---
title: "Invitation to a Preliminary Market Engagement Event - Sandwell Navigation and Community Connections Service for Older Adults"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council"
published: "2026-10-05"
---

# Invitation to a Preliminary Market Engagement Event - Sandwell Navigation and Community Connections Service for Older Adults

Buyer: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4

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## Summary

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is exploring a future Navigation and Community Connections Service for older adults in Sandwell. The service is intended to help residents aged 55 and over remain independent, active, connected and informed in their communities. It would provide information, advice and navigation, wellbeing support, digital inclusion activities, and help people access existing community services and activities, with the aim of reducing loneliness and isolation. The planned approach is community-facing, person-centred, culturally responsive and accessible through a range of channels. It is expected to build on people’s abilities, relationships and community resources, promote self-help and independence, and be developed continuously with older adults. This is community-based health and social care work, delivered in Sandwell.

This is at the planning stage: the council is exploring options and has not invited tenders. It plans to hold a preliminary market engagement session via Microsoft Teams on 4 November 2026, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, to understand supplier capabilities and challenges, gather feedback and shape the future specification. The council’s indicative date for a future notice is 8 December 2026. The planned contract period is 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2030. The procurement is identified as a single lot, with suitability indicated for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. The engagement is for interested organisations; attendees are asked to email their details to receive a Teams invitation.

The service is likely to suit organisations experienced in community-based support for older people, including providers of social care, wellbeing, advice and navigation, digital inclusion or services addressing loneliness and isolation. Suppliers will need to connect people with existing local groups and services and support independence rather than simply deliver activities directly. The council is seeking feedback on supplier capabilities and challenges before defining the specification, so organisations able to explain practical delivery models and service constraints may help shape the eventual requirement. A strengths-based, person-centred and culturally responsive approach will be important, alongside accessible ways for older adults to engage. The council also expects ongoing co-production with older adults. The planned lot is marked as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises. No specific accreditations or minimum capacity requirements are set out at this stage.

## Notice

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) are currently exploring options for the future procurement of a Sandwell Navigation and Community Connections Service for Older Adults. The primary objective is to provide a highly visible, accessible and preventative service which enables older adults to remain independent, active, connected and informed within their local communities. The service will adopt an asset and strengths-based approach, building on people's abilities, relationships and community resources to help them remain independent and connected. This will be achieved by the provision of information, advice and navigation, wellbeing support, digital inclusion activities and opportunities to reduce loneliness and isolation. A core part of the service is to help people access existing community opportunities and services. Anticipated features of the service: * Be community-facing * Be person-centred * Be culturally responsive * Be co-produced with older adults on a continuous basis * Be accessible through a range of channels * Promote self-help and independence Eligibility Requirements Adults aged 55 years and over who are residents of Sandwell. This preliminary market engagement event seeks to understand supplier capabilities and challenges, gather feedback, and inform the development of the future specification of the Navigation and Community Connections Service for Older Adult. This will take place on Wednesday 4th November at 10.30 - 12.30pm via TEAMS, for all interested organisations. Please email rupi_deo@sandwell.gov.uk your full name, job title, organisation, email address and telephone no. for each attendee that would like to receive an online MS Teams invitation to this event. Thank you for your interest.

### Planning Information

This preliminary market engagement will be held via MS Teams and will seek to understand supplier capabilities and challenges, gather feedback, and inform the development of the future specification of the Navigation and Community Connections Service for Older Adult.
The event will be held on Wednesday 4th November 10.30 - 12.30.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093916-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 8 Dec 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council |
| Locality | OLDBURY |
| Postcode area | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B69 3DE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG37 Sandwell |
| Local authority | Sandwell |
| Electoral ward | Oldbury |
| Westminster constituency | West Bromwich |
| Delivery location | TLG37 Sandwell |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 75 - Administration, defence and social security services
- 85 - Health and social work services
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 75200000 - Provision of services to the community
- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 85100000 - Health services
- 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services
- 85300000 - Social work and related services
- 85310000 - Social work services
- 85312000 - Social work services without accommodation
- 85320000 - Social services
- 85323000 - Community health services
- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

## Release History

- 5 Oct 2026 at 15:08 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093916-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093916-2026
  5th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780f4.json.