Healthcare tenders sit under two sets of rules. NHS bodies and local authorities in England buy health care services under the Provider Selection Regime, so some contracts are never advertised as open tenders. Other health-related services can fall under the Procurement Act. This page shows live health and social care notices, explains which rules apply, and sets out what providers are usually asked for, from CQC registration to DBS checks. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
Which rules apply: Provider Selection Regime or Procurement Act?
In England, NHS bodies and local authorities buy health care services under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, not the Procurement Act. They came into force on 1 January 2024 and apply in England only. The relevant authorities include NHS England, integrated care boards, NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, combined authorities and local authorities in England.
Those authorities must follow one of the processes the regulations set out: direct award processes, a most suitable provider process, or a competitive process. A framework agreement requires a competitive process. So a care contract can be awarded without an open tender, and you won’t always see it as a live notice.
Other health-related services can still fall under the Procurement Act’s light-touch regime. The guidance says those rules don’t apply where the buying is regulated under the PSR, and the light-touch threshold is £663,540 from 1 January 2026. The notice or the pack should say which regime the buyer is using.
What buyers usually ask health and care providers for
The points below have a legal or policy basis. What a particular commissioner wants on top is in the tender pack.
CQC registration for regulated activities (England)
It is an offence to carry on a regulated activity without being registered, and the regulated activities are listed in regulations. The law covers carrying on the activity. When a buyer wants to see your registration, at tender stage or before the contract starts, is in the pack.
DBS checks for staff in regulated activity
Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are only available where the role meets the legal criteria (England and Wales); Basic checks are open to anyone. The DBS eligibility guidance also says the employer is legally responsible for making sure the role is eligible for the level it requests. Buyers will want to know how you recruit and vet staff.
Data security and Cyber Essentials
PPN 014 puts NHS bodies in scope for contracts involving, for example, citizens’ personal information. Where it applies, Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) evidence is needed before contract award. Other buyers can adopt the same approach. More in Cyber Essentials for government contracts.
TUPE when services transfer between providers
When a service moves between providers, staff may transfer. A service provision change covers outsourcing, re-tendering and insourcing, so build possible transfer costs into your price on a re-let contract.
Insurance and financial standing
Levels vary by contract and we can’t source typical figures. Check the pack. See professional indemnity insurance and public liability cover.
Only about 6% of live notices state insurance requirements in the notice itself (29 of 470 in the week to 10 Oct 2026, as of 10 Oct 2026), so most of this is found in the pack.
How to win healthcare contracts
Watch for more than tenders
Because the Provider Selection Regime allows direct award, some of the work you could win never appears as an open tender. In plain terms, regulation 6 sets these routes:
- Direct award process A applies where there is an existing provider and the authority is satisfied that only that provider can deliver the services, given their nature.
- Direct award process B applies where patients are offered a choice of provider, the authority doesn’t restrict the number of providers, and it offers contracts to all providers who meet the requirements.
- Frameworks must use the competitive process.
If you are not the existing provider, process A won’t help you, so look for patient-choice arrangements (process B) and competitive processes. Keep your registration, staffing capacity and references current, and speak to commissioners. Our guide to how to win NHS contracts goes further.
Frameworks and lots
Under the Procurement Act, buyers must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them. Most frameworks are capped at four years under the Act, but not light-touch frameworks such as many care services, and PSR frameworks follow their own rules. So check the notice for the actual term. Look for a lot you can deliver in your area. See health frameworks.
Subcontracting to a larger provider is another way in. Before you commit, ask the lead provider:
- who holds the CQC registration for the regulated activity, and whether your staff would work under it
- who recruits and vets staff, and what DBS checks the buyer expects
- what data you would handle, and what security requirements flow down from the main contract
- what the buyer’s staffing information says about TUPE if the service is being re-let
For roles in regulated activity, the DBS has separate eligibility guides for work with children and for work with adults (both published on 1 September 2026). They cover when an Enhanced check with barred list(s) applies. Work out which of your roles are in scope before you price vetting.
Social value and the local-area angle
Central government departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies must give social value at least a 10% weighting on above-threshold contracts where it is relevant (PPN 002). NHS bodies are not in its scope, so ask what the pack weights. Local employment, local supply chains and community benefit are the usual themes. Make your commitments specific and measurable.
Register on the Central Digital Platform
It is free, and you share your unique identifier with the buyer before award. Do it before a deadline is close.
If you supply equipment rather than care, see medical equipment and supplies tenders.
Questions
What is the Provider Selection Regime and does it affect me?
It is the set of rules NHS bodies and local authorities in England use to buy health care services, instead of the Procurement Act. It allows direct award, a most suitable provider process or a competitive process, so some contracts are never advertised as open tenders. Which applies depends on the service and the buyer.
Do I need CQC registration before I bid for a care contract?
The law makes it an offence to carry on a regulated activity in England without registration. It is about carrying on the activity, not about bidding. When the buyer wants to see your registration, at tender stage or before the contract starts, is set out in the tender pack.
Where are NHS and council health tenders published?
Open tenders appear on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, which TenderWorthy covers. Some health care services are bought under the Provider Selection Regime and may not appear as open tenders, so build relationships with commissioners as well as watching notices.
Can a small care provider bid for one area or lot of a large contract?
Often you can, if the buyer has split the contract. Under the Procurement Act buyers must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them. Check the notice for lots, and whether you can bid for one lot or area on its own.
Do health contracts need Cyber Essentials?
Not all of them. PPN 014 covers central government and NHS bodies, and applies when a contract involves things like citizens' personal data. If it applies, Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) evidence is needed before award. Other buyers may adopt the same approach, so check the pack.