Your first tender: a step-by-step guide for care providers

Tendering for the first time is daunting. The documents are dense, the deadlines are tight, and the stakes feel high. Most providers who try and fail on their first bid do so not because they can’t deliver the contract — but because they didn’t know what to expect.

This guide removes that uncertainty. It covers everything from the pre-requisites commissioners will check, to where tenders are advertised, to how to write your first method statement. By the end, you’ll know what you’re getting into — and whether you’re ready to start.

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Are you ready to tender?

Before you look at a single opportunity, check that the fundamentals are in place. Commissioners will disqualify bids that fail basic eligibility requirements. Get these wrong and no amount of good writing will save you.

CQC registration

For most health and social care tenders in England, CQC registration is a non-negotiable prerequisite. You must be registered for the regulated activities you’re proposing to deliver before you submit — not planning to register, not in the process.

If you haven’t registered yet, that’s your first step. CQC registration requires evidence of financial viability, appropriate insurance, policies and procedures, a fit and proper Registered Manager, and a Nominated Individual. The process takes several months, so plan accordingly.

Insurance

Commissioners typically require:

• Public liability insurance: Usually £5 million minimum cover, sometimes £10 million for NHS contracts
• Employers’ liability insurance: £10 million statutory minimum if you employ staff
• Professional indemnity insurance: Required by some commissioners, particularly for clinical or specialist services

Check the specific requirements in the tender documents. Some commissioners require copies upfront; others only ask for evidence if you are selected.

Policies and procedures

You’ll need a suite of up-to-date policies before you can credibly answer tender questions. At minimum:

• Safeguarding adults (and children if applicable)
• Health and safety
• Equality and diversity
• Complaints handling
• Medication management (if applicable)
• Safer recruitment
• Mental Capacity Act compliance
• GDPR and data protection

Commissioners don’t just want to know you have them — they want evidence they’re implemented and reviewed. Policy documents with a review date from five years ago will count against you.

Financial track record

Most tenders require at least two years of audited accounts. Some require three. If your organisation is newer than this, look for contracts that explicitly welcome new-to-market providers, or consider teaming with a more established partner.

Central government buyers and NHS commissioners use financial checks to assess whether your business has the stability to take on a contract. Thin accounts, losses, or high levels of debt will raise questions you’ll need to address.

A Registered Manager

Most regulated care services require a Registered Manager who meets CQC’s fit person criteria. Commissioners will ask who will manage the contract and what their qualifications and experience are. Having this named person confirmed — and registered — before you bid strengthens your application.

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Where to find tender opportunities

Once you’re ready, you need to know where contracts are advertised. There are several portals, each serving a different tier of the market.

Contracts Finder

Contracts Finder is the UK government’s free portal for public sector contracts. Central government authorities must publish contracts worth over £12,000 (inc. VAT). Sub-central authorities, NHS Trusts, and NHS Foundation Trusts must publish contracts worth over £30,000 (inc. VAT).

This is a good starting point. Use keyword searches (“domiciliary care”, “supported living”, your local authority name) and set up email alerts for new opportunities.

Find a Tender

Find a Tender is the UK’s above-threshold portal for contracts that exceed the procurement threshold for full competitive tendering. For health and social care contracts under the Light Touch Regime, the threshold is £663,540 (inc. VAT).

High-value NHS and local authority contracts — frameworks, large domiciliary contracts, specialist commissioning — will appear here. You can register for alerts by category and region.

Local authority procurement portals

Most councils and NHS Integrated Care Boards run their own procurement portals, often using platforms like Proactis, Jaggaer, or Bravo. Search “[your local authority] procurement portal” or check the commissioning pages of your local ICB or council website.

Sector-specific portals

Several sector-specific aggregators pull tenders from multiple sources:

• Bluebird Care / Bidstats: Good for tracking care-sector awards
• Healthcare-Tenders.co.uk: Aggregates NHS and social care opportunities
• Supply2Gov: Paid service with alerts and tender documents

These can save search time, though the free versions have limitations.

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Understanding tender documents

When you download a tender pack, you’ll often be greeted with a dense folder of documents. Here’s what you’re looking at.

Selection Questionnaire (SQ) — formerly PQQ

The SQ is the first-stage filter. Its purpose is to check that you’re eligible — the right legal status, the right insurance, financially stable, no grounds for exclusion (serious criminal convictions, tax non-compliance, etc.).

Parts 1 and 2 of the standard SQ are universal across UK public procurement and mostly factual. Part 3 is where commissioners add their own requirements, which vary by contract type.

Passing the SQ doesn’t mean you’ve won anything — it just means you’re invited to tender. Only providers who pass the SQ stage receive the full ITT.

Invitation to Tender (ITT)

The ITT is the main event. It sets out:

• What the commissioner is buying (the specification)
• What questions you need to answer
• How responses will be scored (the evaluation criteria and weightings)
• Submission requirements and deadlines
• Commercial terms and pricing schedules

Read the ITT in full before writing a single word. The evaluation criteria tell you exactly what commissioners are looking for — ignore them and your bid is guesswork.

The specification

The specification describes the service the commissioner wants. It sets out service delivery requirements, standards, reporting obligations, KPIs, and contractual obligations. Read it carefully. Your method statement answers should demonstrate you understand — and can meet — every requirement in the specification.

For a full explanation of procurement terminology, see our tender terminology glossary.

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The bid/no-bid decision

Not every opportunity is worth pursuing. Writing a tender takes 40–120 hours, depending on complexity. Before committing, ask yourself:

• Can we actually deliver this? Does the specification match what we do? Don’t overextend.
• Do we meet the eligibility requirements? CQC registration, insurance, financial thresholds — verified, not assumed.
• Is the contract value worth the investment? A £200,000 contract might not justify 100 hours of staff time plus the risk of losing.
• What’s the competitive landscape like? Some contracts are genuinely competitive; others appear to be written around an incumbent.
• Is the timeline achievable? Can you produce a quality response in the time available, given other commitments?

For first-time bidders, the honest answer to some of these will be “no” for some opportunities. That’s fine — a well-targeted bid on the right contract beats a weak bid on the wrong one.

See our bid/no-bid decision framework for a structured approach to this decision.

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Building your evidence library before you start

One of the biggest shocks for first-time bidders is realising how much evidence tender questions require. Commissioners don’t just want to hear what you’ll do — they want proof you can do it.

Before you write your first response, gather:

• Case studies: Specific examples of services you’ve delivered, with outcomes. The more specific and quantified, the better.
• Performance data: Staff retention rates, training completion, safeguarding outcomes, complaint resolution times.
• Policies and procedures: Current, signed off, with review dates.
• Testimonials: From service users, families, or commissioners — with permission.
• Staff qualifications: Your Registered Manager, team leaders, any specialists.
• Awards, inspections, accreditations: CQC ratings, Quality Marks, sector accreditations.

This is your evidence library — a reusable resource you build once and draw on for every future tender. Even at this early stage, starting to organise this material will save you time and produce better bids.

See our detailed guide on building an evidence library.

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Writing your first method statement

Method statements are the narrative quality questions in a tender — “describe how you will deliver X”, “explain your approach to Y”. They’re where most marks are won and lost.

A strong method statement:

1. Answers the question directly — don’t bury the answer in background context
2. References the specification — show you’ve read and understood what they’re buying
3. Provides evidence — back up every claim with a specific example or data point
4. Addresses the evaluation criteria — write to the scoring framework, not the question in isolation
5. Avoids generic statements — “we are committed to delivering high-quality care” says nothing

A simple structure for method statement answers:

• What — what you will do
• How — how you will do it (specific processes, tools, staffing)
• Evidence — proof you’ve done it before (case study, data point)
• Outcome — what the result will be for service users / commissioner

Keep responses within word limits. Going over (or significantly under) signals you haven’t read the instructions — a bad sign before commissioners even read your content.

For more guidance on writing to the criteria, see how to write to evaluation criteria.

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How long does a tender take?

From publication to deadline: Commissioners typically allow 4–8 weeks for ITT responses. For complex NHS contracts, this may extend to 10–12 weeks. Below-threshold and local authority contracts often have shorter windows.

Your writing time: Expect to spend 40–80 hours on a straightforward first bid. More complex NHS contracts or framework applications can run to 100–150 hours.

The timeline in practice:

Week	Activity
1	Read all documents; make bid/no-bid decision; plan your response
2	Clarification questions; evidence gathering; outline each answer
3–4	Draft responses
5	Internal review; pricing; gather any supporting documents
6	Final edits; compliance check; portal submission

Don’t leave the compliance check until the final hour. Portal technical issues, document formatting requirements, and word count errors have sunk bids that were otherwise strong.

Use our tender compliance checklist before you submit.

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Common first-time mistakes

Overcommitting

Bidding for contracts you don’t have the capacity or capability to deliver is a significant risk — to your bid and to service users if you win. Be honest about what you can do.

Missing deadlines

Late submissions are rejected without exception. Build in a 24-hour buffer before the actual deadline. If the portal closes at 12:00 noon, aim to submit by 12:00 noon the day before.

Non-compliance with format requirements

Tenders specify word counts, file formats, document naming conventions, and submission methods. Ignoring these can mean disqualification regardless of content quality. Read the instructions.

No evidence

“We are committed to safeguarding” without a specific example, outcome, or data point is weak. Commissioners score on evidence. Start collecting it before you write.

Answering the wrong question

Re-read the question after you’ve written your answer. First-time bidders often write what they want to say rather than what was asked.

Ignoring pricing guidance

If a pricing schedule is provided, use it exactly. Commissioners compare prices on a standardised basis — improvised formats make comparison impossible and may lead to disqualification.

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What to expect: win rates and realistic outcomes

Be honest with yourself about what winning your first tender looks like.

Most first-time bidders don’t win. Public sector procurement is competitive. You’re typically up against providers with years of tender experience, established track records, and polished bid libraries. That doesn’t mean don’t try — but go in with realistic expectations.

Typical first-bid outcomes:

• Disqualification at SQ stage: Usually avoidable if you’ve checked eligibility carefully before bidding
• Low score on quality questions: Often reflects lack of evidence or generic responses
• Competitive but unsuccessful: You bid well but a more experienced provider scored higher
• Win: Achievable, particularly on local or niche contracts where your relationships and local knowledge count

The value of a first bid is not just whether you win. It’s the learning: feedback (request it from the commissioner after the award is made), the evidence gaps you discovered, the processes you put in place for next time.

Most providers who are serious about public sector work improve significantly between bid one and bid three — and win rates improve accordingly.

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DIY vs getting help

Should you write your first tender yourself, or get professional support?

Write it yourself if:

• The contract value is relatively low
• You have a strong understanding of the specification
• You have time to research, draft, review, and submit properly
• Your evidence is strong and well-organised

Get professional support if:

• The contract is high value (£500,000+ per year)
• You’re new to tendering and the ITT is complex
• You’re short on time and risk producing a weak bid
• You’ve bid before and scored poorly without understanding why

Professional tender writers don’t guarantee wins — anyone who promises that is misleading you. What they provide is bid structure, procurement knowledge, objective review, and the experience of knowing what commissioners expect.

Even commissioning a bid review or writing audit on a draft you’ve written yourself can add significant value without the full cost of outsourcing the entire response.

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