Not every tender is an “Open Procedure” where anyone can apply. In 2026, many of the most lucrative UK health and social care contracts are run as “Restricted” or “Competitive Flexible” procedures. This means the local authority or Integrated Care Board (ICB) acts as a bouncer at a club. They decide who gets past the velvet rope before the real bidding even begins. Under the 2026 rules, this “shortlisting” stage has become more precise, more transparent, and significantly more data-driven. If you want to understand the full picture of how the new procurement procedures work and what they mean for your organisation, our guide on the difference between being compliant and being competitive in tenders explains why meeting the minimum standard is no longer enough to get through the door.
The Selection Stage: Surviving the SQ
The first hurdle is the Selection Questionnaire (SQ). In 2026, this is largely handled by the Central Digital Platform (CDP), which acts as a “tell-us-once” portal for your core credentials. The authority looks at your baseline data to see if you are financially stable and legally compliant. However, they are also looking for “exclusion grounds” that may have been hidden in the past.
If you have a history of contract termination, poor performance notices, or significant tax issues, the system now makes this visible to every commissioner in the UK. For restricted tenders, councils often limit the number of providers who can proceed to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. They usually rank providers based on a set of strict priorities that assess your viability as a long-term partner.
To ensure you make it through the selection gate, you must pay attention to several make-or-break factors:
Financial Health and Turnover Thresholds
Your turnover-to-contract-value ratio must be healthy. If the contract is worth £2m and your turnover is only £500k, you are seen as a high-risk entity and will likely be filtered out during the initial financial sweep. Commissioners in 2026 have clear benchmarks for this, and the Central Digital Platform makes it easy for them to verify your financials instantly rather than relying on self-declared figures.
Technical and Professional Capability
Have you delivered similar services in the last three years? If you are a home care provider trying to move into “Extra Care” without a track record, you likely won’t make the cut for a restricted bid unless you can prove transferable expertise. The key here is not just listing past contracts but describing the outcomes you achieved, the complexity you managed, and the scale you delivered at. A vague reference to “previous experience” will not survive a scored SQ.
CQC Standing and Compliance
While a “Requires Improvement” rating might not legally disbar you, in a restricted tender where only the top five providers move forward, it is an easy reason for a council to cut you from the list in favour of “Good” or “Outstanding” providers. Your CQC rating is now one of the first data points commissioners check on the Central Digital Platform, and in a shortlisting exercise, it carries significant weight.
Why Market Engagement Decides Your Shortlisting Chances Before the Tender Goes Live
Decision-making starts long before the tender notice is published. In 2026, councils are using “Prior Information Notices” (PINs) and the “Competitive Flexible Procedure” to hold market engagement events. If you do not attend these, you are essentially invisible to the commissioners during the planning phase of the tender.
Building Relationships Through Early Engagement
These sessions are where authorities do their window shopping. They want to see which providers are innovative, responsive, and aligned with their specific Neighbourhood Health strategies. If you have built a relationship with the commissioners during these events, you aren’t just a name on a screen when they sit down to shortlist. They will already understand your capacity to handle the “Left Shift” of care from hospitals to homes. Showing up early and engaging meaningfully is one of the most effective ways to influence the outcome long before a single score is awarded.
The 2026 Local Provider Reservation Rules
A significant development in 2026 is the Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026. This allows authorities to reserve certain “below-threshold” contracts, typically under £214,904 for services, specifically for local providers or SMEs. If you aren’t positioned as a “local” expert with visible roots in the community, you may find yourself locked out of these restricted competitions before they even begin. Understanding which contracts fall under this reservation and ensuring your local presence is clearly documented on the Central Digital Platform is a crucial part of your market access strategy.
This is the kind of proactive, relationship-first approach that has helped our clients get shortlisted and win contracts consistently. As one provider shared, their organisation has been working with AssuredBID for two years, during which time AssuredBID helped them grow and diversify their business by successfully tendering on their behalf. Read their story and others on our testimonials page.
How the Selection Questionnaire Is Scored in Restricted Tender Procedures
In a restricted procedure, the SQ stage is often scored. This means it isn’t just about answering “yes” to having insurance; it is about how you describe your previous experience. The local authority will use a scoring matrix to rank the expressions of interest they receive. If they only want five providers to tender, they will take the five with the highest SQ scores.
Optimising Your Technical and Professional Ability Responses
To maximise your score at this stage, you must ensure your “Standard Selection Questionnaire” responses on the Central Digital Platform are fully optimised. Use the “technical and professional ability” section to highlight high-value contracts you have successfully delivered, including measurable outcomes and the specific challenges you overcame. The council is looking for “confidence.” They want to invite providers who have proven they can handle the volume and complexity of the upcoming contract without failing.
Social Value Commitments at the Shortlisting Stage
The decision-making process is also influenced by your social value commitments even before you reach the full tender stage. Authorities are looking for providers who align with their local climate and employment goals from the very first touchpoint. If your SQ response shows a strong commitment to local recruitment, apprenticeships, and community investment, you are far more likely to be seen as a “Most Beneficial” candidate for the shortlist.
To see how strong positioning, a clean compliance record, and strategic early engagement helped a specialist social care provider in Scotland secure a place on a competitive tender and win a contract for supporting adults with learning disabilities, read the full case study here.
Conclusion: Getting Shortlisted Is About Reputation, Data, and Early Presence
Making it to a restricted tender is about being “pre-qualified” in the eyes of the council. You need a spotless digital record on the Central Digital Platform, a strong financial foundation, and an active presence in the market through early engagement. If you wait for the tender to appear to start your relationship with the council, you have already lost the lead. In 2026, being shortlisted for health and social care contracts is as much about your reputation and data as it is about your bid writing. If you’d like expert support in positioning your organisation to get past the shortlisting stage and into the room where contracts are won, book a free consultation with our tender specialists.
Need support with tenders or compliance? AssuredBID helps UK social care providers prepare stronger bids and win the right opportunities. You can book a consultation with our tender experts, explore our services, and follow AssuredBID on social media for practical updates, insights, and guidance you can actually use.
