Tenders in care and welfare

What buyers ask for

• Procurement by the municipalityUnder the Dutch Social Support Act 2015 (Wmo), municipalities are responsible for supporting residents. They buy that support through a tender, or through open house: a route without a tender procedure, where you do have to meet all the requirements set. Check which of the two it is. In a tender you compete for a place; in open house it is about meeting the requirements and then delivering.
• A fair priceMunicipalities have to pay a fair price (reële prijs) for Wmo services. The implementing decree of the Wmo 2015 lists the cost elements that price is at least based on, including the cost of the care professional, reasonable overhead, non-productive hours, travel and training costs, and indexation. Set the rates in the documents against your own cost build-up before you decide.
• Quality you can proveA quality certificate such as HKZ (the Dutch quality scheme for care and welfare) or ISO 9001 shows that your quality system is in order. Which certificate the buyer accepts is in the documents. Also check whether “or equivalent” is allowed.
• Familiar faces and continuityQuality questions are often about expertise, fixed carers and what happens when someone drops out or there is a waiting list. Write from your real staffing and way of working. A committee in the social domain quickly recognises an ideal picture.

In a private tender

A private request in this sector often comes from a care organisation itself, for a specific service or for subcontracting. No procurement rules apply then, but the questions about quality, continuity and price are the same. A short conversation beforehand often achieves more than a long proposal.

Read how Atvalio helps with private tenders

How Atvalio helps

Atvalio reads the documents, knows your company and helps you write. You decide and you submit. In this sector that looks like this:

1. 1UnderstandWhether it is a tender or open house, which quality requirements and rates apply and what the term and indexation are, with the page.
2. 2DecideA recommendation that sets the rates against your cost build-up and your capacity.
3. 3AskA question for the clarification round when rates, volumes or access to support are unclear.
4. 4WriteYour approach from your profile: your way of working, your people and your results, without promises you cannot keep.
5. 5CheckA simulated committee reads from the perspective of the municipality and the resident; Atvalio checks that every piece of evidence is attached.

What often goes wrong

• Fictional exampleA rate that does not keep up with wagesA home support organisation bids on a municipal contract with a fixed hourly rate. The indexation in the contract follows a general price index, while wages rise faster. After two years the gap shows in the margin. Atvalio takes the indexation clause from the documents and sets it against your cost build-up, so you see this before you decide.

Read on

• Price indexation: how to stop your margin disappearing over the contract term
• CBS indices for price indexation: which series, which figure, which month
• Bid or no bid: when should you tender, and when not?
• Selection criteria and knock-outs: read them, challenge them, or team up
• Indexation calculator