WP4051 ICS Pathway 1 Services and a Community Reablement Service

Walsall Council is establishing a framework for the delivery of ICS Pathway 1 Services and a Community Reablement Service across the borough, with an estimated total value of £65 million excluding VAT.

The services will provide short-term support designed to maximise independence and wellbeing, helping individuals gain or regain the confidence, abilities and practical skills required to live as independently as possible following illness, deterioration in health or injury.

The Council’s reablement approach will be strengths-based and person-centred, with providers expected to work alongside individuals to achieve user-defined goals and promote choice, control and functional ability. Technology will also be used to support effective, innovative and individually tailored outcomes.

Reablement Pathways

The requirement covers two principal reablement pathways.

ICS Pathway 1 Services

Referrals into the Pathway 1 Reablement service will be made by appropriate ICS staff. Individuals may be in acute hospitals inside or outside Walsall, or in their own homes where they are ordinarily resident in the borough.

Pathway 1 Reablement will provide short-term, intensive and therapy-led support following hospital discharge or as part of admission avoidance.

Delivered through an integrated multidisciplinary approach, the service will focus on helping individuals regain skills, work towards personal goals and undertake daily activities independently wherever possible.

The requirement also includes Pathway 1 Social, providing short-term interim support for individuals who:

• Do not require reablement
• Have reached their reablement potential
• Are waiting for longer-term care arrangements
• Are awaiting other appropriate services

This pathway is intended to maintain continuity of care while longer-term arrangements are established. Service users may move between the Reablement and Social pathways as their needs change.

Community Reablement Pathway

Referrals to the Community Reablement Service will be made through the Council’s customer experience centre or Adult Social Care operational teams.

The service will provide preventative, short-term support for people living in the community who are experiencing a decline in their functional ability.

Delivery will involve partnership working between the Council’s therapy team and the provider, with the aim of restoring independence, improving wellbeing and reducing the requirement for ongoing care and support.

Framework Information

The arrangement will operate as a framework with an unlimited number of suppliers and no supplier fee.

Call-off contracts may be awarded either with or without competition, with the detailed call-off procedure contained within the tender documentation.

Only Walsall Council, as the establishing contracting authority, may use the framework.

The contract will operate on a cost and volume basis. The Council has therefore stated that the overall contract value may change depending on client need.

Contract Information

Buyer: Walsall Council

Deadline: 18 September 2026, 12:00pm

Enquiry Deadline: 4 September 2026, 11:59pm

Contract Value: £65,000,000 excluding VAT / £78,000,000 including VAT

Delivery Length: 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2032, with extension options of three years and two years, potentially extending the arrangement to 31 January 2037

Tender Link: Walsall Council In-Tend procurement portal

Reference: Not disclosed

Estimated Award Decision Date: 16 November 2026

The estimated publication date for the next tender notice is 1 August 2036.

The opportunity has been identified as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Evaluation Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated using the following weightings:

• Quality – 90%
• Social Value – 10%

No separate price weighting is disclosed in the information provided.

Procurement Procedure

The opportunity is being conducted through an Open procedure under the Light Touch regime.

With a potential 10-year duration and an estimated value of £65 million excluding VAT, the framework represents a significant opportunity for providers capable of delivering strengths-based reablement and interim support across Walsall, including services supporting hospital discharge, admission avoidance and people experiencing declining functional ability within the community.

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