Social Impact That Scores: What Evaluators Look for in Care Bids

In today’s care tendering landscape, delivering a great service isn’t enough — you need to prove that you’re also delivering impact.

Commissioners aren’t just asking, “Can you care for people well?” — they’re also asking, “How does your care improve communities, reduce inequalities, and support wider social goals?”

This is where social value comes in. And in 2025, it’s no longer a side question. In many bids, it’s weighted at 10–30% of your overall score. That means your social value answers could win — or lose — you the contract.

At Big Sister, we’ve helped hundreds of care companies articulate their social impact in a way that resonates with evaluators, not just feels good to write. So, in this blog, we’ll break down what evaluators really want to see — and how you can stand out.

First, What Is Social Value?

Social value is the additional benefit your business brings beyond delivering the core service. It includes:

  • Environmental responsibility
  • Local job creation
  • Fair wages and ethical supply chains
  • Support for underrepresented groups
  • Volunteering and community partnerships
  • Apprenticeships and training
  • Support for mental health and wellbeing

It’s not just about what you plan to do — it’s about how your business model benefits society as a whole.

What Evaluators Don’t Want to See

Let’s start here, because this is where most care bids go wrong. Evaluators are tired of:

  • Vague intentions: “We care deeply about our community.”
  • Empty promises: “We will provide apprenticeships.” (How many? When? How will you fund this?)
  • Generic statements: “We recycle paper and care about the environment.”
  • Fluff over facts: “We’re passionate about people.” (But where’s the measurable impact?)

If your answer could apply to any care company, it’s not strong enough.

So, What Do Evaluators Want?

Here are the top things that actually impress:

  1. Specific, Quantifiable Commitments

Numbers win points.

  • “We will provide three apprenticeships per year, with guaranteed progression routes.”
  • “We aim to reduce car mileage by 15% within 12 months by prioritising patch-based scheduling and walking visits.”
  • “We will host six community health workshops annually at local community centres.”

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it — and you probably won’t get marks for it either.

  1. Relevance to Local Needs

Commissioners want to see that you understand their population.

  • “Redcar has one of the highest unemployment rates in the North East. We will prioritise job opportunities for NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) individuals, working with local job centres to support recruitment.”
  • “We are aware of the social isolation challenges in rural Havering and plan to launch a befriending scheme with trained volunteers.”

Show that you’ve read the specification — and that your social value approach is localised, not cut-and-paste.

  1. Longevity and Sustainability

One-off actions won’t cut it. Evaluators want sustained impact.

  • “We will invest in ongoing mental health training for our staff, using a local therapist to provide monthly sessions.”
  • “Our community gardening project has been running since 2022 and will be extended to include an intergenerational partnership with a local primary school.”

If your impact will last beyond the contract period — even better.

  1. Delivery Plans, Not Just Dreams

It’s not enough to say what you’ll do — explain how.

  • “Our Registered Manager will oversee delivery, reporting to the Director quarterly. A dedicated Social Value Champion will track outcomes using our internal KPI dashboard.”
  • “We will partner with XYZ College to deliver monthly recruitment and training open days in care.”

Make it operational. Show roles, timelines, partnerships, and delivery mechanisms.

  1. Alignment With the Commissioner’s Priorities

Every local authority has its own social value goals — often outlined in:

  • Their Social Value Policy
  • Procurement Strategy
  • Corporate Plan
  • Health & Wellbeing Strategy

We always check these when writing a care bid at Big Sister.

  • If the commissioner is focused on reducing emissions — mention your hybrid fleet and walkable patch planning.
  • If they care about inclusive employment — show how you recruit neurodiverse staff with tailored onboarding support.
  • If mental health is a priority — highlight how you support carers through resilience coaching and flexible working hours.

The tighter the alignment, the higher your score.

  1. Impact Reporting and Monitoring

Can you track what you’ve promised?

  • “We use a social value tracking dashboard powered by XYZ tool, updated monthly and shared with the commissioner quarterly.”
  • “We will create a visual social impact report each year showing our progress and challenges openly.”

Evaluators want transparency and data. If you track it — talk about it.

How Big Sister Can Help

You don’t need to become a social value expert overnight — that’s what we’re here for.

At Big Sister, we’ve built a specialist bid team with deep knowledge of social value in care, including:

  • Environmental sustainability
  • Community partnerships
  • Inclusive employment
  • Volunteer engagement
  • Economic development strategies

We’ve read thousands of evaluator feedback letters. We know what they love, what they hate, and what gets you the top score.

Whether you need a full bid written, a section reviewed, or your strategy fine-tuned — we can help you translate your good work into great responses.

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Final Thoughts

Your care business is probably already doing some incredible things — creating jobs, reducing loneliness, supporting mental health, investing in your team.

But unless you can clearly explain and evidence that in your bids, you’re missing out on valuable points.

Let’s stop writing fluff and start showcasing impact.

And if you’re not sure how to begin — Big Sister is only a call away.