Public purchasers have specific requirements for policies to be considered to be compliant. These requirements are more detailed, with specific content which is additional to that required, for example by the CQC. Increasingly non-compliant policies are resulting in failure at tender evaluation. It is therefore essential that providers ensure that their policies are compliant with the required standards. These compliance standards include evidence that:

• Polices have been updated and reviewed within the twelve months prior to the tender/bid application;
• Policy and procedure as separate documents;
• All policies approved and sinned off by governance (Board of Directors or Trustees).

Standards

An essential step for all providers of health and social care services in preparing to tender for a contract or bid for a grant is to audit all of their policies to ensure that they are of the required standard. Whilst purchasers may not request a copy of any or all policies at the start of the evaluation process. The "Means of Proof" process which was introduced in February 2015 as part of the Public Contract Regulations (2015) allows the purchaser to demand evidence of any kind to be produced "at any moment" during the tender evaluation process. As policies and procedures  fall within the definition of means of proof, it follows that policies and procedures must be fully compliant and of the required standard before the bid or tender is submitted.

Audits and Policies

Two services are available to help providers to ensure that their policies meet all of the required standards:

OPTION 1

An audit of up to five policies which provides a report on key quality and compliance issues and provides guidance for improvement, thereby providing a model for overall improvement - Fee £450 + VAT

OPTION 2

A full and detailed audit of up to six policies, re-drafting where necessary, producing models for replication by the provider across all other policies - fee £1,400 + VAT

PLEASE NOTE:

Policies can be provided from TfC's extensive bank of policies which have been fould to comply with tendering and bidding requirements. These are provided, tailored to the requirements of each customer. Please contact us for a quotation.

Telephone: 01629 57501

email: info@tenderingforcare.com