous evaluation standards expected in Greater Manchester’s integrated commissioning landscape.

Main Challenges

Despite having established day services experience, Stockport’s framework and the pursuit of evaluation excellence presented significant strategic challenges:

Perfect quality achievement in competitive evaluation: With 60% quality weighting determining the award decision, achieving the exceptional score of 100% required demonstrating comprehensive excellence across every evaluation criterion. This meant that responses couldn’t simply meet basic requirements but needed to show innovation, evidence of excellence, and genuine understanding of day opportunities principles that would position Clover Healthcare as the outstanding choice amongst competing providers.

STAR Procurement multi-authority complexity: Understanding STAR Procurement’s role as the shared service operating across Stockport, Trafford, and Rochdale Councils added complexity to the tender approach. Whilst this specific contract was for Stockport Council, responses needed to demonstrate awareness of how STAR operates across multiple authorities and position Clover Healthcare for potential future opportunities across the wider Greater Manchester footprint served by this procurement partnership.

Day opportunities specialisation and person-centred approach: Demonstrating expertise specifically in day opportunities services required articulating capabilities distinct from traditional day centre models. Day opportunities focus on community integration, individualised activities, employment pathways, skill development, and social inclusion rather than building-based group activities. Clover Healthcare needed to show understanding of modern person-centred approaches, co-production principles, and community asset-based delivery that distinguishes contemporary day opportunities from historical day services models.

Stockport market entry and local integration: Entering Stockport’s established day services market required demonstrating understanding of local demographics, existing service provision, partnership opportunities with voluntary sector organisations, and integration with Stockport’s health and social care transformation priorities. This local knowledge needed to extend beyond generic Greater Manchester awareness to show specific understanding of Stockport’s communities and strategic commissioning direction.

Public Contracts Regulations compliance and standstill period management: The framework’s procurement under full Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (rather than Light Touch Regime) meant stricter compliance requirements, mandatory standstill periods under Regulation 87, and specific legal obligations that differ from social care Light Touch procurement. Understanding these regulatory differences and preparing for post-award due diligence requirements was essential for converting preferred bidder status into confirmed contract award.

Our Intervention

We worked collaboratively with Clover Healthcare to position their capabilities for exceptional evaluation performance whilst preparing them for STAR Procurement framework success. This approach exemplifies our specialised approach to supporting healthcare providers in achieving outstanding results in competitive public sector procurement.

Excellence-focused response development and quality optimisation: Our team recognised that achieving perfect quality scoring required responses that went beyond competent service delivery to demonstrate genuine innovation, evidence-based practice, and comprehensive understanding of day opportunities principles. We worked with Clover Healthcare to articulate their person-centred approaches, community integration methods, co-production practices, and outcome measurement systems in ways that would resonate powerfully with Stockport’s evaluation priorities. This excellence focus meant identifying unique strengths, innovative practices, and compelling evidence that would differentiate their approach.

STAR Procurement expertise and multi-authority positioning: We brought specific knowledge of STAR Procurement’s operations across Stockport, Trafford, and Rochdale, helping Clover Healthcare understand the shared services context. We positioned their responses to demonstrate awareness of cross-authority collaboration, shared strategic priorities across Greater Manchester, and their potential to deliver consistent quality across multiple local authority partnerships. This broader strategic positioning strengthened their credibility as a provider capable of working effectively within integrated commissioning systems.

Day opportunities specialisation and modern service model articulation: We helped Clover Healthcare clearly articulate their day opportunities expertise, distinguishing their approach from traditional building-based day centres. We worked to describe their community integration methods, individualised activity planning, employment pathway support, skill development approaches, and social inclusion outcomes that reflect contemporary understanding of how day opportunities support independence, choice, and community participation for people with diverse needs.

Stockport integration and local market positioning: We conducted research into Stockport’s demographic characteristics, existing day services landscape, voluntary sector partnerships, and strategic commissioning priorities. This research informed how we helped Clover Healthcare position their responses, ensuring they demonstrated genuine local awareness rather than generic Greater Manchester knowledge. We identified specific community assets, partnership opportunities, and local integration approaches that would resonate with Stockport evaluators.

Regulatory compliance preparation and standstill period management: We ensured Clover Healthcare understood the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 compliance requirements, mandatory standstill period obligations, and post-award due diligence processes that would follow preferred bidder notification. This regulatory clarity prepared them for the timeline between award decision and contract confirmation, ensuring they understood their obligations during the standstill period and could respond appropriately to any due diligence requirements.

How We Worked

We employed a comprehensive, excellence-focused approach that systematically built responses demonstrating outstanding capability:

Strategic evaluation criteria analysis and scoring optimisation: We conducted detailed analysis of all quality evaluation criteria, identifying what excellence would look like in each area and how Clover Healthcare’s experience and approaches could be presented to achieve maximum scoring. This wasn’t about meeting minimum requirements but about demonstrating innovation, evidence of impact, and comprehensive understanding that would clearly distinguish them from competitors. We mapped their strengths against evaluation priorities, identified unique selling points, and developed compelling narratives that showcased genuine excellence.

Evidence portfolio development and impact demonstration: Working closely with Clover Healthcare’s management and operational teams, we identified and structured compelling examples demonstrating their day opportunities capabilities. We focused on evidence showing outcomes achieved, innovative approaches implemented, challenges successfully navigated, and impact on service users’ lives. This evidence needed to be specific, measurable, and directly relevant to evaluation criteria, showing not just what services they delivered but the tangible difference these made to people’s independence, community participation, and quality of life.

Person-centred approach integration throughout responses: We ensured that Clover Healthcare’s commitment to person-centred day opportunities was evident throughout all responses, not just in specific sections addressing personalisation. Every aspect of their service delivery, from initial assessment through activity planning to outcome measurement, needed to demonstrate genuine co-production, individual choice, and respect for service user preferences and aspirations. This consistency showed evaluators that person-centred principles were embedded in organisational culture rather than being superficial policy commitments.

Stockport contextualisation and local partnership articulation: We integrated Stockport-specific references, demographic awareness, and local partnership opportunities throughout responses. This included identifying voluntary sector organisations Clover Healthcare could collaborate with, community venues that could host day opportunities activities, transport links enabling community access, and local employment partnerships supporting skill development pathways. This local specificity demonstrated genuine understanding of Stockport’s context rather than generic service descriptions.

Multiple quality assurance stages and excellence verification: We implemented rigorous review processes ensuring every response element not only met requirements but demonstrated excellence. These reviews assessed evidence quality, clarity of articulation, innovation demonstration, alignment with Stockport’s priorities, and consistency across all evaluation areas. The systematic quality assurance ensured no weak points existed that could compromise the perfect scoring Clover Healthcare ultimately achieved.

Results

On 23rd April 2025, Clover Healthcare Services Ltd received official notification from STAR Procurement confirming they had been identified as Stockport Council’s preferred bidder for the FPS Agreement for the Provision of Day Opportunities. Their exceptional achievement of 100% quality score across all evaluation criteria represented outstanding performance in competitive procurement, with the weighted total score of 60% reflecting their perfect quality performance against the 60% quality weighting.

The Award Decision Notice confirmed that their offer had been determined as the most economically advantageous tender to the Council, with the mandatory standstill period under Regulation 87 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ending at midnight on 6th May 2025. Subject to successful completion of due diligence and no legal challenges during standstill, contract confirmation would follow. This perfect quality performance demonstrates the value of understanding social care market dynamics and competitive positioning when pursuing excellence in day opportunities procurement.

Outcome

This exceptional framework success provides Clover Healthcare Services Ltd with substantial strategic advantages for Greater Manchester market development:

Stockport day opportunities market leadership: Framework membership with perfect quality scoring establishes Clover Healthcare as the premier day opportunities provider for Stockport Council, providing sustained access to contracts supporting people with diverse needs across the borough. This leadership position, validated through exceptional evaluation performance, creates competitive advantage that extends beyond this specific framework to strengthen their reputation across Greater Manchester’s integrated commissioning landscape.

Perfect quality performance validation and competitive differentiation: Achieving 100% quality score represents exceptional validation of Clover Healthcare’s day opportunities expertise, service delivery excellence, and comprehensive understanding of person-centred support principles. This perfect performance provides compelling evidence for future procurement opportunities across other councils, integrated care systems, and health partnerships, where demonstration of evaluation excellence distinguishes serious contenders from generic providers. Using BIDSuite’s advanced opportunity tracking system, we help clients like Clover Healthcare leverage their success track record by monitoring opportunities where their proven excellence creates competitive advantage.

STAR Procurement footprint expansion potential: Success in Stockport’s procurement through STAR shared services positions Clover Healthcare advantageously for potential opportunities across Trafford and Rochdale, the other councils served by this procurement partnership. Their demonstrated capability in Stockport creates credibility for cross-authority expansion, potentially leading to framework opportunities across the wider STAR procurement footprint and establishing them as a strategic partner across Greater Manchester’s integrated commissioning systems.

Day opportunities specialisation and modern service model credibility: Framework success specifically in day opportunities services validates Clover Healthcare’s expertise in contemporary community-based support models that differ from traditional building-based day centres. This specialisation positions them for similar opportunities across councils seeking providers capable of delivering person-centred, community-integrated day services that support independence, employment pathways, and social inclusion rather than segregated group activities in institutional settings.

We continue supporting Clover Healthcare through the standstill period, post-award due diligence processes, and contract mobilisation preparation to ensure their preferred bidder status converts smoothly to confirmed contract award and successful service commencement. Our ongoing support includes guidance on maintaining the service excellence standards that achieved their perfect quality evaluation and positioning them for future opportunities across Greater Manchester’s complex commissioning landscape.

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

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