The Art of Winning Government Medical Tenders

Learn from the best when it comes to government medical tenders!

For most, the process of winning government medical tenders can be daunting. With this blog, you’ll discover our insights and how to secure these contracts. Alongside this, you’ll increase your knowledge around the tendering process, putting you in a better position to win.

Who commissions government medical tenders?

When it comes to government medical tenders, the commissioning authority is often seen as the NHS. But it’s more complicated than that. Across the UK, there are smaller local authorities known as Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) which facilitate procurement in local areas. There are currently around 200 CCGs in England alone. They cover:

  • Community and district nurses
  • Local psychotherapists and occupational therapists
  • Planned hospital care
  • Urgent and emergency care (including out-of-hours)
  • Mental health and learning disability services.

However, some services need to be procured centrally by the NHS, such as;

  • Offender health
  • Dentistry, ophthalmology
  • Armed forces care
  • Immunisation/screening programmes.

What about LHBs, LCGs and RHBs?

We’ve covered CCGs, but what about the other devolved powers (Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland)? How do they procure their healthcare services/goods in the public sector? Since the 1990s, each country has taken control of its own healthcare procurement.

LHBs

The Welsh equivalent of CCGs, seven of these Local Health Boards procure healthcare services across Wales. Ambulances and specialist services for cancer are provided by three other NHS Trusts. There are no major differences between LHBs and CCGs other than the Welsh healthcare legislation.

LCGs

For Northern Ireland, their healthcare is provided by five Local Commissioning Groups. These in turn are run by an overarching Health and Social Care Board (HSCB). The major difference between these and the other countries’ health procurement structures is that the LCGs also procure social services.

RHBs

The Scottish equivalent of CCGs lies in the Scottish Health board. 14 Regional Health Boards cover all of Scotland, and plan/deliver health services based on the needs of the local community. Similar to Wales, they also have seven special NHS boards, which take care of:

  • Health education
  • Public health
  • Offender health
  • Ambulance services
  • Blood transfusion services.

6 steps in the government’s medical tendering process

Some of these steps may be excluded from your tendering process for government medical tenders. However, it’s wise to know each step so that you’re prepared for any eventuality.

PIN

The government body will release the PIN to indicate an intention of their desire for healthcare services. This can be up to 12-months in advance. At this stage, you would be asked to provide an expression of interest.

Contract notice

This is the official launch of the contracting commission’s interest, usually in the form of an ad. You would likely find it on websites and tendering databases.

Selection questionnaire

At this stage in the process, a selection questionnaire (SQ) is provided.  This document ensures only the most suitable candidates move to the next step. Depending on the contract, you can expect a list of questions that confirm your viability.

ITT

Arguably, this is the heart of the tendering process. Most of the written work is concentrated here. The Invitation to Tender works to further sharpen that search for a successful supplier. Your tender response will be dependent on the buyer’s requirements. Due to this, the ITT can vary in size and scope.

Presentation

Your tender submission was successful! Occasionally, the contracting commission will end it here. However, sometimes you will be required to present your bid plan or attend an interview. You’ll be assessed by representatives of the Local Health Board (if you’re fulfilling a local contract).

Contract award

If you’ve won, congratulations! Now you can put your bid plan into action. However, if you haven’t won, you can still take this opportunity to request feedback. This will provide you with a real scope of the improvements that are needed for your next bid.

Conclusion

So, now you’re more knowledgeable about the healthcare tendering process. You’ve also gained insights into the process of securing government medical tenders. What if you need to source government medical tenders now?

Healthcare Tenders

If your business would benefit from bidding for 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 manually scour hundreds of websites 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 government medical tenders sourced on our portal:

HPLC Equipment (Maintenance of)
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (Hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust) – Wales – Budget: Undisclosed

Maintenance of Microscopes
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (Hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust) – Wales – Budget: £99,000

Primary Care Provided Phlebotomy Services
NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight CCG – South East – Budget: £2,989,635

Prior Information Notice 2 – Domestic Plasma Fractionation
NHS England – Yorkshire – Budget: Undisclosed

NHSGJ0052/21 Supply of Electrophysiology Systems with Associated Hardware and Consumables
NHS Golden Jubilee – Scotland – Budget: Undisclosed

LB of Bromley Appropriate Adult Service
London Borough of Bromley – South East – Budget: £ 260,000

We source healthcare business leads for sub-sectors including:

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help you find government medical tenders – even when you’re busy! Our two upgraded packages are particularly useful if your business runs across two sectors like 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.

Get Comfortable with Hospital Bed Tenders!

Read below to learn how to respond to hospital bed tenders!

To say that hospital bed tenders are important to the healthcare industry is an understatement. Over the course of COVID, the desire for these tenders has grown exponentially. This correlates with the nearly 26 billion spent by the government in response to COVID 19 (according to tusell). Therefore, it represents a lucrative tendering opportunity, and that’s where we come in. With this blog, you’ll be privy to our insights on hospital bed tenders. You’ll know where to source them, and, in turn, how to win them.

Where can I find hospital bed tenders?

Why search endlessly for tenders when you can just use one, reliable portal?

Enter Healthcare Tenders!

By removing unreliable CPV codes, we’ve created a portal that infinitely smoothens the process of searching for tenders.

Our Healthcare Tenders portal uploads 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. 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 examples of previous hospital bed tenders sourced on our portal:

Intermediate Care Beds for People in Darlington

North Of England Commissioning Support – North East – Budget: £780,000

General Nursing Intermediate Care Beds

Staffordshire and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit – North West – Budget: £1,100,000

Intermediate Care Beds

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £23,250,000

Residential Respite and Nursing Care Beds

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – Scotland – Budget: £10,400,000

NWL0046 Provision of Community Local Beds – Harrow

North West London Clinical Commissioning Group – London – Budget: £1,061,435

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 are hospital bed tenders?

For those not in the know, hospital bed tenders represent part of the procurement process. Organisations such as the NHS publish a tender, and they select a suitable supplier from the bid responses.

3 tips for future success in your tender responses

1.     Successful bid management

Any successful suppliers will tell you that bid management is a crucial component to their success. The buyer knows how much you’ve invested into a bid. There are many strategies out there for bid management but keeping ahead of deadlines should be a high priority. If you fail to meet the deadline, your response simply won’t be accepted, regardless of its quality. So, organise progress meetings with your team to showcase your collaborative capabilities. Set internal deadlines so that the bid is broken down into achievable chunks. All of these bid management tools will set you up well for bid success.

2.      Address every question

Too many suppliers provide too much/too little information on questions, and they don’t focus on the ones that count. In your response, take time aside to focus on the questions regarding:

  • Patient care
  • Risk mitigation
  • Performance management
  • Customer services.

These are the questions that will provide you with the best chance to sell yourself. Be careful to avoid marketing material or irrelevant information. This will only work to confuse and irritate the buyer, and that’s the last thing you want as a supplier.

3.     Relevant case studies

Case studies are vital in responding to hospital bed tenders. It’s even more important that they’re relevant to the contract you’re bidding for. This also goes for testimonials. Both forms of evidence help provide a snapshot of your capabilities. It’s advised that you should provide three case studies from the last five years. Ultimately, the closer your previous work is to the contract, the better.

Conclusion:

So, we’ve reached the end of this blog on hospital bed tenders! We’re sure you’ve got a good grasp on these contracts. What if you need a recap? We’ve got your back!

Where can I find hospital bed tenders?

A thorough look into the sensible option when it comes to sourcing hospital bed tenders is Healthcare Tenders.

3 tips for future success in your bid responses:

  1. Successful bid management – Giving your team internal deadlines and progress meetings to ensure a prompt delivery of the bid.
  2. Address every question – Ensuring questions are answered properly, and taking particular detail in questions around patient care, risk mitigation, performance management, etc.
  3. Relevant case studies – Understanding the importance of relevant evidence for the buyer. Providing three case studies from the last three to five years.

Need help writing your next hospital bed 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 hospital bed tender.

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 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.

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.

5 Tips for Writing a Successful Orthodontic Tendering Response

The orthodontic tendering process explained

The majority of orthodontic tendering opportunities are for the public sector, specifically the NHS. The Midlands, North and East of England are the regions where most orthodontic tendering opportunities lie for the NHS.

NHS England commissions orthodontic services in the NHS England Midland and East via managed clinical networks (MCNs). These are slightly different from other NHS services that are procured via NHS procurement hubs.

There are quite a few hoops you must jump through if your business is considering the orthodontic tendering process. They’re there for good reasons, as providing the best patient care should be at the heart of any healthcare procurement.

Orthodontic tendering can seem like a daunting process if you’re new to it. A combination of quality improvement and lower cost agendas can make it difficult. The ever-changing landscape of patient care and clinical skills is tough to keep on top of. Providing trustworthy and safe dental care is unfortunately no longer enough to win.

With that in mind, this blog includes some helpful tips on how to succeed at orthodontic tendering.

Before you even begin you need to read the specification carefully and ask yourself the following:

Does my business meet the minimum economic and financial thresholds? 

Do I have the resources to deliver the goods, works or services that are required?

Do I have the necessary experience and qualifications required?

You should always ask yourself these questions before you begin your tendering response. It’s the ultimate question: to bid or not to bid?  You must establish your answers to these questions before you proceed.

If the answer is no to any of the above, it may not be the right opportunity for your business. If the answer is yes, you should carry on and start planning your response. 

What is the orthodontic tendering process?

PQQ

Typically, the orthodontic tendering process starts when NHS England commissions a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). This is released when they’re looking to procure orthodontic works, goods, or services. A PQQ can also be known as a selection questionnaire (SQ). They are essentially where you provide your company’s information and a box-ticking exercise. You’ll need to confirm non-collusion and establish your environmental and equality and diversity policies.

ITT

If you meet all the minimum criteria at the PQQ stage, you will be then sent an invitation to tender (ITT). This is where the serious work begins. It’s within the ITT that you detail how to plan to carry out and fulfil the contract if you win. The suppliers with the best chance of winning will read the specification, and formulate a response that demonstrates:

“Yes, I can do that, here’s how and here’s the benefit to you if you pick me”.

You have to persuade the buyers into thinking you’re the best business for the job. You must show that you not only meet the service requirements but will deliver:

  • Outstanding quality
  • Improved patient outcomes
  • Value for money

Once you’ve submitted your bid the buyer will then review each one. They will then award the contract to the highest scoring tender response based on both quality and price.

Dynamic Purchasing Systems

Orthodontic tendering opportunities often are presented in Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPSs). There are also Personal Dental Services Agreements and Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing Systems (PDPS). These are similar to framework agreements that are frequently used within the healthcare sector and the NHS. The main differences are that a business can join at any time, and there’s no limit on numbers of suppliers.

Traditional tendering contracts will be awarded to one supplier. However, DPS’ are multi-supplier agreements that are used when a buyer wants to procure multiple goods or services. Once a business has passed both the PQQ and ITT stages, the buyer will create a shortlist of approved suppliers. Then, for each new project, they will hold a mini competition (or call for competition) with the pre-approved suppliers. Suppliers don’t have to re-do the PQQ stage, saving time they can skip straight to the ITT stage.

Securing a place on a DPS can be a lucrative opportunity for your dental business. They can run for multiple years with the possibility of extensions.

Lots

Orthodontic tenders are often broken down into Lots. Each Lot may be a different service, product or location. They can be defined either by value per Lot, or a defined quantity of UOAs (Units of Orthodontic Activity). Your orthodontic tendering response needs to be Lot-specific and aligned to the number of UOAs. A business is able to bid for multiple Lots. However, you will need to demonstrate that you can fulfil the needs or service of multiple Lots. You will also have to prove that you have the financial stability to undertake the work of multiple Lots.

5 tips for writing successful orthodontic tendering responses:

  1. Have a patient-focused approach

As mentioned above, the NHS has a customer-centred approach. They want to know how you will provide the best patient care while meeting their eligibility criteria. The patent care must be robust, and your quality assurance processes must be watertight.

  1. Evidence is key

Proven evidence is key when submitting a bid in the public sector. Buyers want to be reassured that you have the necessary experience and completed work of similar scope. Often, they’ll require up to three case studies of similar contracts you’ve completed within the last five years. The NHS wants to have concrete evidence that demonstrates you have previously delivered successful services. You may be required to attach testimonials and the contact information of previous clients.

  1. Adhere to best in practice

Your business must demonstrate the uphold best in practice as with any business in the healthcare sector. You must ensure that all aspects of your clinical governance are as robust as possible. For example, you must adhere to:

  • Regulatory standards
  • Clearly defined roles
  • Clinical audits
  • Safeguarding procedures
  • Patient safety
  • Health and safety
  • Complaints procedure
  • Responsibilities and accountabilities
  • Incident reporting procedures
  • Feedback mechanisms
  • Sustainable practice
  • Equality and diversity practices

You should establish the most appropriate governance mechanisms and networks. These could include, but aren’t limited to:

  • NHS England
  • Orthodontic MCN
  • Local Dental Network (LDN)
  • Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG)
  • Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs)
  • British Dental Association (BDA)
  • Local Dental Committees (LDC)
  • Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards and Scrutiny Commissions
  • Healthwatch
  • British Orthodontic Society
  • Community Dental Services
  1. Have a comprehensive mobilisation plan

Your mobilisation plan needs to demonstrate potential risks and how they are to be mitigated. The NHS is risk-averse so you will have to take the needs of patients into consideration. You must show how you’ve incorporated all the elements into a thorough and comprehensive mobilisation plan. The NHS is focused on sustainability so it’s worth considering how you can factor that in.

  1. The quality of your writing matters

Most UOAs and orthodontic tenders have set prices. This means there’s little room to gain a competitive edge via pricing. This means the quality of your written response matters. You should never assume the buyer knows anything. Leaving room for assumptions can allow for the wrong assumptions to be made. Explain everything clearly and concisely. Leave the overly technical jargon out.

We get that you don’t always have the time to formulate an orthodontic tendering response – writing isn’t everyone’s strong suit. So, we offer bid writing support packages that can help get you on the path to winning your next tender.

Our Bid Writers at sister company, Hudson Succeed, are experts in producing winning bids. They have 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. They offer four bid writing services:

Where can I find the right orthodontic tendering opportunities for my business?

Finding the right orthodontic tendering opportunity for your business can take a large chunk out of your day. There are thousands of sites that host tenders across multiple sectors all throughout the UK. It can turn into a full-time job.

Luckily for you, we have a solution that can save you time. Our Healthcare Tenders portal is a tendering platform that hosts hundreds of new healthcare opportunities from across the UK. We don’t reply on mislabelled CPV codes to bring you leads. Instead, our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload industry relevant tenders to our portal.

You are then able to filter the results via keyword, budget, location and more. This means you get access to all available live tenders that are relevant to your business. 

Below are some past orthodontic tendering opportunities that we sourced on our portal:

Expression of Interest for Specialist Led Orthodontic Services in the Colchester Area, Essex.

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

Expressions of Interest for the Provision of Orthodontics in Lincolnshire

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

Provision of Orthodontic Services North Ceredigion

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)- Wales- Budget: £1,369,922

Supply of Orthodontic Consumables

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust- West Midlands- Budget: £73,000

We source healthcare business leads for sub-sectors including:

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Where to Find an NHS Tender Portal

Answering 6 FAQs about NHS tender portals and where to find them

You may be wondering where you can find an NHS tender portal if you’re thinking about tendering for business. Don’t waste time scouring various NHS tender portals. You can find all NHS tenders and more on Healthcare Tenders.

  1. Where can you find an NHS tender portal?

When searching for a good NHS tender portal, consider finding a one, central portal that hosts all NHS tendering opportunities. Our Healthcare Tenders portal hosts all NHS tenders as well as other public and private sector opportunities. It takes regular NHS tender portals to the next level.

  1. What makes the best NHS tender portal?

  • No reliance on CPV codes

When looking for a good NHS tender portal, you don’t want to be relying on inaccurate CPV codes. These are often mislabelled, allowing plenty of opportunities to slip through the net. Studies have shown that nearly 30% of CPV codes are tagged inaccurately.

The best NHS tender portals will manually upload any NHS tender opportunities they find. This allows you to see 100% of tenders that are available across the UK.

  • Results you can filter

 NHS tender portals, ideally, will have results that you can filter. Filtering the results by keyword, budget or location, allows you to find the perfect opportunity for your business. NHS tender portals have tenders for multiple services, and not all of them are relevant to your business. Being able to filter results allows you to save time and skip the irrelevant opportunities. 

  • Email alerts

To make finding NHS tender opportunities for your business even easier, Healthcare Tenders sends you daily email alerts. These will include all of the live NHS tendering opportunities uploaded that day, saving you even more time.

  1. What’s published on an NHS tender portal?

You may be wondering what business opportunities are posted to NHS tender portals. The NHS tend to procure a whole wealth of healthcare works, goods and services. It can vary from digital solutions to consumables and care workers to x-ray machines.

Often, there will be opportunities to secure a place on a framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system (DPS). These can be lucrative opportunities for your business, and they can run for years at a time. Securing a place on one of these systems allows you to build experience, safeguarding a reliable income for your business.

  1. What are NHS Framework agreements and DPSs?

Framework agreements are often used to appoint multiple organisations to provide goods or services. The process is similar to an average tender. It will start when the buyer releases a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). This a type of box-ticking exercise showing the buyer that you meet the minimum criteria they need for the contract.

If successful at the PQQ stage, you’ll then receive an invitation to tender (ITT). The buyer will give you the specification that details all the requirements for the work they need. A supplier will formulate a response persuading the buyer that they’re the best company for the job. Once the suppliers have submitted their response, the buyer will review them. Then, the successful applicant will be placed on a list of approved suppliers known as a framework.

Once the buyer has a need to procure other goods or service, they can hold a mini competition. This is when all the approved suppliers create an ITT response. As they’re already on the framework or DPS, they don’t need to complete the PQQ stage again. This saves both the buyer and supplier time, thus streamlining the process.

NHS procurement hubs manage, maintain and develop procurement framework agreements for public sector organisations and the NHS. There are four NHS procurement hubs and one of them is the NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP). The NHS LPP serves the health community in London and the surrounding areas.

  1. What are the common themes within NHS tenders?

There are some common themes when applying to various NHS tenders. No matter the works, goods or services you’re applying to provide, you’ll need to remember the following.

Case Studies

You will be required to demonstrate relevant case studies of work you have completed to a similar scope. The buyer may ask for up to three examples within the last five years. Remember to keep them relevant and state how you overcame any unexpected challenges. Buyers want to be reassured that you have some experience in delivering a contract.

Qualifications

A buyer will expect you to have certain qualifications and accreditations relevant to your profession. They want to know that you are qualified for the job and have the capabilities to fulfil the contract. The specific qualifications required should be listed in the specification. You want to make sure that your business is aligned with best practice.

Some accreditations that could be relevant are:

  • ISO 9001; 13485; 14001; 27001
  • NVQs (usually level 3 or above)

MEAT

As the NHS is a public sector, as with any public sector organisation the contract is awarded to the MEAT. The MEAT stands for the most economically advantageous tender, meaning the buyer looks at more than just price. The cheapest bid here does not win. The buyer assesses various factors within your quality response. These can include, but are not limited to:

  • Innovation
  • Technical ability
  • Quality
  • Ability to deliver on time
  • Accessibility
  • Proposed design of healthcare solutions
  • Environmental benefits

Each aspect can either be looked at independently by the client, or in a mix with other considerations.

Social Value

It wouldn’t be an NHS tender blog without mentioning the importance of social value within your tender response. The public sector builds upon MEAT by including a compulsory minimum weighting of 10% on social value. This is included within your quality response and, in some cases, can have a weighting of up to 30%.

Social value requires you to consider the environmental, economic and social aspects of the contract. Buyers will expect you to make promises that you can keep. Some examples of social values you could include in your tender response are:

  • How your business supports COVID-19 recovery.
  • The environmental considerations you’re taking to reduce waste and fight climate change.
  • The equal opportunity policies you implement.
  • How you’re tackling economic inequality.
  1. How can I find the right NHS tender for my business?

The ultimate question of to bid or not to bid. You must ask yourself seriously before you consider applying to any tender if the opportunity is right for you. You must read the specification carefully, twice, just to be sure. Then, you must ask yourself the following:

  • Do I have enough experience?
  • Does my business meet the economic and financial threshold?
  • Do I have the time and resources to produce a high-quality submission?
  • Can I actually fulfil the contract if I’m successful?

These four questions should be the foundation of any tender you’re considering applying for. If the answer is no to any of the above, then it’s likely that the tender isn’t suitable for you. There’s no point wasting the time and money applying to an opportunity that isn’t right for your business.

Supply to NHS Portal/NHS Tender Portal

The Institute for Government states the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) spent £70 billion on procurement in 2018/19. The vast majority of this is on NHS spending. The NHS accounts for around 80% of all healthcare spending in the UK.

In England, most healthcare goods are bulk purchased centrally and distributed by the NHS Supply Chain. The NHS Supply Chain now manages more than 4.5 million orders a year.

A business can secure a pipeline of work by supplying a product to the NHS via portals. It can be quite a lucrative opportunity if you’re able to supply to the NHS portals.

How has NHS procurement changed since the COVID-19 pandemic?

The DHSC, Public Health England and NHS England are responsible for NHS procurement. Various stems within the NHS and government actually commission NHS contracts for tender. These include Local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and the NHS Supply Chain.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS England has taken on the CCG’s powers to purchase services. This allows them with a greater ability to support the provision of services across the NHS during the crisis. The CCG are still purchasing services as well.

During this emergency, the government has issued guidance on emergency procurement. This sets out the routes that government bodies can take to gain access to good and services rapidly. This allows for direct awards, for example, meaning there is no competition resulting in accelerated procedures. Therefore, businesses can supply to the NHS without being on a portal.

The NHS uses various procurement hubs to buy goods and services they need. You can apply to supply to the NHS on their portals.

The benefits of working with the NHS Supply Chain

If you’re questioning whether to supply to NHS portals, there can be multiple benefits. The NHS Supply Chain offers benefits to suppliers that no other route to market can provide. For example:

  • Regional distribution centres that have over 9000 stocked lines, allowing for increased Supply Chain resilience.
  • Specialist procurement conversations with suppliers. The Category Tower Service Providers (CTSPs) have buying teams that have specialist knowledge of their product areas.
  • Suppliers are involved in the CTSP development of category and sourcing strategies, which are approved by their cross-functional teams.
  • Reduced point of sales, providing a single route to market for suppliers instead of applying to each trust individually. This is a particular benefit for SMEs, lowering sales and marketing costs.
  • The NHS Supply Chain has a dedicated Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team that engage regularly with suppliers.
  • A clearer route for innovative products into the NHS Supply Chain. It has better links and offers the opportunity for collaborations with national programmes such as the National Wound Care Strategy.

It isn’t just suppliers that benefit from supplying to NHS portals. NHS trusts also benefit from the NHS Supply Chain. For example:

  • Savings that can be channelled back to frontline services.
  • More time enabled for core clinical activities.
  • Greater NHS clinical involvement in purchasing decisions.
  • More effective introduction of new products, particularly those with a focus on innovation.

What is the supplier code of conduct?

All suppliers for NHS tender portals must adhere to strict laws and ethics standards. It must comply with all laws applicable to its business, particularly for the following:

  • Child Labour
  • Forced Labour
  • Compensation and working hours
  • Discrimination
  • Health and safety
  • Business continuity planning
  • Improper payments/bribery
  • Environment
  • Business partner dialogue
  • Compliance with the supplier code of conduct.

Can SMEs join the NHS Supply Chain?

The UK government has an ongoing initiative to award 33% of all government contracts to SMEs by 2022. This applies to the NHS and they are keen to remove barriers to enable ease of trading with SMEs. Thus, ensuring that all suppliers, no matter their size, have equal and fair access to supply opportunities within the NHS.

The NHS Supply Chain has been structured to simplify the engagement with those who have expertise in their product category. SMEs will benefit from a quicker route for the evaluation of innovative products. These should offer more measurable benefits to patients or the health care system. It must compare and improve routine practice in the UK through HealthTechConnect.

How can I supply to NHS tender portals?

There are a number of actions you can take to learn more about becoming a supplier for the NHS Supply Chain. In order to supply to an NHS tender portal, you must first create an account online. You will be required to create a username and password to log in to your account.

You can also contact the Supplier Relationship Management Team or view the Procurement and Savings Calendar. This calendar will give an overview of contract launch activity, framework renewals and mini competitions all in one place.

Alternatively, you can sign up to our Healthcare Tenders portal. Here, you can find all NHS tendering opportunities and more in one place.

Join Healthcare Tenders

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 to save even more time

Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts even when you’re busy! An on-hand Account Manager will carefully consider which tenders are most suitable for your business. They can give you advice on how to supply to the NHS portal. This will help improve your bid success rate and competitor awareness.

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool includes:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice. This option is perfect if your business overlaps two industries such as Healthcare and Technology, for example.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated 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.

Become a Pre-Bid Master package includes:

  • 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.

So, now you know more about NHS tender portals and where to find them. You may be wondering how to win an NHS tender. If writing isn’t your strong suit, we can help.

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing. They have 50+ years of bidding experience and an 87% success rate. The team provides four levels of bid writing support to suit all your tendering needs. Whether you’ve never tendered before, or simply need someone to proof your response – they can help.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found an NHS tender you want to go for but don’t know where to start, Tender Writing can help. Just send the specification over and one of our Bid Writers will provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll write the response for you, and even submit it on your behalf!

Tender Mentor

If you need a fresh set of eyes to look over your NHS tender response, Tender Mentor is for you. Our Bid Writers analyse your response, notifying you of any errors before you submit.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing any success the Tender Improvement programme can help. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous tender responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Tender Ready

The Tender Ready package is for those who are completely new to the tendering process. This package offers:

  • An Organisation-wide bid library.
  • Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
  • Additional Flexible Benefits Options.
  • A 12-month Discover subscription to Healthcare Tenders.

Get in touch to gain further insight into our services and see which opportunities can benefit your business.

5 Things Required for Mental Health Tenders in the UK

A breakdown of mental health tenders in the UK

If you’re applying for mental health tenders in the UK, it can be slightly overwhelming to know where to start. The process can seem confusing, but this blog will help clear a few things up.

One in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind in England. The cost of mental health problems reached almost £120 million in England.

How are mental health services purchased?

The typical process for mental health tenders in the UK is that a buyer will first release a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). A buyer could be looking to procure good or services in the public or private sector. The majority of mental health tenders in the UK are procured by public sector organisations such as councils and the NHS.

Potential suppliers will then complete the PQQ which asks for general information on your business such as insurance and policies. It’s basically a box-ticking exercise ensuring that you meet the minimum criteria needed to fulfil the project.

If successful, you will then be sent an invitation to tender (ITT). The ITT will include the specification which you should pay great attention to. It will detail and specify how the response should be formed including word counts. It will provide a breakdown of:

  • Submission deadline – date and time
  • Procurement timetable
  • Scoring breakdown
  • Deadline for clarification questions

5 things that are required for mental health tenders in the UK

If you’re new to the tendering process it can be hard to know where to begin. Below are five things that are required for mental health tenders in the UK. It’s worth noting, however, that each tender may require additional information. This is a general guide covering the basics.

  1. Proposed methodology

Within the ITT, you will typically be asked for the proposed methodology for the project. You must clearly demonstrate how the aims will be met. Clearly explaining your business’s proposed approach to delivering the brief will help you score highly. You could do this by outlining the sustainability and robustness of your method.

It’s also worth noting the limitations of your proposed methods. Buyers want you to demonstrate your business’s ability to work flexibly as there can often be bumps in the road. Showing how you can adapt and overcome these challenges will help you stand out from your competitors. The proposed methodology should also demonstrate that you are able to meet the timelines that are outlined in the specification. This further demonstrates that you have paid attention to what is needed and can fulfil this.

  1. Staffing and capacity

Mental health tenders in the UK will often require you to include staff CVs. This is because buyers want to know that you and your staff are qualified to carry out the project. This is particularly due to the sensitive nature of the job. You will be asked to provide relevant qualifications, competency and specialist skills that you and your staff hold. You should show that you have the capacity to perform the job at hand. This will be in the specification, and it’s worth double-checking that you have the resources before starting your response.

  1. Timetable and delivery

Mental health tenders may ask you to provide a timetable for the delivery of each of the key tasks. These will be outlined in the specification and you should formulate a realistic timetable. You may be required to highlight project milestones as well as the allocation of staff for each task.

You should pay particular attention to the timetable as the buyer may want it to form part of the contract. This will often be specified if this is the case, but it’s’ something to consider. You shouldn’t be adding an unrealistic timetable that you won’t be able to use when the time comes.

  1. Risk assessment

A risk assessment is a crucial part of mental health tenders in the UK. Buyers will want you to identify any risks associated with the project and you must explain how you’ll mitigate them. Mental health is a complex sector with built-in unpredictability, so you want to demonstrate a balance between control and care. Risk assessments can help keep patients, staff and all others involved safe.

  • IOSH (Institute for Occupational Health and Safety)
  • ISO 22301; 31000

A risk assessment should typically:

  • Identify potential hazards.
  • Determine who might be harmed and how.
  • Evaluate the risks and implement precautions.
  • Record your significant findings.
  • Review your assessment and update if necessary. 
  1. MEAT 

In the public sector, the tender will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). This means that the buyer is looking at more than just the price. The weightings of mental health tenders in the UK range from 70 – 80% quality and a smaller percentage on price. Often the buyer will rank tenders on a range of factors such as:

  • Value for money and ability to meet timelines.
  • Approach to identifying and managing risk.
  • Your approach to the project, including the proposed methodology.
  • Fit to requirements of the brief, including proposed outcomes.
  • Your approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Your unique value to deliver the project.

Where can I find mental health tenders in the UK?

Tendering for work can help secure a pipeline of contracts for your business. You may be wondering where you can find mental health tenders in the UK. There are thousands of sites across the UK that post live opportunities for your business. It can take hours out of your day scrolling to find the right one for your company.

Usually, tenders are uploaded and tagged with CPV codes. These are often inaccurate, and you can end up missing out on the perfect opportunity for your business. If only there was one, easy-to-navigate industry-specific portal that you could use.

Enter – Healthcare Tenders

Our Opportunity Trackers manually search thousands of sites for the latest public and private healthcare opportunities. This includes single-provider contracts, NHS frameworks, DPS and spot provider frameworks. They then upload them to our Healthcare Tenders portal where you can filter the results by keyword, location and more. This can save you even more time, helping you find a tender that suits your business.

Here are some recent mental health tenders in the UK that were sourced on our Healthcare Tenders portal:

Advocacy Services – Lot 2 – Independent Mental Health Act Advocacy

Cumbria County Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

31-01-2021

Colne Valley Mental Health Intervention Service

Kirklees Council- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

01-02-2021

Community Mental Health Support Services

Midlothian Council- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

11-02-2021

Provision of a Mental Health Service in Brent (Peer support, Befriending, Outreach workers and General & Wellbeing Recovery Offer)

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust- London- Budget: Undisclosed

05-02-2021

Support and Accommodation Framework for people with a Learning Disability, Mental Health Problem, Autism or a Physical and/or Sensory Impairment

Cumbria County Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

29-01-2021

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.

If you’re struggling with writing your response for mental health tenders our sister company, Hudson Succeed, can help. Our Bid Writers have over 50 years of bidding experience and an 87% success rate. We offer four bid writing packages to suit every tender need.

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

A Guide to Contract Laboratory Services

Everything you need to know about contract laboratory services

Contract laboratory services are required across the UK and can be a lucrative opportunity for your business.

A lot of contract laboratory services are looking for lab equipment, chemicals, laboratory consumables and gasses. The delivery, maintenance and installation of equipment and fridges and freezers have been in demand recently, too.

Who commissions contract laboratory services?

Universities and the NHS are two of the main procurers of such contract laboratory services across the UK.

If you’re a small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), you can benefit from these procurement opportunities. You may think that such opportunities are only for large businesses, but that simply isn’t the case anymore.

Securing a contract with a university can be a great business opportunity for an SME. The average university is currently spending just under 40% of its impactable spend with SMEs. In 2017/18 this accounted for around £1.5 billion, with this sum only expected to rise.

This is further encouraged by the UK governments target to see £1 in £3 spent with SMEs by 2022. This means that public sector businesses are actively looking to award contracts to smaller businesses.

Framework agreements

Often, contract laboratory services will be on framework agreements. Framework agreements are popular ways of procurement, particularly within the healthcare sector. NHS frameworks and agreements with other authorities can be a good place for small or new businesses to start. Sometimes, the NHS provides access to framework agreements, through partnerships such as the NHS London Procurement Partnership.

A framework agreement looks to establish a multi-supplier agreement and they can run for years at a time. It is a similar process to your average tender whereas the buyer will issue a notice to suppliers (PQQ or SQ). Potential suppliers can then submit a bid to provide their services. In this case, that can be anything from laboratory ovens and stirrers and mixers to bacterial and viral swab systems.

Once these bids have been submitted, the buyer will then review each bid. They will then create a shortlist of approved suppliers. Whenever there is an opportunity or project available, the buyer will hold a mini competition with the shortlisted suppliers. At this point, suppliers will only have to compete for an invitation to tender (ITT). This saves a lot of time for both the buyer and supplier as they don’t need to submit another PQQ or SQ.

How is a framework divided?

Framework agreements often include ‘Lots’ which are often, in this case, a specific service or product. An example of various Lots that could be available on a framework contract for laboratory services for the NHS could be:

  1. Lab Equipment
  2. Lab Consumables
  3. Mortuary and Autopsy Consumables
  4. Mortuary and Autopsy Equipment
  5. Medical and Scientific Refrigeration.

If your business specialised in specifically mortuary and autopsy equipment, you would simply apply for Lot 4. Lots allow businesses to work alongside other service provides on the contract. Securing a place on these can be a lucrative business and place your organisation in good stead for future contracts.

The advantages of being a supplier on a framework

There are many benefits of being a supplier on a framework agreement.

  • An easier way for SMEs to secure a pipeline of work

Securing a place on a framework can place your business in good stead. They can run for years at a time, with some having the possibility of extension. Because multiple suppliers can be awarded onto the same agreement, you won’t be competing in the same way. The more suppliers the framework allows, the better your chances are of securing a place on the agreement.

  • Guaranteed pay

If providing contract laboratory services within the public sector, you are guaranteed pay if on a framework. This is because public organisations are contractually bound to pay the awarded supplier. Some NHS framework agreements last for four years and this can provide your business with a structured, long-term revenue. Obviously, this is one of the biggest advantages when tendering for public contracts.

  • Build experience

If you’ve never tendered before, securing a place on a framework can be a great place to start. Frequently you will be required to provide at least three case studies of previous work. If you’re new to the process, you may not have any. This is why securing a place on a framework contract can help. They can help you build experience which then enables you to apply for larger contracts. 

Weightings

When looking at contract laboratory services for the NHS on a framework the weightings can vary a great deal. An example of the four core criteria within framework agreements can range from:

  • General Service Requirements: 20 – 70%
  • Clinical/Technical Requirements: 10 – 60%
  • Support & Installation: 10 – 60 %
  • Price: 20 – 70%

Depending on the goods or services being procured, the buyer can adjust the criteria weightings to fit their bespoke requirements. Therefore, it’s worth reading the specification carefully to make sure you’re putting enough detail and information into each criterion.

If applying for contract laboratory services in the public sector, the contract will be awarded to the MEAT. MEAT stands for the most economically advantageous tender. This does not mean the cheapest bid wins.

The MEAT means the buyer looks at more than just price, seeing if they can get more value for money. These can include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Quality
  • Accessibility
  • Technical ability
  • Environmental benefits
  • Innovation

Need help writing your next bid for contract laboratory services? We can help.

Bid Writing Services

Our team of Bid Writers at Hudson Succeed know how much time is required to turn out a winning bid. We understand that you have a full plate and don’t always have the time to do this. Our Bid Writers have an 87% success rate and over 40-year bidding experience. Luckily, for you, we offer four bid writing solutions to suit different needs.

Our four bid writing assistance packages are:

Tender Mentor

Our Tender Mentor service can help make sure your contract laboratory services response is the best it can be. Our Bid Writers will look over your bid making sure it’s error-free before you submit.

Tender Writing

Our Bid Writers take care of the whole tendering process for you. Through Tender Writing, they’ll create your responses and will even submit the bid on your behalf. This allows you to focus on the important stuff.

Tender Improvement

If you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. We’ll assess your previous submissions, providing some feedback and guidance that will increase your chance of winning next time around.

Tender Ready

Tender Ready is a programme that’s perfect for those who have never tendered before. This programme works with you, ensuring you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Where to find contract laboratory services

Knowing where to find contract laboratory services can seem like a daunting process. It can take hours searching hundreds of websites to find an opportunity that’s right for your business.

The good news is the Healthcare Tenders is here to help. Healthcare Tenders is a tendering platform that hosts hundreds of new opportunities in this sector from across the UK. We have a range of private and public sector opportunities.

Our portal can help save you time, give you tailored support and streamline the process. We don’t rely on inaccurate CPV codes. Instead, we manually tag relevant opportunities via keyword, budget, location and more. This means you get access to 100% of all available live tenders that are relevant to you.

Below are some past tenders for contract laboratory services that were sourced on our portal:

Supply, Delivery, Rental and Maintenance of Specialised Laboratory Gas

NI Water and its subsidiaries- International- Budget: Undisclosed

26-01-2021

BAS Beach Hut Laboratory

UK Shared Business Services Limited- South West- Budget: £75,000

28-01-2021

Laboratory Equipment for toxicology and pharmacology applications

Bournemouth University- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

18-01-2021

2021/105 – Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of Laboratory Fridges & Freezers

University of Leeds- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £50,000

26-01-2021

Framework for the Supply and Delivery of Laboratory Consumables and Chemicals

Queen’s University Belfast- Northern Irelands- Budget: Undisclosed

15-01-2021

Why join Healthcare Tenders?

  • Our Opportunity Trackers manually search hundreds of sources daily to ensure you never miss a tender.
  • They post tendering opportunities on our Healthcare Tenders portal. They then tag them with accurate keywords instead of relying on CPV codes which are often incorrect.
  • You can easily filter results via region, budget, keyword and more. This means you’ll never miss an opportunity for contract laboratory services
  • You can receive a daily email bulletin when new tenders are released. You’ll also be able to access the portal 24-hours a day.
  • You’ll be assigned a dedicated Account Manager. They will be on hand to answer any queries or questions you may have about the portal or tendering process.
  • You can have a free 20-minute phone consultation with our Bid Writing experts. They can provide you with advice and guidance related to your tendering journey.

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We source healthcare business leads for sub-sectors including:

Want to receive all care frameworks, direct to your inbox? Book a free live demo today.