How to Design Services That Feel Personal — and Win Tenders
Commissioners increasingly expect social care services to feel personal, not just functional. This shift reflects a growing emphasis on user experience, compassion, and emotional connection in both service delivery and tender evaluation.
So, how do you bring that human element into your tender responses — without sounding vague or fluffy?
🎯 Use language that connects
Move beyond clinical or generic descriptions. Instead of “our service supports independent living,” say “we support Sarah to choose how she wants to spend her morning — with real flexibility, not just a rota.” Use real-world language that reflects people’s lived experiences.
🫶 Design services around emotion, not just tasks
Think about how your service makes people feel — safe, listened to, empowered, connected. These emotional outcomes matter to people and commissioners alike. Show that your support planning, staff training, and service model all reflect this understanding.
📌 Evidence co-design and lived experience
Have people with lived experience shaped how your service operates? Can you show how feedback changed something tangible? Even small examples (“we stopped calling people ‘service users’ after feedback from a tenant forum”) demonstrate emotional intelligence and respect.
🧠 Reframe standard processes in human terms
Don’t just list compliance measures. Explain how your complaints process reassures people they’ll be heard. Show how supervision helps staff reflect on emotional labour, not just tick boxes. Help commissioners see the emotional logic behind your policies and procedures.
🤝 Train for empathy, not just compliance
Highlight how your training goes beyond mandatory content. For example, do you offer reflective practice sessions, storytelling, or values-based recruitment? These human-centred tools are increasingly viewed as essential to quality and dignity in care.
💬 Final thought:
The best tenders don’t just describe services — they show how they feel. By designing services around emotion, language, and lived experience, you’ll stand out not just as compliant, but as truly connected to the people you support.
💼 Rapid Support Products (fast turnaround options)
- ⚡ 48-Hour Tender Triage
- 🆘 Bid Rescue Session – 60 minutes
- ✍️ Score Booster – Tender Answer Rewrite
- 🧩 Tender Answer Blueprint
- 📝 Tender Proofreading & Light Editing
- 🔍 Pre-Tender Readiness Audit
- 📁 Tender Document Review
🚀 Need a Bid Writing Quote?
If you’re exploring support for an upcoming tender or framework, request a quick, no-obligation quote. I’ll review your documents and respond with:
- A clear scope of work
- Estimated days required
- A fixed fee quote
- Any risks, considerations or quick wins
🔁 Prefer Flexible Monthly Support?
If you regularly handle tenders, frameworks or call-offs, a Monthly Bid Support Retainer may be a better fit.
- Guaranteed hours each month (1, 2, 4 or 8 days)
- Discounted day rates vs ad-hoc consultancy
- Use time flexibly across bids, triage, library updates, renewals
- One-month rollover (fair-use rules applied)
- Cancel anytime before next billing date
🚀 Ready to Win Your Next Bid?
Chat on WhatsApp or email Mike.Harrison@impact-guru.co.uk
Updated for Procurement Act 2023 • CQC-aligned • BASE-aligned (where relevant)