---
title: "Experts by Experience"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04e748"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e748"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e748.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e748.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CARE QUALITY COMMISSION"
published: "2026-04-02"
---

# Experts by Experience

Buyer: CARE QUALITY COMMISSION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04e748

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## Summary

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), serving as the independent regulator of health and social care services in England, has concluded a procurement process for the project titled "Experts by Experience." This project falls under the category of health and social work services, involving contracts that aim to support regulatory activities and enhance public engagement. The procurement method used was a restricted procedure, and the process spanned multiple regions across the UK, including UKC, UKD, UKE, UKF, UKG, UKH, UKI, UKJ, and UKK. The procurement reached the tender and award stages, with final awards signed in March 2026. Notable deadlines included the submission date of 3 April 2025 for supplier selection questionnaire responses.

This procurement creates substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in consultancy, personnel supply, and healthcare services. Companies with expertise in providing personnel with specific healthcare or social care experiences, as well as those skilled in fostering community engagement, would find this opportunity particularly beneficial. The awarded contracts highlight the emphasis on quality and social value, suggesting that businesses equipped to demonstrate high standards and community impact are well-positioned to succeed. With the potential for involvement in significant regulatory roles and public engagement initiatives, participating organisations can expand their influence and establish a foothold within the health and social care industry. The awarded suppliers, CHOICE SUPPORT and NATIONAL VOICES, exemplify the types of organisations well-suited to deliver these impactful services.

## Notice

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve. We monitor, inspect and regulate services and publish what we find. Where we find poor care, we will use our powers to take action. CQC has a legal duty under the Health and Social Care Act to involve people in the way it works. The Health and Social Care Act 2008, specifies that CQC can 'arrange for any of its functions to be exercised by, or with the assistance of, service users and carers'. The Experts by Experience contracts are key mechanisms used by CQC to achieve this. Lot 1 CQC Experts by Experience Services: this lot is for support to regulatory activity conducted by subject matter experts with lived experience of specific healthcare or social care needs. Lot 2 CQC Public Engagement Network: this lot is for developing and maintaining and expanding the public engagement network and organising related events.

### Lot Information

CQC Experts by Experience Services

The provision of trained members of the public, known as Experts by Experience (ExEs), to support our assessments of regulated health and care services and our understanding of the quality of care across regulated services in England. The CQC Experts by Experience Services support the delivery of a programme of work referred to as the CQC Experts by Experience (ExE) programme. The ExE programme is founded on the fundamental principle of helping people who use services to make their voices, views and experiences heard. The programme delivers evidence and insight to CQC through regulatory and engagement activities. Experts by Experience have current or recent (within the past 8 years, or within 4 years for maternity services) lived experience of using, or being a family carer for someone who uses, the services we regulate. Experts by Experience help us gather the evidence that we use to make judgements about the quality of care. People often find it easier to speak to someone who has a similar lived experience to themselves. Experts by Experience gather evidence by having meaningful conversations with people using services, as well as friends and families. They will also make and record other observations while taking part in our assessments of services. Experts by Experience Services also support other CQC activities such as policy and guidance development, co design and co production and consultations. The Contractor will need to provide Experts by Experience support in three key areas: - inspection - support to site visits and telephone calls, - monitor and insight - support gathering local and national information from the public. This will include special reviews and investigations as well as work raising public awareness of CQC, - co-production - support to policy and guidance development and delivery of CQC staff training.

CQC Public Engagement Network

Provision of CQC Public Engagement Network (PEN) to develop, maintain and deliver engagement services with people from seldom heard communities, people with protected characteristics, and people made vulnerable by their circumstances. The CQC Public Engagement Network is a managed network of community groups across England made up of local and national groups, including charities and other organisations who represent and support people from a diverse range of communities, people at risk of facing health inequalities, and people with protected characteristics. The purpose of the CQC Public Engagement Network is: - to develop a programme of community engagement across England and to become an important mechanism in helping CQC ensure that local health and care services meet the needs and preferences of the communities they serve. - to gather and understand experiences of care from those most likely to experience poorer health and care outcomes and to amplify the voices of people and communities across the health and care landscape. - to increase the volume and range of feedback CQC receives from specific targeted groups across England. - to provide CQC with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, groups and the individuals they represent, on both a local and national scale. The CQC Public Engagement Network contributes to our assessments and the design and ongoing development of the way we regulate, providing insight and intelligence about experiences of care, from: - people from seldom heard communities, - people with protected characteristics, - people made vulnerable by their circumstances.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031156-2026 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Restricted procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 3 Apr 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | £9,999,999 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £8,742,856 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CARE QUALITY COMMISSION |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Post town | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE1 4PA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Monument |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | CHOICE SUPPORT; NATIONAL VOICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
- 79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff
- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 2 Apr 2026 at 16:33 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031156-2026
- 21 Feb 2025 at 16:11 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/006977-2025

## Notice URLs

- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.cqc.org.uk/
- https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/technology-and-construction-court

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e748. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e748.json.