Tendering for Home Care Contracts? Read This First!

Home care contracts: Here’s what you need to know…

You might think you’re ready to bid for home care contracts, but do you know what to expect? Luckily for you, the Healthcare Tenders Team know everything there is to know about tendering for healthcare contracts. And they’re here to share their secrets!

In this blog, we’ll explore the things you should expect when bidding for home care contracts. Keep reading to find out more…

Things to consider before tendering for home care contracts

  • Look at your financial standing 

Firstly, when you bid for home care contracts, you need to consider your economic financial standing. What do we mean by this? Well, basically, you should consider your financial position to ensure you can deliver the requirements of the tender.

To do this, you should look at the following:

  • Your annual turnover
  • Financial ratios
  • Insurance(s).

Top tip from Healthcare Tenders! Generally, we advise that you don’t bid for contracts worth more than 50% of your annual turnover. For example, if your annual turnover is £500,000, you shouldn’t tender for contracts worth more than £250,000.

  • Do you need to be CQC registered? 

Does your business need to be CQC (Care Quality Commission) registered to secure the contract? This is super important when bidding for home care contracts! Before you spend precious time and resources on your tender response, make sure you read the tender documents carefully.

The last thing you want is to be halfway through your tender response, only to realise you aren’t actually eligible. To avoid this, healthcare businesses have two options:

  • Register with CQC
  • Only bid for contracts that don’t require a CQC registration.
  • Think about your experience

To bid for home care contracts, you need to show your previous experience with similar projects. It’s not enough to tell the buyer how you’re going to do something – you need to show them.

So, instead of outlining what you can do for them, show them how you delivered for your previous clients. The best way to do this is through case studies. Ideally, you’ll have two to three case studies from the past five years, all similar in size, scope and complexity. If you can get testimonials that showcase your past successes, even better!

Remember, it’s crucial that your contract examples are relevant to the tender you’re going for. For example, if you’re trying to win homecare contracts, don’t include your experience with medical equipment tenders!

  • Go above and beyond for the contract

When it comes to home care contracts, you’ll be competing against other suppliers in your field. To stand out in such a competitive space, you need to add as much value as possible to the contract. Added value, also known as social value, is now mandatory in public sector contracts, with a compulsory weighting of 10%. You need to show the buyer how your business will deal with environmental, social and economic factors. So, for example, you should consider how your company will:

  • Support ongoing COVID-19 recovery
  • Encourage economic growth
  • Tackle climate change
  • Create new job opportunities
  • Give back to the local community.

Need help writing your next home care 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. We offer four bid writing support packages that can get 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 4-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 home care contracts.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a home care tender response 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 Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Contact us for more information regarding our bid management consultancy services.

Where can I find home care contracts?

You may be wondering where you can find home care contracts. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through numerous websites, relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads all the relevant tenders in the healthcare industry across the UK. This helps to streamline the process, saving you time and resources.

Below are previous home care contracts sourced on our Healthcare Tenders portal:

Home First Bridging Care Service

Southampton City Council – South East – Budget: £939,500

The Provision of Home Care and Reablement Services

City of London Corporation – London – Budget: £1,900,000

Provision of a Care at Home Service

Inverclyde Council – Scotland – Budget: £4,441,760

Support at Home Service

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council – North West – Budget: £73,000,000

CSW – Refresh 2 – Care at Home Services Lots 2, 3 and 4

Shared Service (CSW) – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed – £91,000,000

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

Healthcare Tenders is a time-saving tool. Our Opportunity Trackers manually search numerous 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.

We source opportunities to bid for the following:

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts, 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
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable home care leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notice monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

The Pre-Bid Master package can offer your business:

  • All of the above
  • Up to seven bid breakdowns per month
  • A bespoke bidding strategy, developed by our senior bidding professionals.

Contact us for more information and start winning work today!

Occupational Health Tenders: Finding the Perfect Tender FAST

Here’s how you can quickly find occupational health tenders that are perfect for your business…

Occupational health is incredibly important across countless industries and businesses. Therefore, there are plenty of tendering opportunities for occupational health tenders.

In this blog, we will give you some information on what they are and how to find them. Keep reading to learn more…

What are occupational health tenders?

Occupational health tenders are contracts concerning the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace. They encourage and ensure positive relationships between work and health. Having access to specialist occupational health practitioners, allows businesses and their teams to thrive.

These tenders will be for services such as:

  • Supporting and assessing employees on sick leave, and promoting an effective return to work
  • Assessing fitness to work
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as, noxious chemicals or excessive noise
  • Helping employers fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010. (This includes disability, pregnancy, and age discrimination, for example)
  • Advising any changes to the workplace
  • Advising employers on mental health risks, such as, excessive pressure and stress, bullying, and harassment
  • Providing confidential health advice and counselling to employees
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as noxious chemicals or excessive noise
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as noxious chemicals or excessive noise.

Where can you find occupational health tenders?

If you are looking for occupational health tenders, you’ll likely search the term via Google. It may be how you came across this blog! The great news is that you are in the right place, and we have the information you need.

If you simply use a search engine like Google to find tenders, you’ll be met with thousands of sites. All of these sites will feature contracts differently. Many of them will only be the lengthy tender documents, that will take ages to read. The key details you’re looking for will be buried within these pages. This could be the information that determines whether you are even eligible for the contract. Having to do this over and over can quickly become tedious. Thankfully, there are tools available to make this stage of the tendering process far easier, and faster.

You can use tender portals to locate contracts based on your requirements. For example, our Healthcare Tenders portal allows users to adjust search results based on filters. This can include budget, keywords, and location. We don’t use CPV codes, so there is no risk of our users missing the perfect contract due to a code error. Plus, we send daily tender notifications to keep you up to date!

Want to save even more time? Discover Elite can help…

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

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 portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable 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.

Examples of occupational health tenders found on our portal

National Highways Occupational Health Services

National Highways – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £660,000

Occupational Health Services

Wokingham Borough Council – South East – Budget: £80,000

City of London & City of London Police Occupational Health Physician Contract

City of London Corporation – London – Budget: £400,000

Invitation to Tender for the Supply and Provision of Occupational Health Services

Historic England – South West – Budget: £80,000

Occupational Health Services for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – West Midlands – Budget: £1,030,000

Summary

Here is a summary of everything we covered on occupational health tenders.

Occupational health tenders can include services such as:

  • Supporting and assessing employees on sick leave, and promoting an effective return to work
  • Assessing fitness to work
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as, noxious chemicals or excessive noise
  • Helping employers fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010. (This includes disability, pregnancy, and age discrimination, for example)
  • Advising any changes to the workplace
  • Advising employers on mental health risks, such as, excessive pressure and stress, bullying, and harassment
  • Providing confidential health advice and counselling to employees
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as noxious chemicals or excessive noise
  • Advising employers on preventing or minimising exposure of workers to hazardous agents – such as noxious chemicals or excessive noise.

To find occupational health tenders, you can use tender portals. Healthcare Tenders don’t use CPV codes, so there’s no risk of missing a contract due to an error! You can also upgrade to Discover Elite to have an Account Manager find your tenders for you.

Need help writing your next occupational health 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 4-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 tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender 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 occupational health 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.

Contact us for more information regarding our bid management consultancy services.

Do You Know the Difference Between Public and Private Contracts for Healthcare Services?

Are you looking for public or private sector contracts for healthcare services? That is the first question you need to answer.

Securing contracts for healthcare services can be tricky to navigate if you don’t know where to begin.

Ask yourself, what can you and your business offer? And do you meet the criteria the contract is asking for?

Answering these initial questions is the starting point when looking at contracts for healthcare services. In this blog, we will look at how to secure these contracts and explore the differences between the sectors.

What healthcare services can you tender for?

Healthcare Tenders are published by a variety of buyers both in the public and private sector. Ultimately, these organisations are seeking to procure healthcare services, goods or support for their constituents or service users.

Buyers procure healthcare services including:

However, there are a lot more services that buyers can procure. For example, women can seek IVF care and maternity care. Then there’s children’s healthcare to consider. Meaning tendering for contracts for healthcare services can vary in specialisms. This means that there is a broad range of contracts available. It’s important to establish what you’re looking for to make the tracking process more efficient.

What do you need to have in place to be able to tender for healthcare services?

Due to the nature of the healthcare industry, there will be limitations regarding securing some contracts. If you are intending to go for healthcare contracts, it is important you know what requirements the buyer has stipulated.

We recommend healthcare companies to be CQC (Care Quality Commission) registered before tendering for work. This shows to the buyer that you are legitimate, and will deliver a professional, high-quality service. In some instances, there will also be, Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ). PQQ’s are used by buyers to determine the suitability of suppliers tendering for their contracts. You will be required to complete the questionnaire alongside submitting evidence to validate your business. Buyers could also use a Selection Questionnaire (SQ). These are more liberal when it comes to the questions. No evidence is required, but you need to ‘self-certify’ why you are suitable.

The 5 main differences between private and public sector healthcare contracts:

Contracts for healthcare services can be procured in both the public and private sector.

  • With public contracts, buyers publish through the government, or public sector bodies, including the NHS. This means companies bid for the contracts, following the framework set out by the government.
  • A private contract for healthcare services is published directly by the buyers. They are open to all, and the guidelines can differ from each new contract.
  • Private contracts, tend to focus more on the budget above all, looking at who can deliver their services cost-effectively. Whereas public contracts will often focus on your quality responses also and whether you meet their requirements.
  • In the public sector, you’re guaranteed to be paid as per the Prompt Payment Code. The private sector is not bound by these regulations.
  • The public sector now places a 10% weighting on social value. This score evaluates how you’re helping to improve the local community, the environment and aid Covid recovery.

To summarise

Before diving into contracts for healthcare services, ensure you are ready with all the necessary requirements that will be considered. Think about what the buyer is asking and what it is that you can do better than others.

Ensure you have the correct accreditations to fit the contract. Are you CQC registered, or at least in the process of becoming so? Do you need to answer a PQQ or SQ? Planning ahead will enable you to prepare, giving you a better chance of winning healthcare contracts.

Healthcare Tenders

If your business would benefit from bidding on healthcare contracts, then our Healthcare Tender Portal is here to help.

Unlike other portals, we don’t use CPV codes. We have our Opportunity Trackers who physically scour portals every day. If they find new healthcare contracts, they then upload it to Healthcare Tenders. With your subscription, you could view all these opportunities from hundreds of portals, in one place.

What’s more, we will assign you a dedicated Account Manager to manage your subscription. They will be on hand to answer your tendering or portal-related queries. You will also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox. This will contain contracts for healthcare services found that day.

Schedule a free live demo of Healthcare Tenders to see how the portal can help your business.

Below are previous healthcare tenders sourced on our portal:

Children and Young People Speech Therapy Services
Cheshire west and Chester Borough Council – North West – £1.9 Million

Domiciliary Care Package
Durham County Council – North East – Budget: Undisclosed

Early Years Assessment Provisions
Gloucestershire County Council – South West – Budget: Undisclosed

Residential Placements for Young Males
The Isle of Man Government – North West – Budget: Undisclosed

Acute Hospital Setting
London Borough of Hounslow – London – Budget: Undisclosed

We source healthcare business leads for sub-sectors including:

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help you find more healthcare contracts – even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors such as Healthcare and Technology. A dedicated Account Manager will carefully consider which healthcare service contracts are most suitable for your business. This will help improve your bid success rate and improve your competitor awareness.

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 tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management. This includes registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of five years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

For further information, contact us today.

Need help with a bid proposal?

Hudson Succeed is our sister company of expert bid writers who can handle the whole tendering process for you. So, if you have found a healthcare contract you would like to bid for, Hudson Succeed can help. Their tender support packages are designed to help your business succeed. Find out how our Bid Writers can support you on your tendering journey.

Contact us for more information regarding our bid management consultancy services.

Contracts In the Healthcare Industry – What You Need to Know

Get closer to winning contracts in the healthcare industry with this blog!

Contracts in the healthcare industry are somewhat feared for their complexity. There seems to be some real confusion around these contracts, so in this blog, we aim to dispel that. Read below to discover the tendering process behind contracts in the healthcare industry.

Who procures contracts in the healthcare industry?

People might state simply that the NHS is the ‘buyer’, but there’s more to this than you’d think. Local clinical commissioning groups play a vital role in creating contracts in the healthcare industry. After significant mergers, there are currently 106 CGGs in the U.K, playing central roles in the creation of healthcare contracts. On average, these commissioning groups are serving 250,000 people in their area of service.

Where can I find healthcare contracts?

Look no further than 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 healthcare tenders sourced on our portal:

GB-Newcastle Upon Tyne: T21-0055 Modular Benchtop
Northumbria University – North East – Budget: £50,000

Provision of Community Step Down Services on Behalf of Central and North West London NHS Foundation
NHS Shared Business Services Ltd (NHS SBS) – London – Budget: £3,900,000

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People’s 16+ Supported Accommodation Service
Nottinghamshire County Council – East Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

Soft Market – Mental Health Recovery Framework
Sheffield City Council – Yorkshire – Budget: Undisclosed

Community Care Supplies & Services – Adult
Wirral Borough Council – North West – Budget: Undisclosed

What does the healthcare tendering process look like?

1.   PIN (Prior Information Notices)

We start contracts in the healthcare industry with PINs. This is simply the announcement of procurement by the CCG or NHS foundation. These generally take place far before the contract notice, in some cases up to a year beforehand. At this point, you may be asked to provide an expression of interest.

2.   Contract notice

This aspect of the tendering process fleshes out the PIN by stating basic information about the contract. The contract then provides contact details to the suppliers.

3.   SQ

The selection questionnaire is where things really get going in the bid writing process. Although large responses aren’t usually required, it’s dependent on the buyer and the size of the contract.

4.   ITT

You’ve passed the SQ, and you’ve now been invited to tender. In some cases, the buyer may jump in with the ITT. Things to expect as the supplier are:

  1. A cover letter – A generic letter covering what’s to be expected.
  2. A scope of procurement – Things such as the dates, length, value, etc. It’s likely that the contract winner will be chosen based on the MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender). Your response to this is the most important part of winning contracts in the healthcare industry.

5.   Presentation

Your company has been shortlisted for the final stage. You may be invited for a final interview. You can expect 5% of marking to be attributed to this stage.

6.   Contract Award

You’ve done it. You’ve won! This isn’t the time to rest on your laurels, however. You need to act on the promises made during the presentation and prior to that.

In summary

Here we are, at the conclusion to this blog on contracts in the healthcare industry. You now have a greater knowledge when it comes to the healthcare tendering process. You also now know where to find these contracts.

Need help writing your next healthcare 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 healthcare tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a healthcare 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 for more information.

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.

What’s Different About NHS Bid Writing?

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.

 

Tackling a Medicine Tender: A Short Guide

5 tips for writing a medicine tender response

Are you a healthcare provider, waiting to tackle your next medicine tender response? Are you already tendering for work but are yet to see success from your efforts? Well, you’re in luck – Healthcare Tenders is here to help!

Medicine tenders are in high demand, so it’s likely you’ll be competing against many other suppliers. To stand out in such a competitive space, you need to make sure your tender response is top notch.

In this blog, we’ll provide six tips for writing a successful tender response. So, when it comes to tackling your ext tender, you’ll be ready to impress the buyer and win the contract! Keep reading to find out more…

NHS Supply Chain

It’s likely that in your attempts to win a medicine tender, you’ll come across the NHS Supply chain. It primarily manages the sourcing, delivery, and supply of healthcare products and services across NHS organisations. It supports the NHS in England and Wales by providing procurement and logistics services. So, if you’re trying to win medicine tenders – or any other NHS tender – you need to get to grips with this organisation.

6 tips to help you write a medical tender bid

1. Collect your past bids

If your organisation has written medicine tenders before, it’s advisable to save your past bids. If you’re supplying specific types of medicines, taking lessons from your previous bids can help hone your current ones.

Now, this doesn’t mean copying and pasting text from one bid to another. Rather, it’s best to naturally include some information that you know will help in your next bid. Once you have a bid library in operation, you’ll be more organised, and your medicine tenders will be written faster.

2. Ensure that you have adequate accreditations & qualifications

It goes without saying, but the healthcare industry is one that rightly requires certain qualifications. This especially applies to you as the supplier of medicines, and without them, you fall at the first hurdle. It’s dreadful when you’ve invested time into a bid for it to fail because of not having the qualifications. So, to avoid this, thoroughly read and digest the requirements. If you don’t meet the buyer’s requirements on paper, you should move on to a different contract.

3. Gather your evidence

To tender for contracts successfully, you need to demonstrate your relevant experience to the buyer. So, before you produce your medicine tender response, gather your evidence and produce relevant, engaging case studies.

Ideally, you will provide the buyer with two to three contract examples from the past five years. These should be similar in size, scope and complexity to the buyer’s project. For example, if you’re bidding for medicine tenders, don’t include your experience with mental health services. This is unlikely to be relevant to the contract at hand and won’t do anything to impress the buyer.

4. Proofreading and grammar

The number of suppliers for a medicine tender can be expansive, so getting your documents grammatically correct is vital. Part of that process is proofreading.

Look over your work multiple times to make sure errors are corrected. You could try reviewing your work after a few days, so you can come back to your documents with fresh eyes. It also helps to get a colleague to look it over for stray errors. You could even have your device read your tender response aloud, making it easier to spot mistakes or areas that require improvement. A good rule of thumb is reading it as though you’re the buyer, checking that every specification is met.

If you think you need extra support in this area, you could look into outsourcing. Our service Tender mentor aids specifically with this problem.

5. Be proactive with your feedback!

Whether you’re successful or not, the buyer will provide feedback about your tender response. If you’re unsuccessful, you’re bound to be disappointed. However, all is not lost! Receiving feedback from the buyer is a great opportunity to see where you went wrong and learn how to improve for future submissions.

Not only will this help your future attempts with specific buyers, but it will improve your approach to tendering as a whole. You can dedicate extra time and resources to any areas that need improvement. So, you can submit your next medicine tender response with confidence.

6. Keep up to date with the supplier code of conduct

If you’re supplying the NHS, there are certain requirements your company needs to meet.

These can include:

  • Fair labour policies
  • Discrimination and equality policies
  • Health and safety policies
  • Environmental policies.

All these aspects need to be ensured before you can work with the NHS. They reserve the right to check your compliance with these requirements. So, it’s wise to meet these requirements as soon as you can. Regardless of whether it’s a medicine tender or any other form of healthcare procurement, adhering to this is vital. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to secure contracts for your business.

In summary

So, we’ve reached the end of our blog on medicine tenders. You should now have the tips and tricks to help write your bid. For those who need it, here’s a recap:

  • A short summary of the NHS Supply Chain
  • Six tips to aid you in writing medicine tenders
  • Ensuring adequate qualifications and accreditations
  • The power of receiving feedback
  • Collecting past bids and organising them into a bid library
  • Gathering your evidence
  • Thorough proofreading & grammar checks
  • Keeping up to date with the NHS supplier code of conduct.

Need help writing your next medicine 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. We offer four bid writing support packages that can get 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 4-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 medicine tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a medicine tender response 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 Tender Writing 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.

Where can I find medicine tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find medicine tenders. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through numerous websites, relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads all the relevant tenders in the healthcare industry across the UK. This helps to streamline the process, saving you time and resources.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

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

Below are previous medicine tenders sourced on our portal:

Sodium Chloride 0.9% for Injection

UK Health Security Agency – South East- Budget: £400k

The Supply of Medication

GB Birmingham- West Midlands- Budget: £100k

NHS Framework Agreement for Branded Medicines

NHS England) – North West- Budget: £3.1 million

Analgesics, Anaesthetics, Musculoskeletal & Joint Disease Generic Medicine

National Services Scotland – Scotland – Budget: £19.2 million

Homecare Medicines Services High Tech Framework

Leeds Teaching Hospitals – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: Undisclosed

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts 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 medical leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notice 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.

Medical Tenders: The Fundamentals

Medical tenders and where to find them

Medical tenders could be used to procure a wide range of medical goods or services. They can range from the provision and installation of medical equipment to medical services and medical insurance.

Within the UK, the largest procurer of medical services is the NHS. The responsibility of the procurement of medical tenders is split between several organisations. These are:

  • The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • NHS England
  • Public Health England.

Medical tenders for the NHS are commissioned by:

  • Local Clinical Commissioning Groups
  • The Crown Commercial Service
  • The NHS Supply Chain and NHS Procurement Hubs.

Before starting your tendering response for any medical tenders, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I have the time and resources to fulfil the contract?
  • Does my business meet the economic and financial thresholds required?
  • Do I have enough experience?
  • Can I produce a high-quality submission?

If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then it’s probably not right for you. Tendering for work takes a lot of time and resources. It can be a lucrative line of business to go down however, particularly in Healthcare.

This is because healthcare and medical tenders are often comprised of framework agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS). These can run for years at a time and, when working in the public sector, can guarantee income for your business. 

Need help with writing your next medical tenders?

If you don’t have the resources or time inhouse to write a winning medical tender, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. We offer four bid writing support packages that can get 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 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. It includes a 12-month subscription to Healthcare Tenders.

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 medical tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a medical tender response 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 medical 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 Tender Writing 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.

Where can I find medical tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find medical tenders. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through thousands of websites, relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Searching for the right opportunity for your business can turn into quite the headache. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads all the relevant tenders in the healthcare industry across the UK. This helps to streamline the process,  saving you time and resources.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

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

A dedicated Account Manager is on-hand to answer any questions you may have about the tendering process. You’ll also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox containing all the new healthcare tenders uploaded that day. This will save you even more time, allowing you to find the perfect medical tenders for your business.

Below are previous medical tenders sourced on our portal:

Alternative Provider Medical Service — Windermere and Bowness Medical Practice

NHS England and NHS Improvement North West- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

16-12-2020

Devon CCG – Primary Medical Services in Sherford (ITT)

NHS SCW CSU- South West- Budget: £819,700

01-12-2020

Forensic Medical Services (Children’s and Archway)

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

08-01-2021

General Medical Services (17J)

NHS Highland- Scotland- Budget: £300,000

01-12-2020

Provision of Primary Medical Services at HMP Kilmarnock

NHS Ayrshire & Arran- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

25-02-2021

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Domiciliary Care Tenders

Medical PPE

Social Care Contracts

Medical Supplies & Consumables

Mental Health Tenders

Supported living Tenders

Medical Equipment Tenders

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors, such as Healthcare and Technology.

A dedicated Account Manager will carefully consider which medical tenders are most suitable for your business. This will help improve your competitor awareness and bid success rate.

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
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable medical 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.

Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us for more information.

What are Supporting People Contracts?

Supporting people contracts FAQ’s

You may be wondering what supporting people contracts are? Basically, it’s just another name that buyers could use to procure for supported living services.

Supporting people contracts can be extremely varied in budgets, scope and the needs of the service users. Due to this, you need to be able to find the right opportunities for your business. Ultimately, those who use these services are looking to live as close to an independent life as possible. They just need a little help.

Who commissions supporting people contracts?

The procurement of supported living and supporting people services are typically done via the public sector. Local Councils are often the ones who release tenders for supporting people contracts. NHS procurement hubs have also been known to procure supporting people and supported living services.

Who are supporting people contracts for?

Supported living and supporting people contracts are released to cater to many different demographics. They may be comprised of one or more of the following groups:

  • Homeless people
  • Adults with mental health illnesses/needs
  • Young people with mental health illnesses/needs
  • Young people with learning disabilities
  • Adults with learning disabilities
  • Care leavers aged 16+
  • Young offenders.

Supporting people contracts can be grouped into the following categories:

  • Standard
  • Floating or flexible support (for those who require less/varied levels of support)
  • Complex support (for those who display harmful/risk-taking behaviours of some sort requiring high levels of support).

What are the challenges of supporting people contracts?

There are some challenges associated with tendering for this type of service and need. One is identifying what defines supporting people contracts, as they can often be confused with accommodation-based services. They can also be mixed up with residential support or other extra care schemes. However, the key difference is those using supporting people service are responsible for their own living costs.

This allows a greater deal of independence whilst still receiving support. They are able to get help with managing their finances, bills accessing the community and maintaining their home, for example.

Another challenge is the varied nature of service users who may be housed in supported living premises. Providers should demonstrate experience in providing care for specific needs in their tender response. This evidence is crucial as a buyer may not think you’re appropriate to fulfil the contract or understand what’s required.

The differing levels of risk and support required by service users will influence the accommodation requirements. This will likely be specified in the tender documents, so it’s worth reading all of the specification thoroughly. This will help you to decide if the opportunity is right for your business. There’s bound to be a tender specification that’s asking for the service you provide.

So, what exactly is required from supporting people contracts?

Supporting people contracts often have an emphasis on the following:

Safety

Bidders must have a focus on keeping people safe within their responses and robust management measures should be in place. This is required in order to safeguard people from any risks or harm within a supported living setting.

Allowing independence

Of course, allowing independence is one of the main aims of supporting people contracts. Buyers want bidders to demonstrate that they have the necessary means in place to allow as much independence as possible. You must show that you are actively encouraging people to take on daily life tasks through upskilling.

Moreover, you will need to state how you will include those who you’re catering your services to in the process. You should demonstrate how you will work together, supporting them to live autonomous lives.

Measurable outcomes

Within your response for supporting people contracts, you will likely need to state your measurable outcomes. This could include how you will cater to each person and how you’ll work towards achieving their long-term goals. 

Need support?

It you’re stuck as to what to write in your response for supporting people contracts – we can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bidding experience collectively. Whether you’re completely new to tendering, or need a response proofreading, we’ve got you covered.

We offer four bid writing support packages:

Where can I find supporting people contracts for my business?

Finding the right supporting people contracts for your business can be somewhat of a minefield. Spending hours searching multiple websites and using unreliable CPV codes isn’t producing the results you’re after. Luckily for you, we can streamline the process saving you hours of our time.

Enter…our Healthcare Tenders portal!

Healthcare Tenders is a time-saving tool that hosts hundreds of healthcare leads and opportunities from across the UK. Our Opportunity Trackers manually source and upload healthcare tenders, frameworks and contracts from over 1,000 websites daily. You’re able to filter the results by keyword, budget, location and more.

Below are previous supporting people contracts sourced on our portal:

DBC Request Bids for a Supported Living Placement for an Adult

Darlington Borough Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

04-01-2021

MKC – Supported Living Services – Market Engagement and Provider Feedback Opportunity

LGSS- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

11-12-2020

On Island Supported Living and Outreach Services for Adults with Physical Disabilities and/or Complex Neurological Conditions

The Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

08-02-2021

Soft Market Testing – Design & Build and/or Housing management of a Supported Living Service

Brighton and Hope City Council- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

26-02-2021

Supported Living Approved Provider List

Calderdale Council- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

26-02-2021

A subscription to our Healthcare Tenders portal offers your business:

  • Unlimited access to all unique, public and private healthcare tendering opportunities.
  • A daily bulletin sent straight to your inbox containing all the new healthcare tenders uploaded that day.
  • An on-hand Account Manager who can answer any questions you have about supporting people contracts or the healthcare tendering process.
  • A free 20-minute phone consultation with our bid writing experts at Hudson Succeed.

We source healthcare business leads for sub-sectors including:

Start a free trial

Want to save even more time?

Upgrade to one of our two Discover Elite packages. They can help optimise your tendering opportunities, even when you’re busy. The Ultimate Time Saver and Become and Pre-Bid Master packages can improve your bidding success rate and competitor awareness.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers:

  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option best suits a business that overlaps two industries such as Healthcare and Technology.
  • Buyer portal management including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

How to Find & Win NHS Contracts for Tender

NHS contracts for tender and where to find them

NHS contracts for tender can seem daunting if you’re unfamiliar with the process. Public sector tendering in general can be a bit of a minefield and you’re bound to have plenty of questions. Notoriously, securing NHS contracts can be a rather lengthy and arduous procurement process. However, there is a constant and steady stream of NHS contracts for tender being released.

What type of NHS contracts for tender are there?

The NHS procures many goods, works and services via a range of different tendering procedures. NHS tenders are very diverse. They could range from the maintenance of lifts with their hospitals to the procurement of beds for patients.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Public Health England and NHS England are responsible for NHS procurement. Various streams within the NHS and government commission NHS contracts for tender. These include:

  • Local Clinical Commissioning Groups
  • The Crown Commercial Service
  • The NHS Supply Chain.

The NHS uses various NHS procurement hubs in order to buy whatever they need. Largely speaking this is done via framework agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS).

What is a framework agreement?

A framework agreement allows for multiple suppliers on the same contract. They are often used when the buyer has a large scope in multiple locations. Having multiple suppliers across multiple locations can help meet demand and ensure the buyer’s client’s needs are met.

Frameworks often run for longer terms than single supplier contracts. Hopeful suppliers will have to pass the PQQ or SQ stage. Then they will need to pass the ITT in order to secure a place on a framework. Successful applications will then be awarded a place on a shortlist of chosen suppliers. After that, a buyer will then release an additional ITT or mini competition when they need something.

Suppliers on the framework agreement will then compete, submitting an ITT response. This saves time for both the supplier and the buyer. This is because they do not need to go through the PQQ stage again.

Goods and services on frameworks are often divided into multiple Lots. These can be for a specific good, service or location. Instead of being required to deliver all aspects of a contract, you only deliver your business’s speciality.

What’s the difference between a framework agreement and a DPS?

A DPS is almost the same as a framework agreement. The main difference is that you can apply to be a supplier on a DPS any time that it is open. They, too, can run for multiple years at a time.

How are NHS contracts for tender awarded?

NHS contracts for tender are awarded to the most economically advantageous tender, known as the MEAT. The MEAT does not mean that the cheapest bid wins. Buyers are looking at more than just price. Other aspects that they could be considered independently or in combinations are:

  • Accessibility
  • Patient quality, care and safeguarding
  • Health and safety
  • Risk management
  • Equality, diversity and environmental policies
  • Ability to deliver on time.

Does my written response for an NHS contract matter?

In short yes. Buyer’s care about the quality of your writing and NHS contracts are no exception. Overall weightings can vary, and your response is split between price and quality. Obviously, you want to score as highly as possible for both. In order to do this for your quality response, it’s not exactly ground-breaking that the quality of your writing matters.

A few things to consider when writing your response to NHS contracts for tender are:

  • Focus on being persuasive. Why are you the best business for the job?
  • Be as clear and concise as possible while hitting as close to the word or page count as possible.
  • Have attention to detail, but don’t be overly descriptive.
  • Don’t allow room for the buyers to make assumptions. This could risk allowing the buyer to make the wrong assumption.

Need support?

Writing isn’t everyone’s strong suit, and that’s ok. If you have found NHS contracts for tender but don’t have time, our sister company, Hudson Succeed, can help. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bidding experience collectively.

We offer four bid writing packages to suit every tendering need.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help your business grow.

Where can I find NHS contracts for tender?

You may be wondering where you can find NHS contracts for tender. You likely don’t have the time to trawl through various websites relying on inaccurate CPV codes. Our Healthcare Tenders portal can help streamline the process saving you time and resources.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

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

A dedicated Account Manager is on-hand to answer any questions you may have about NHS contracts for tender. You’ll also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox containing all the new healthcare tenders uploaded that day. This will save you even more time, allowing you to find the perfect NHS contract for your business.

Below are some examples of NHS contracts for tender that we recently sourced on our portal:

GB-Poole: FootPrints Continuous Support Renewal

Dorset Health Care University NHS Foundation Trust- London- Budget: £100,000

22-02-2021

St/H FH Comms Room

Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

18-02-2021

Service Maintenance of Lifts

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £12,000

23-02-2021

Privacy/Medical Screens for COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

NHS England- North East- Budget: £ 718,500

16-02-2021

Community Beds – Partnership

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

19-02-2021

Deputy Heads of Midwifery and Deputy Directors of Midwifery leadership accelerator programme

NHS England (Commissioning Board)- London- Budget: Undisclosed

16-02-2021

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Domiciliary Care Tenders

Medical PPE

Social Care Contracts

Medical Supplies & Consumables

Mental Health Tenders

Supported living Tenders

Medical Equipment Tenders

Book a free live demo today.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help you find more NHS contracts for tender – even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors such as Healthcare and Technology. A dedicated Account Manager will carefully consider which NHS contracts are most suitable for your business. This will help improve your bid success rate and improve your competitor awareness.

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
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management. This includes registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package offers your business:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us for more information.

3 Things to Consider When Writing Your Ambulance Tender Response

Answers to your ambulance tenders FAQ’s

It can seem daunting when writing a response to an ambulance tender. The public sector requires a lot of additional policies and requirements to be in place when tendering. This blog hopes to answer all your FAQ’s to do with ambulance tenders and the NHS Ambulance Service tendering procedure.

What are the UK Ambulance Services?

The UK Ambulance Service is comprised of 10 individual NHS Ambulance Trusts in England:

  • East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  • North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
  • London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  • South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust
  • Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  • North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  • West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust
  • South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust
  • South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust
  • East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Then you have the following services covering the rest of the UK:

  • The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust
  • The Scottish Ambulance Service
  • The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust

The London Ambulance Service alone spends approximately £78 million annually procuring a range of goods and services. They work with a range of public organisations such as:

What are NHS ambulance tenders used for?

The NHS may put ambulance tenders out to procure many goods and services. Their principal areas of spending include:

  • Frontline staff and services

Information technology

  • Desktops and services
  • Communications technology
  • Networks

Fleet and logistics

  • Emergency vehicles
  • Accident damage repairs
  • Fuel

Medical

  • Defibrillators and associated medical equipment
  • Medical gases
  • Medical consumables such as bandages and gloves

Professional services

  • HR recruitment
  • Travel and accommodation
  • Insurance 

What are ambulance tender framework agreements?

Framework agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) are common ways that the NHS uses to procure ambulance goods and services. Framework agreements are used to appoint multiple suppliers to provide various services and goods. They can run for several years at a time with the possibility of extension. Many frameworks and DPSs will enable you to choose a ‘Lot’. A Lot is used for specific goods, service or location. It enables you to work alongside other service providers on a contract. Businesses are typically able to apply for three Lots. This is as long as you’re able to prove you have the capabilities to fulfil the contract if successful.

3 things to consider when writing your ambulance tender response

  1. Be in keeping with the general standards

An ambulance tender response will likely require you to have certain accreditations, qualifications and policies. These will vary depending on the goods or service being procured. Some examples that could be required are:

  • ISO 9001; 14001; 23001; 27001
  • OHSAS 18001
  • COSHH
  • RMADS
  1. Be the MEAT

Public sector organisations have a responsibility to ensure all public money received is used as resourcefully as possible. Due to this, successful tenders achieve the best value for money and contracts are awarded to the MEAT. MEAT stands for the most economically advantageous tender.

A MEAT means that the buyer is looking at more than just the price. They will be looking at a range of factors which could include:

  • Accessibility
  • Innovation
  • Customer service
  • Technical ability
  • Quality
  • Ability to deliver on time
  • Environmental benefits
  1. Sustainable development

Coinciding with MEAT, sustainable development, also referred to as social value is important for any public sector contract. You must comply with all applicable environmental, social and labour law requirements. The NHS and public sector, in general, take this seriously. As of January 2021, there is a mandatory 10% weighting on social value within all public contacts. Bear in mind 10% is the minimum, some can have a weighting of up to 30%.

This should not be an afterthought when writing your ambulance tender response. You should be including policies that you can actually deliver on and maintain. Social value responses expect you to demonstrate the social, environmental and economic aspects. They want to know you’re committed to aiding things such as:

  • COVID-19 recovery
  • Climate change
  • Reducing waste
  • Paying the Living Wage of all staff and supply chain subcontractors
  • Helping fight economic inequality
  • Creating a diverse and fair workplace
  • Introduce learning opportunities to help fight unemployment

The NHS will be looking to see tender responses that encourage the NHS Long Term Plan and sustainability.

5 tips for responding to an ambulance tender

  1. Read the information for providers and the specification carefully. Always ask clarification questions.
  2. Give a full response. Don’t assume that the buyer knows anything, they can only evaluate what’s written down in your answer.
  3. Focus on answering the questions asked. They can only evaluate what’s relevant. You should demonstrate how you will meet the requirements of the tender.
  4. Be clear on your pricing model and provide full costings.
  5. Before submission, double-check you have signed and returned the declarations.

How can we help?

Once you’ve found the right ambulance tender for your business, we can help you write the response. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, have 60 years of collective experience of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Our Bid Writers can help your business win its next ambulance tender. We offer four bid writing and support packages.

Tender Writing

If you’re interested in a specific ambulance tender you’ve seen why not send it our way? Our Bid Writers will take care of the bid response for you and they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Mentor

Our Tender Mentor service analyses your tender content, double-checking it for any errors before you submit.

Tender Ready

The Tender Ready package is for those who have never tendered before. We offer a three-stage process that makes sure you have everything in place to tender successfully. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Discover portal of your choice.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve written an ambulance tender response but aren’t seeing the results you want, Tender Improvement can help. Our Bid Writers will assess your supporting documents and previous tender submissions. They’ll give you some guidance and feedback on how to improve next time.

Where can I find ambulance tenders?

Our Healthcare Tenders portal is home to hundreds of live healthcare contract opportunities, frameworks and DPS’ from across the UK. These can be lucrative opportunities for your business. They are a fine way to secure a pipeline of work for your business.

What makes Healthcare Tenders different?

Good question. A subscription to Healthcare Tenders allows you to view all opportunities from multiple UK portals in one, central, easy-to-navigate place. We don’t rely on often mislabelled CPV codes. Our Opportunity Trackers manually trawl through thousands of sites daily, uploading them via keyword. This means you’ll never miss an opportunity for your business again.

You’re able to filter the results by keyword, budget, location and more. This saves you even more time, allowing you to tailor the results to suit you. You’ll also receive a daily email bulletin straight to your inbox containing all the live tenders found that day.

Here are some recent ambulance tenders that we sourced on our Healthcare Tenders portal:

Tender for the Provision of Frontline Ambulance

States of Jersey – International – Budget: Undisclosed

26-01-2021

Framework Agreement for the Supply of Non-Emergency Patient Ambulance Transport

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust – West Midlands

Budget: Undisclosed

25-04-2019

Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport Service

Procurement and Logistics Service – Northern Ireland- Budget: £19,620,000

09-01-2019

Specialised Critical Care Ambulance Transport Service for The East Midlands Region

NHS England and NHS Improvement (Specialised Commissioning) – East Midlands

Budget: £12,250,000

14-08-2020

Market Engagement Event For Specialised Critical Care Ambulance Transport Services Related Procurement

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit – East Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

12-02-2020

We source healthcare tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Domiciliary Care Tenders

Medical PPE

Social Care Contracts

Medical Supplies & Consumables

Mental Health Tenders

Supported living Tenders

Medical Equipment Tenders

Book a free live demo today.

Upgrade to Discover Elite

We know how busy you are running your own business. That’s why we want to make life even easier for you with our new Discover Elite packages. This upgraded feature is particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors such as Healthcare and Technology, for example. It helps streamline the tendering process, even more, eliminating the frustrating, time-consuming pre-bid admin aspect of tendering.

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool package does what it says on the tin. This package includes:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover tender portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns to help you make bid or no-bid
  • A dedicated Account Manager to help track the perfect tender opportunities for your business.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.
  • Public and private buyer portal management. This includes registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.

Become a Pre-Bid Master

Become a Pre-Bid Master package includes all the perks above, plus the following two perks:

  • Up to seven breakdowns per month.
  • The development of a bid strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us for more information.