Table of Contents
- Domiciliary Care Tenders
- How to get Contracts for Domiciliary Care
- Types of domiciliary care contract
- Where to find domiciliary care tenders
- The domiciliary care tender process
- Stage 1: Selection and qualification
- Stage 2: Quality and service delivery
- PQQ and selection questionnaires for domiciliary care
- What you need to qualify for a domiciliary care tender
- CQC registration and rating
- Local presence and mobilisation capacity
- Financial standing
Domiciliary Care Tenders
How to get Contracts for Domiciliary Care
Most council-commissioned domiciliary care is awarded through a framework, dynamic purchasing system (DPS), flexible framework or single-provider contract. To receive referrals or care packages, providers usually need to meet the buyer’s qualification requirements and successfully complete the relevant tender process.
For many care providers, winning a place on the right framework is therefore one of the most important routes to growth.
Executive Compass provides specialist support for domiciliary care tenders and home care tenders across the UK. Our health and social care bid writers work with providers ranging from newly registered SMEs to established regional and national organisations. Up to 40% of all tenders written by our team relate to health and social care. Core topics such as person-centred support, reablement and multidisciplinary support are confidently understood by our team, with specific methods and models then discussed with our clients and detailed in tender responses to demonstrate how our clients work, whilst reflecting the requirements of the buyer.
Demand for community-based care remains substantial. In England, people aged 65 and over represented 19.1% of the population in mid-2025, up from 16.4% in 2011. Combined with the continued emphasis on helping people remain independent in their own homes, this creates ongoing opportunities for providers able to demonstrate quality, capacity and sustainable service delivery.
Alongside standard home care services, providers may also bid for reablement and extra care, continuing healthcare and other community-based models of support.
Our team understands the different regulatory and commissioning environments across England, Scotland and Wales, including the role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Care Inspectorate Scotland and Care Inspectorate Wales.
For broader sector support, see our health and social care tender writers page.
Types of domiciliary care contract
| Contract type | How it works | What it means for a provider |
|---|---|---|
| Ranked framework | Providers are evaluated and ranked following a tender process. The framework is usually closed once awarded. | Referral volumes may depend partly on ranking, geographic lot and service-user choice. A strong initial tender score can therefore be commercially important. |
| DPS or flexible framework | Providers may be able to join when entry requirements are met, depending on the rules of the arrangement. | These can create opportunities for newer providers or those expanding into new areas, although entry still requires compliance and a competitive submission. |
| Single-provider or zone contract | One provider, or a very small number of providers, is appointed to deliver services across a defined area or client group. | These contracts can involve larger staffing, mobilisation and financial requirements, but may provide greater certainty of volume. |
Frameworks can also be divided into lots or geographic zones, allowing providers to bid only for the areas, client groups or service types they are equipped to deliver.
Where to find domiciliary care tenders
Since 24 February 2025, Find a Tender has operated as the UK Government’s Central Digital Platform for regulated procurements under the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers can register their organisation, maintain core supplier information, search notices and set up alerts for relevant opportunities.
Providers should also monitor local authority procurement portals, framework reopening notices, dynamic market opportunities, pipeline notices and market-engagement events. Early market engagement can be particularly useful because it gives providers an opportunity to understand proposed service models and prepare before the formal tender is released.
NHS-commissioned healthcare services can be subject to different procurement arrangements. For example, NHS continuing healthcare services can fall within the Provider Selection Regime, depending on how the commissioner structures the service and selects providers.
If you identify an opportunity and want an independent view before committing resources, you can upload the tender for a fixed-fee quote.
The domiciliary care tender process
Domiciliary care and home care tenders commonly involve two stages, although buyers may combine them within a single procurement exercise.
Stage 1: Selection and qualification
The first stage is often called a Selection Questionnaire (SQ), although many providers and buyers still use the older term PQQ.
This stage normally focuses on company information, financial standing, insurance, regulatory compliance, previous experience and other minimum requirements.
For domiciliary care providers, this may include evidence of:
- CQC registration and rating in England
- equivalent regulatory registration in Scotland or Wales
- financial stability
- relevant insurance
- previous contract experience
- safeguarding arrangements
- policies and procedures
- workforce competence.
Stage 2: Quality and service delivery
Once minimum requirements have been satisfied, the buyer evaluates how the provider proposes to deliver the service.
Questions often focus on person-centred care, continuity, mobilisation, recruitment, safeguarding, quality assurance, technology, outcomes, social value and contract management.
Responses are usually scored against a published mark scheme and subject to strict word or character limits.
PQQ and selection questionnaires for domiciliary care
Completing an SQ or PQQ can be challenging, particularly where a provider is unfamiliar with public procurement or is bidding for a larger framework for the first time.
Our team can review the qualification requirements, identify potential barriers and help prepare the supporting information required to progress to the quality stage.
Read more about how Executive Compass provides PQQ writing for domiciliary care support.
What you need to qualify for a domiciliary care tender
Buyers use minimum qualification criteria to reduce procurement risk and ensure that providers have the regulatory, financial and operational capacity required to deliver the service.
Typical requirements include:
CQC registration and rating
In England, a provider delivering regulated personal care will normally need appropriate CQC registration.
Some buyers specify a minimum rating. Many tenders ask for” Good” or “Outstanding”, while others may consider a provider rated “Requires Improvement” where an acceptable action plan is in place.
Newly registered providers that have not yet received an inspection rating should always check the tender conditions carefully. If the position is unclear, a clarification question should be raised with the buyer rather than assuming the organisation is ineligible.
In Scotland, equivalent requirements may relate to the Care Inspectorate, while providers in Wales should consider the requirements of Care Inspectorate Wales.
Local presence and mobilisation capacity
Some tenders require the provider to have, or establish, a branch or operational base within a specified distance or geographic area.
Where this is required, the tender should explain how the office will be established, staffed and made operational within the mobilisation period.
Financial standing
Buyers may request accounts, insurance certificates and minimum turnover levels as evidence that the provider can sustain delivery.
Where a turnover threshold is beyond the capacity of an individual provider, bidding through a consortium or partnership may sometimes provide an alternative route.
Executive Compass has previously supported a consortium of private- and third-sector providers to secure sole-provider status across Aberdeen, demonstrating how collaborative bidding can allow organisations to compete for opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their individual scale.
Minimum requirements should always be checked before significant resource is committed to a tender.