Most bidding advice focuses on how to win a tender: stronger method statements, better evidence and sharper social value.

All useful. But none of it helps if you are pursuing the wrong social care contracts in the first place.

A framework, dynamic market, block contract and spot purchase can create very different levels of income, risk and operational commitment. The right choice depends on your business stage, capacity, cash flow, track record and service specialism.

Before responding to another social care tender, it is worth understanding what each route actually offers.

First, What Has Changed?

The Procurement Act 2023 introduced important changes to public procurement under the new regime from February 2025.

For care providers, two developments are particularly relevant.

Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) are being replaced by dynamic markets under the new regime. Existing DPS arrangements can continue under their applicable rules until they expire.

Open frameworks also provide opportunities for new suppliers to join at defined points rather than waiting indefinitely for another procurement exercise.

For smaller providers, both changes can create more routes into public-sector procurement.

But access does not equal income. Choosing the right contract still matters.

1. Framework Agreements: Access, Credibility and Competition

What is a framework?

A framework is an arrangement that appoints suppliers for the future award of contracts. Those individual contracts are commonly called call-offs.

The crucial point is simple:

Winning a framework place does not guarantee you any work.

A framework may have no minimum volume or value. Depending on its terms, call-offs can be awarded through a further competition or another permitted mechanism set out in the framework.

So do not confuse the total advertised framework value with the revenue your business will actually receive.

Who should pursue a framework?

Frameworks can suit growing and established providers that have:

• a strong evidence base
• enough operational capacity to handle variable demand
• resources to compete for call-offs
• a reason to build credibility with commissioners

Before bidding, find out how work will actually be allocated.

Ask:

How many suppliers will be appointed? How will call-offs be awarded? Is there any guaranteed volume? What did the previous arrangement generate?

A large framework value does not automatically make these social care contracts a good opportunity.

2. Dynamic Markets: A More Open Route for Providers

What is a dynamic market?

A dynamic market is a list of qualified suppliers. Providers can apply to join during its operation if they meet the relevant conditions.

This can be attractive to smaller or newer providers because you do not necessarily have to wait for another major framework exercise before seeking access.

Do dynamic markets guarantee work?

No.

Membership allows you to participate in relevant procurements; it does not guarantee a contract or referrals.

Competition can also be high because there is no fixed cap on membership in the way there may be with a traditional framework.

Who should pursue a dynamic market?

Dynamic markets can be a good fit for:

Newer providers building public-sector experience.

Growing providers strengthening their evidence before targeting larger opportunities.

Specialist providers offering services that are difficult to source.

For many smaller businesses, this can be a practical route into social care contracts while building experience and commissioner references.

3. Block Contracts: Predictable Income, Greater Commitment

What is a block contract?

A block contract involves an agreement to provide a defined level of service over a set period. This could involve a specified number of hours, beds, placements or packages, depending on the service.

The commercial difference is important: the commissioner commits to the agreed capacity, subject to the contract terms, while the provider commits to deliver it.

Why can block contracts be attractive?

More predictable income can help with:

• staffing
• recruitment
• cash-flow planning
• fixed-cost management
• investment in service delivery

But that predictability comes with exposure.

You are committing capacity at an agreed price. If wages, travel or other operating costs rise, margins can come under pressure unless the contract includes appropriate review, uplift or variation provisions.

Before pursuing these social care contracts, calculate the real cost of delivery and stress-test your margin against likely cost increases.

Who should pursue a block contract?

Block arrangements generally suit established providers with:

• reliable operational systems
• sufficient staffing capacity
• strong management controls
• accurate financial modelling

A high-value contract is only a good contract if you can deliver it sustainably and profitably.

4. Spot Purchase: Flexible, But Unpredictable

What is spot purchasing?

Spot purchasing is where a commissioner buys individual care packages as needs arise, rather than committing to a fixed volume.

There may be an agreed rate or an individually negotiated price.

Why do providers use spot work?

Spot work can help providers:

• fill spare capacity
• take on specialist packages
• build commissioner relationships
• generate income while pursuing larger opportunities

The downside is uncertainty. There may be strong demand one month and very little the next.

That makes spot purchasing useful as part of a wider commercial strategy, but risky as the main foundation of your business.

Who should pursue spot work?

Spot purchasing can suit:

New providers building experience.

Specialist providers with hard-to-source capabilities.

Established providers looking to fill spare capacity.

Treat it as a useful revenue stream rather than assuming it provides long-term security.

Which Social Care Contracts Should Your Business Chase?

The right answer depends on where your business is now.

When assessing social care tenders, start with your current capacity rather than the headline contract value.

New or Early-Stage Providers

Your priority should be building evidence, experience and references.

Dynamic markets and selective spot opportunities may be more realistic than major frameworks or block arrangements.

Do not spend weeks chasing a framework that requires a level of experience your business cannot yet demonstrate.

Your progression should look like:

Build evidence → build credibility → build capacity → move into larger opportunities.

Growing Providers

This is where your strategy should evolve.

Use smaller call-offs and dynamic market opportunities to strengthen your track record, while beginning to target frameworks and open frameworks that match your service, geography and evidence.

Ask:

What evidence do we need now to win the contracts we want in 12–24 months?

Your current opportunities should help build that evidence.

Established Providers

At this stage, selectivity matters more.

Block arrangements, larger call-offs and strategic framework opportunities may make sense where you have the staffing, systems and financial resilience to deliver them.

The question is no longer simply:

“Can we win it?”

Ask:

“Will winning it make the business stronger?”

Don’t Judge Social Care Tenders by Headline Value

One of the biggest mistakes providers make when assessing social care tenders is focusing on the advertised contract value.

A £10 million framework does not mean your business will receive £10 million.

A dynamic market does not guarantee a regular flow of referrals.

A large block contract can still be unprofitable if the rate is wrong.

And a smaller spot package can sometimes provide a better margin.

Before pursuing social care tenders, assess five things:

Eligibility: Can you meet the mandatory requirements?

Competition: How many providers are likely to compete?

Capacity: Can you actually deliver the service?

Commercial viability: Does the rate cover your real costs and desired margin?

Strategic fit: Does the opportunity support your growth plan?

This is what separates finding opportunities from finding the right ones.

Build a Contract Portfolio, Not Just a Pipeline

You do not necessarily need to choose one contract route.

A strong care business can use different social care contracts for different purposes.

Block contracts can provide greater income stability.

Frameworks and dynamic markets can create access to future opportunities and growth.

Spot purchases can help fill spare capacity or test a new service.

The goal is a balanced portfolio that gives your business a combination of stability, growth and flexibility.

Instead of asking:

“What can we bid for this month?”

ask:

“What mix of contracts do we need over the next three years?”

Qualify Before You Bid

Every bid has a cost, even when there is no submission fee.

Your team may spend days or weeks gathering evidence, developing responses, modelling costs and preparing the submission.

Before committing significant resources to social care tenders, ask:

Are we eligible?

Can we realistically win?

Can we deliver it profitably?

Do we have the evidence?

Does it fit our strategy?

This is where tools such as BIDSuite’s Tender Match Score and Bid Health Score can help providers assess opportunities before investing heavily in the bid.

Because the goal is not to bid for more.

It is to bid for the right social care contracts.

The Portfolio View

The strongest care providers don’t choose one route. They build a portfolio.

Block contracts underwrite the fixed cost base. Framework and dynamic market call-offs provide growth and margin. Spot purchase absorbs spare capacity and tests new service lines. Each route helps mitigate the weaknesses of the others.

What they don’t do is stumble into that portfolio by chasing whatever appears on Find a Tender that month.

They plan it.

They look three years ahead, deciding which frameworks matter, when they are likely to reopen, which dynamic markets are relevant, and what evidence they need to have accumulated by then.

That’s the difference between a provider who bids and a provider with a commissioning strategy.

The first wins contracts. The second builds a business.

Our case studies show what the second looks like: providers who moved from spot work to dynamic market call-offs to framework places deliberately, over time, rather than simply hoping the right tender would come along.

Before your next social care tender, ask a different question.

Not:

“Can we win this?”

But:

“Does winning this take us where we’re going?”

Need Support Finding and Winning the Right Opportunities?

AssuredBID helps UK social care providers prepare stronger bids, meet tender requirements, and identify opportunities that genuinely fit their business.

You can book a consultation with our tender experts to discuss your next opportunity, explore our services, and follow AssuredBID on social media for practical updates, insights and guidance you can actually use.

You can also explore the BIDSuite platform to find relevant tenders, assess your eligibility, and understand your chances of winning before committing significant time to a bid.