What’s Different About NHS Bid Writing?

Published16th March 2022

3 tips to upgrade your NHS bid writing process

NHS bid writing informs an integral cog in the wheel of UK healthcare procurement. In 2020, The DHSC recorded £70 billion in expenditure, and since the pandemic, this is sure to have skyrocketed. This has created unprecedented levels of demand for healthcare services across the board.

So, where does this leave you when it comes to the NHS bid process?

With serious opportunities for growth and development!

In this blog, we’ll look at sources of NHS tenders, alongside tips to help your NHS bid writing tactics.

Where can I find NHS tenders?

Through our extensive searches for NHS contracts, we’ve developed one central portal…Healthcare Tenders.

By removing unreliable CPV codes, we’ve created a portal that infinitely smoothens the process of searching for tenders. We upload a wide range of tenders in the healthcare industry, across the UK. This helps to streamline the process, saving you time and resources.

What is Healthcare Tenders?

Healthcare Tenders is a time-saving tool. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search hundreds of sites for the latest healthcare leads and opportunities. They upload a whole range of opportunities such as single-provider contracts, NHS frameworks and DPS’. Once they are uploaded to our portal, you can filter the results by budget, keyword, location and more.

Below are previous NHS tenders sourced on our portal:

Provision of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, Individual CBT Waiting List Support

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS FT – Yorkshire – Budget: £150,000

Early-Stage Products Strategic Design Support

NHS England – Yorkshire – Budget: £75,000

CLCH – Podiatry Support Merton

Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust – South East – Budget: Undisclosed

RA314325 – NWL CCG – Blood Pressure Monitors

NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) – North West – Budget: Undisclosed

Operate, Maintain, and Improve the Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) Service

The National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHS England and Improvement) – London – Budget: £2,000,000

3 tips to improve your NHS bid writing

Make sure you’re eligible

Eligibility is a core element in healthcare tender evaluations, and without it, your chances of winning are dashed. You need to ensure that your qualifications, standards, and policies match the requirements of the NHS. Check out the NHS Procurement & Commercial Standards which includes the requirements suppliers need to meet to qualify for tenders.

Proofreading and reviewing

The gap between success and failure can be very slight, especially when it comes to NHS bid writing. Detail is incredibly important, so understanding the tender documents is essential to winning the bid. Take time to digest the contract, and really get to grips with the terminology. Once you’ve written the response, and reviewed it a few times, you can pass the document onto f colleagues. If the work is clear and easy to read, you’ve won half the battle. Ask them to be as critical as possible, in order to catch any stray errors. If you still don’t feel confident enough in the document, send it to a professional Bid Writer. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, actually offers this service through Tender Mentor.

Bid and time management

Bid management is crucial to NHS bid writing. You should always be mindful of the deadline, especially when it comes to healthcare. If your bid is too late, it will simply not be considered.

So, how do I achieve good bid management?

  • Set internal deadlines with both your company and yourself
  • Organise progress meetings so that everyone is on board with what’s going on in the wider team and project
  • Track the progress of the teams through project trackers.

In summary

So here we are, at the end of this blog on NHS bid writing! If you need it, here’s a short recap of the blog. You now know about the importance of eligibility when it comes to healthcare, alongside always keeping on top of time management. You also know about methods for proofing/reviewing to ensure that your finished bid is the best version it can be. As well, you’ve been informed about solid sources for tendering.

Need help writing your next NHS tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This four-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next NHS tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written an NHS bid and need someone to proofread, it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information about our bid management consultancy services.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity, even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable healthcare leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Contact us for more information.

 

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