Social Care Framework Agreements are consistently in demand across the UK and beyond, particularly by the public sector, including the NHS and Local Authorities, who require top-tier social care services within their jurisdictions.
These framework agreements encompass a wide array of social care services, and Hudson Discover has introduced a new Healthcare Tenders portal to consolidate these opportunities into one convenient location. Understanding the time constraints faced by our clients in the social care sector, who must prioritize patient care, we recognize the importance of streamlining the process of identifying and pursuing opportunities to grow their businesses.
Our portals are diligently updated daily by our procurement team, ensuring that relevant social care framework agreement opportunities are easily accessible for review, enabling swift decision-making on whether to bid or not. With all tender documentation just a click away, navigating through complex layers of links and pages is eliminated, saving valuable time and effort.
To become a supplier on a social care framework agreement, familiarity with the NHS tendering process is crucial. Typically, this involves an initial selection questionnaire (SQ) or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ), followed by an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for those who pass the initial stage. However, in some cases, the SQ procedure may be bypassed entirely, with the process proceeding directly to the ITT stage. Evaluation criteria for social care tenders often focus on factors such as your capability to meet specified requirements:
- Provide a high-quality
- reliable service consistently;
- Demonstrate a person-centered approach to care;
- Display a thorough understanding of incident management and safeguarding procedures;
- Present evidence of past successful delivery of social care services.
Additionally, buyers may inquire about other aspects of your service beyond this list.
Opportunities exist through various contract types, with public sector contracts typically in higher demand compared to private sector ones. Given the public sector’s responsibility for public funds, procurement processes are governed by transparency and regulation to ensure accountability.
Obtaining a spot on Social Care Framework Agreements
In the sector, there’s a growing trend towards breaking down works into numerous smaller contracts, often managed by local authorities. This presents a valuable chance for small, and even newly established, health and social support providers to establish a presence on various types of social care framework agreements. From our experience, we’ve identified the primary factors influencing success in tendering for social care opportunities:
Past Experience:
In the tendering process, providing evidence of your past experience is crucial. Contracting authorities require solid proof of your competence and track record. It’s particularly vital to demonstrate this in relation to the challenges you may encounter in the contract you’re bidding for. Without substantial evidence, including specific details such as numbers, dates, and figures, you may encounter difficulties. Building a repository of case studies is an essential initial step toward securing healthcare tenders successfully.
Accreditation & Qualification:
Securing a place on Social Care frameworks or having a realistic chance of doing so necessitates showcasing appropriate accreditations and qualifications. Without these, you risk stumbling at the first hurdle. Tendering authorities seek assurance that you and your team are reliable, competent, and trustworthy. Displaying fundamental, internationally recognized qualifications, quality accreditations, and information security standards for your organization can be beneficial. Certifications like ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, along with relevant NVQs (typically level 3 or higher), can often assist in passing initial evaluation stages and guiding your business towards national best practices.
Quality Responses:
Quality takes precedence in most Social Care tenders, with pricing typically considered secondary by tendering authorities in this sector. Recently, at AssuredBid, we submitted a bid on behalf of a healthcare provider, which was evaluated solely on quality, with price being disregarded entirely. Tendering authorities prioritize securing high-quality services that fully meet the needs of service users over cheaper alternatives.
Including additional evidence as part of your submission reinforces your quality responses. For instance, providing policies, risk assessments, and other relevant items can instill further confidence in your organization’s ability to deliver a safe, high-quality service.
Corporate Social Responsibility:
Social value is increasingly important across all sectors in tender processes. Buyers seek demonstrations of how your organization will contribute value to their communities. This often involves commitments to environmental, social, and economic initiatives.
When tendering for Social Care services, it’s not just about demonstrating your commitment to service users; authorities also want to see your dedication to broader societal concerns. It’s now common to encounter questions about social value or community benefits.
A robust social value response can significantly impact the strength of your care tender, differentiating between a strong proposal and a weaker one.
If you’re not successful in your initial attempt to secure a place on Social Care framework agreements, don’t lose heart.
The evaluation criteria for these agreements are typically stringent due to the sensitive and complex nature of the work involved. A rejection may not necessarily reflect negatively on your company; it could simply mean that the contracting authority has found another bidder with more specialized or niche experience. Let our expert tender writing consultants support you with a bid by scheduling a FREE consultation call here
You can also locate an ideal tender to bid for by searching through our portal here
