Articles

Post-Pandemic Healthcare Procurement: What COVID-19 Changed, What Has Endured, and What Still Needs to Improve

COVID-19 forced healthcare procurement systems to operate with unprecedented speed and flexibility. This article explores what changed, what has been retained, and what still needs to evolve to build resilient,...

Provider Governance Readiness for the Procurement Act 2023 in Adult Social Care

The Procurement Act 2023 rewards providers that can evidence clear governance, operational discipline and delivery credibility. This article explains how adult social care organisations can assess and strengthen governance readiness...

Mobilisation Readiness Under the Procurement Act 2023 in Adult Social Care

The Procurement Act 2023 increases scrutiny of whether providers can mobilise safely, quickly and credibly after contract award. This article explains how adult social care providers should evidence mobilisation readiness...

Contract Performance Monitoring Under the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 strengthens expectations around contract performance monitoring. Adult social care providers must demonstrate governance systems that track outcomes, manage risk and respond effectively to commissioner oversight.

Transparency Notices and Procurement Visibility Under the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 introduces significantly greater transparency across public sector contracting. Adult social care providers must understand how procurement notices, pipelines and reporting expectations influence both tender strategy and...

The 2026 Commissioning Reset: What Social Care Providers Must Do Differently

As the Procurement Act 2023 beds into practice, commissioning expectations are changing rapidly. This article explains how social care providers must adapt governance, evidence and operational credibility to succeed in...

The New Rules of Social Care Tender Evidence Under the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 has raised expectations around evidence in public sector tenders. Adult social care providers must now demonstrate governance, outcomes and operational credibility rather than relying on policy...

5 Ways to Strengthen Social Care Tenders Under the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 has changed expectations around transparency, evidence and governance in public tenders. This article outlines five practical ways social care providers can strengthen their submissions and demonstrate...

Procurement Act 2023: Opportunities and Risks for Social Care Providers in 2026

The Procurement Act 2023 creates new opportunities for social care providers but also raises expectations around governance, transparency and evidence. This article explores the practical opportunities and risks emerging under...

How the Procurement Act 2023 Changes Social Care Tendering

The Procurement Act 2023 has introduced new transparency rules, evaluation models and expectations around evidence. This article explains how social care tendering is changing and how providers can strengthen governance...

Understanding the Procurement Act 2023: What It Means for Adult Social Care Providers

The Procurement Act 2023 fundamentally changes how public contracts are structured, evaluated and awarded. This article explains what adult social care providers need to understand about the new regime, how...

How Social Value Is Evaluated Under Modern Adult Social Care Tender Models

Social value is no longer a peripheral tender section in adult social care. This article explains how commissioners increasingly evaluate social value alongside quality and compliance, what high-scoring responses look...

The New Rules of Social Care Tender Evidence in 2026

Commissioners are tightening expectations around evidence in 2026 tenders — focusing on outcomes, consistency, impact, and real-world delivery. This guide explains what will change, the evidence providers need, and how...

The 2026 Commissioning Reset: What Providers Must Do Differently to Win Tenders Next Year

As the Procurement Act beds in and councils prepare for an unprecedented recommissioning cycle, 2026 will be a defining year for social care tenders. This article explains the major shifts...

Why Providers Will Lose Points in 2026 Without a KPI Evidence Strategy — and How to Fix It Now

From 2026, providers won’t lose tenders because of poor delivery — they’ll lose because they can’t prove what they deliver. With MAT scoring tightening under the Procurement Act 2023, KPI...

Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) Scoring & Rising Social Value Weightings: What Providers Must Do Before 2026

A practical, late-2025 guide to MAT scoring and the rising importance of social value under the Procurement Act 2023. Learn what commissioners now expect, how scoring models are changing, and...

How to Prepare for the Procurement Act 2023 (2025–2026): Practical Guide for Social Care & NHS Providers

The Procurement Act 2023 went live in February 2025 — but its real impact is being felt now as commissioners embed MAT scoring, transparency duties and new renewal routes. This...

The Procurement Act 2023: What Health and Care Providers Need to Know

The new Procurement Act 2023 reshapes how public contracts are advertised, evaluated and awarded. This guide explains what’s changing, how it affects NHS and local authority tenders, and what providers...

Social Care Featured Practitioner Series — Tendering, Safeguarding & Person-Centred Practice

Explore Impact Guru’s Featured Practitioner Series — structured multi-part guides covering safeguarding, person-centred practice, tender writing and operational improvement in adult social care. Each series breaks complex topics into practical,...

How to Anticipate Commissioner Priorities and Write Stronger Tender Responses

Strong tender responses do more than answer the question in front of them. This article explains how providers can anticipate commissioner priorities around outcomes, workforce, value, social value and improvement,...

What Commissioners Expect from Social Care Tenders Now

Commissioners are under growing pressure to secure value, evidence outcomes and reduce delivery risk. This article explains what they increasingly expect from social care tenders, and how providers can align...

How to Strengthen Social Care Tenders Under the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 has raised expectations around transparency, value, evidence and bid discipline. This article explains practical ways social care providers can strengthen tender responses by improving governance, outcomes...

How Social Care Commissioning Is Changing and What Providers Need to Do Next

Social care commissioning is shifting under pressure from tighter budgets, workforce instability, regulatory scrutiny and stronger expectations around outcomes. This article explains what is changing, why it matters, and how...

Are Councils Cutting Learning Disability Budgets? What Providers Need to Know

With councils under extreme financial pressure, learning disability providers face increasing scrutiny on costs and outcomes. This blog explores the risks, commissioning trends, and how providers can protect services through...

How to Show Commissioners and CQC That Your Governance Is Strong

Strong governance is no longer a background issue in social care. This article explains what commissioners and CQC look for, how governance should be evidenced in tenders and assurance activity,...

When Direct Payments Are Not the Right Fit: How Social Care Providers Assess Risk, Capacity and Strategic Alignment

Direct Payments can offer flexibility and growth opportunities, but they are not right for every provider or every package. This article explains how adult social care providers assess payment security,...

Direct Payments Risk in Adult Social Care: Governance, Safeguarding and Accountability for Providers

Direct Payments can increase choice and control, but they also create complex risks for care providers. This article explains the safeguarding, financial and accountability challenges linked to Direct Payments and...

Are Direct Payments Worth the Risk for Social Care Providers? Governance, Financial Exposure and Strategic Fit in 2026

Direct Payments can offer flexibility and new opportunities, but they also create significant governance, financial and safeguarding risks for providers. This article explains why Direct Payments are no longer easy...

How Social Care Providers Can Stay Financially Sustainable in a Tougher Market

Rising staffing costs, tighter fee environments and more competitive tendering are putting social care providers under growing pressure. This article explains how providers can respond through service redesign, smarter mobilisation,...

Direct Payments in Adult Social Care: Managing Financial Risk, Governance and Provider Sustainability

Direct Payments are intended to increase choice and control, but they can also create serious financial and governance risks for care providers. This article explains why payment delays, unclear accountability...