A group of NHS and local authority partners has published a preliminary market engagement notice for WorkWell: Work and Health Support and Assessment across Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country. The buyers include NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, and multiple local authorities across the footprint.
WorkWell is described as a high quality, early-intervention offer that provides holistic support to help people overcome health-related barriers to employment. It also acts as a single gateway into other related services within the local system.
This is not a live tender yet, but it is a meaningful signal for providers in employment support, vocational rehabilitation, health coaching, and integrated work and health services. The partners are planning for local delivery models to support roll out of WorkWell services for up to three years from 2026 to 2029.
What the service is aiming to achieve
The notice explains that NHS Black Country ICB has piloted a WorkWell offer and that, over the last 18 months, the pilot has helped thousands of local people across the Black Country to address their work and health needs so they can start or stay in employment.
The notice also references further government investment in the WorkWell approach and an ambition to integrate work and health services more closely across the Black Country. This engagement is intended to shape preparations and future service plans, particularly for delivery in Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley.
Key commercial facts and dates
The Find a Tender notice indicates the procurement will establish a framework. It sets out an estimated total value of £30,000,000 excluding VAT (and £36,000,000 including VAT).
Indicative contract dates are:
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1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029
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Possible extension to 30 September 2030
For market engagement, the deadline is 13 March 2026.
Two engagement events are scheduled for Friday 13 March 2026, split by geography:
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Morning event for Wolverhampton and Walsall (Beechdale Lifelong Learning Centre, Bloxwich, Walsall)
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Afternoon event for Sandwell and Dudley (Beacon Centre, Dudley)
The procurement is listed under the Light Touch regime. It is also flagged as particularly suitable for SMEs and VCSEs, which suggests commissioners are open to a diverse provider market, including specialists.
What providers should prepare now
A clear delivery model
WorkWell is framed as holistic support and a gateway into wider services. Strong providers should be ready to explain how they will coordinate health-related interventions with employability outcomes, and how referrals will move smoothly across partners without delays or duplication.
Credible outcome evidence
Because the pilot has been running and helping “thousands” of people, commissioners will likely expect robust outcomes reporting and service improvement. Start pulling together evidence that demonstrates impact, such as sustained employment outcomes, reductions in work-limiting barriers, engagement rates, and user feedback. Keep it grounded in delivery reality, not just aspirational targets.
Partnership working
The notice is explicit about a joined-up gateway to related services in the system. If your model relies on partnerships, be ready to show how those relationships work day to day, including governance, data sharing, escalation routes and shared protocols. If you deliver as a single organisation, show how you will integrate with local authority, NHS and voluntary sector pathways.
Local delivery and access
The engagement is place-based across several local authority areas and NHS footprints. You should be clear about how you will provide accessible support across communities, including in-person options where needed, and how you will adapt delivery for different populations and barriers.
Get support from Thornton & Lowe
If you are considering bidding, Thornton & Lowe can help you plan your approach from market engagement through to tender submission. That includes clarifying likely evaluation themes, building an evidence plan, and shaping a response that reads clearly to NHS and local authority evaluators.
Relevant support includes our health and social care tender guidance for structuring responses and evidence, and our bid writing services support to help you develop a compliant, high-scoring submission once the framework is released.
