CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskHow to tender a project, what to put in the pre-qualification questionnaire, and how to evaluate bids.
Procuring building contractors for a care home is not the same as procuring for an empty commercial building. Contractors must be able to work safely in an occupied care setting -- with infection control awareness, minimal noise and disruption, secure management of access and egress, and empathy with residents and staff. These requirements must be explicitly tested in procurement, not assumed.
A pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) is used to assess contractor suitability before inviting them to tender. For care home projects, relevant PQQ criteria include: experience of working in occupied healthcare or care settings, infection control policy and training for site operatives, public liability insurance minimum 5M, HSE Improvement or Prohibition Notices in the last three years, Safe Contractor or CHAS accreditation, and at least two references from comparable care setting projects.
Avoid selecting on price alone -- the lowest tender is frequently not the best value. A quality/price evaluation (typically 60:40 or 70:30 quality:price for care setting projects) assesses the methodology, programme, proposed management team and approach to care home working alongside the price.
Use a recognised standard form of building contract -- JCT Minor Works (for smaller projects) or JCT Intermediate Building Contract (for larger works). Do not rely on a contractor's own terms and conditions. The contract should include: a detailed scope of works, programme, agreed variation procedure, defects liability period (minimum 12 months), and retention provisions (typically 5%, half released at practical completion, balance at end of defects liability period).
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.