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Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist Contract

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

09 Oct 2026 at 15:26

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council intends to commission one occupational therapist and five speech and language therapists for the first phase of its Experts at Hand model. The service will support children, young people and families, particularly in mainstream schools, helping schools identify and respond to communication needs early and improving participation in learning and everyday activities. Work includes training school staff, strategic planning with school leaders, facilitating solution circles and auditing school environments for physical and communication barriers. Speech and language support may also cover communication, swallowing and related needs in homes, nurseries, health centres, family hubs and hospital settings. Delivery is in Bolton, across local education and community settings.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the council has stated an intention to procure, but there is no invitation to tender yet. It expects to use the Provider Selection Regime’s Most Suitable Provider process. The intended contract value is £440,400. The provider is expected to mobilise at the beginning of November 2026, and a subsequent notice is expected on 26 October 2026; that date is the buyer’s forecast, not a response deadline. The procurement is arranged as one lot. The work forms phase one of the Experts at Hand approach, which combines speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychology and specialist teaching to strengthen support in schools and inform planning for the next phase.

This work is suited to providers able to recruit and deploy a team of one occupational therapist and five speech and language therapy professionals, and to mobilise to the buyer’s expected timetable. Relevant strengths include delivering training to schools, identifying communication and participation needs, advising families and practitioners, and coordinating support across education and community settings. Providers should be able to work with senior school leaders on service planning, facilitate solution circles, and assess school environments for physical and communication barriers to inclusion. The service calls for practical experience supporting children and young people, including in mainstream schools, and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a wider team that includes educational psychology and specialist teaching. The planned activity is a multi-school service rather than an individual clinical placement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist Contract

Notice Description

The aim of the service is to recruit 1 Occupational Therapy (OT) and 5 Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) professionals. This is one of the key components of the Experts at Hand model, and guidance is clear that our Experts at Hand Team must consist of SLT, OT, Educational Psychology and specialist teachers. Provider will need to mobilise at the beginning of November 2026 and meet the specification requirements.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The aim of the service is to recruit 1 Occupational Therapy (OT) and 5 Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) professionals. This is one of the key components of the Experts at Hand model, and guidance is clear that our Experts at Hand Team must consist of SLT, OT, Educational Psychology and specialist teachers. Through early engagement with education settings and practitioners, SLTs can support the identification and management of speech, language and communication needs, helping to improve children's ability to access learning, develop relationships and participate fully in school life. By embedding SLT expertise within the Experts at Hand approach, schools and professionals will be better equipped to meet needs at an earlier stage, reducing escalation, strengthening ordinarily available provision and ensuring that children receive timely, coordinated support within their local communities. Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) service supports children, young people and adults who experience difficulties with communication, speech, language, social communication or swallowing. They work in people's homes schools, nurseries, health centres, family hubs and at the hospital. The Occupational Therapy Service provides intervention, support and/or advice to children, young people, and their families, where they have a difficulty which impacts on their performance and participation in activities of everyday life to help them to reach their full potential. This service will focus on mainstream school settings. Phase one of Boltons Experts at Hand work will include the following, for which will need the expertise of SLT and OT colleagues: * The delivery of speech and language training to all schools to improve their ability to identify speech and language needs early and how to support children with these needs effectively. * Engagement with the senior leaders in schools to engage in strategic planning meetings to identify current school practice and gaps in provision, analyse the information gathered from these meetings and plan for Phase two of Experts at Hand. * Support with the facilitation of solution circles for schools. * Support with environmental audits of school estates to identify capital work needed to improve the inclusivity of schools both in terms of the physical environment and the communication environment.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0784fa
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095767-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£440,400 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Oct 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
26 Oct 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BOLTON
Postcode
BL1 1RU
Postcode Area
Bolton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD36 Greater Manchester North West
Delivery Location
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Local Authority
Bolton
Electoral Ward
Queens Park & Central
Westminster Constituency
Bolton North East

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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