
National DWP investment in welfare and disability assessments
Value of South West and South Central Lot
Multi-stage process included dialogue and BAFO
Functional Assessment Services (FAS) is a £multi-billion DWP programme underpinning welfare and disability reform. After identifying the opportunity to expand its presence within this market, our client approached 50 Degrees for support with win strategy and solution development and bid production in order to strengthen its competitive position.
The FAS procurement was divided into regional Lots, each worth around £300m, and ran over a year-long process. Procurement was broken down into multiple stages, comprising initial bids, dialogue, Best and Final Offer (BAFO), and commissioner presentations. In order to succeed in this highly competitive procurement landscape and compete with experienced incumbents, the client needed to present clear win themes and differentiated solutions aligned to the commissioner’s requirement for the integrated delivery of clinical quality, operational resilience and digital innovation.
50 Degrees assembled a specially-selected team of DWP specialists, clinical SMEs, solution designers, and bid writers. We worked collaboratively to enhance the client’s overall offer, including refining win themes and value propositions; co-designing assessment pathways, workforce models, and digital tools with medical directors; and preparing leadership teams for commissioner dialogue. Our hybrid approach, which combined face-to-face workshops with iterative writing and graphics support, enabled us to produce high-quality and innovative proposals throughout the 12-month bidding cycle.