Business case and four stages
The guide first explains the tripartite principles and why lowest-price-only buying can depress wages and disrupt service. It then follows four stages: pre-tender preparation, tender drafting, provider evaluation and contract management. The forms, example clauses, scoring templates and KPIs are tools to adapt, not automatic legal clauses for every property.
Stage 1: establish needs and baseline
Assess the existing service, budget, users, site, workloads and quality problems. Consult operational stakeholders and identify productivity improvements before prescribing staff numbers. Distinguish headcount, task-based and outcome-based specifications so bidders can propose better methods. Establish measurable baselines for service quality and worker conditions.
Stage 2: draft fair specifications and clauses
State outcomes, coverage, hours, performance standards and response times. Include employment-law compliance, fair remuneration, training, suitable equipment, welfare facilities and continuity on provider changes. Give bidders enough site and contract information to price properly and define who bears foreseeable changes. Use a clear price-quality framework announced before evaluation.
Stage 3: score capability as well as price
Apply critical compliance requirements first, then assess technical quality and price using the predetermined method. Quality can cover track record, deployment/management, equipment, training, wage practices and risk controls. Check evidence and references, document scoring and avoid changing criteria after bids. The guide illustrates both relative-price scoring and price-interval approaches.
Stage 4: manage performance and improve
Agree KPIs, inspection/feedback frequency, meetings, records, remedy processes and proportionate incentives. Compare actual results with the baseline and expected improvement. Review staffing and methods jointly, support worker development and allow operational innovation when outcomes remain sound. The annexes provide example clauses, evaluation templates and cleaning/security KPIs.