W5093 Care and Support Services for Children and Young People (Home Based and in the Community)

Walsall Council is at the preliminary market engagement stage for a planned framework covering care and support services delivered to children and young people in their homes and communities. This is not yet an invitation to tender.

The proposed services are intended to provide flexible, personalised and outcome focused support that helps children and young people remain safe, included and connected to their families, communities and support networks, while promoting wellbeing, family resilience, positive outcomes and greater independence. The official UK2 notice records one planned lot. It gives an estimated value of £10,800,000 excluding VAT and £12,960,000 including VAT.

The planned contract period is from 1 June 2027 to 30 March 2032, with a possible renewal to 30 March 2037. The arrangement is planned as an above threshold framework under the light touch regime. The only CPV code stated is 85000000, Health and social work services.

The preliminary market engagement notice was published on 29 October 2026. Responses to the engagement are due by 20 November 2026 at 11:59:59pm UTC. The Council expects to publish a future procurement notice on 15 January 2027.

No separate clarification deadline is stated in the official notice. Providers are not being asked to submit bids at this stage. The notice marks the planned opportunity as suitable for small and medium sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

It does not state tender eligibility criteria, a required provider registration or detailed selection and award requirements. Those details may follow in the future procurement notice and documents. Participation in the engagement does not commit Walsall Council to procure services or award a contract.

To participate, providers should access the preliminary market engagement exercise through the Walsall Council In-tend portal named in the official notice and complete the exercise by the response deadline. The Council is seeking views on framework structure, referrals and allocations, package size and complexity, pricing and payment, quality and outcomes, market capacity, workforce, delivery and coordination.

Care Sync advice: providers should distinguish this engagement response from a future tender submission and retain evidence of their portal response.