Evidencing Co-Production in Tenders and Commissioner Evaluations
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Co-production is now a scored requirement in many adult social care tenders, particularly where commissioners are seeking assurance around quality, outcomes and community engagement. Expectations often align closely with bid writing principles and the need to demonstrate outcomes and impact rather than aspirational intent.
Providers that rely on generic statements about involvement often struggle to score well, particularly where evaluators are testing credibility.
What Commissioners Are Looking For
Commissioners want to see evidence that co-production is embedded, structured and ongoing. This includes clarity about who was involved, how engagement took place and how insights influenced decisions.
Evaluators may look for consistency between lived experience claims and wider governance, quality and workforce narratives within the bid.
Moving Beyond Tokenistic Statements
Statements such as “we involve people in service development” rarely score well without evidence. Strong bids reference specific examples, recent activity and tangible outcomes resulting from involvement.
Providers should avoid vague language and instead use clear, factual descriptions supported by dates, formats and outcomes.
Practical Evidence That Strengthens Scores
Effective evidence includes examples such as service redesign influenced by feedback, involvement in policy reviews, or co-produced training content. Short case examples can be particularly effective.
Where possible, evidence should demonstrate both challenge and learning, not just positive feedback.
Aligning Co-Production with Other Bid Themes
Co-production evidence should reinforce, not sit separately from, safeguarding, quality and workforce sections. This alignment strengthens evaluator confidence.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Common issues include over-claiming, outdated examples or failing to explain how involvement is supported and sustained. These gaps can undermine otherwise strong submissions.
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