Planning

Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands)

NHS ENGLAND

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

29 May 2025 at 11:40

Summary of the contracting process

NHS England, acting as the commissioning body through the NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU), is planning a procurement process for a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) in the West Midlands. This initiative, categorised under health services, aims to serve the NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STW ICB) and NHS Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB). The procurement is currently in the 'planning' stage, with interested parties invited to partake in a pre-market engagement questionnaire by the deadline of 18th July 2025. While the formal tender is anticipated to be published in January 2026, the new contract is expected to commence on 1st January 2027. This opportunity aligns with the indicative procurement method stipulated by the HealthCare Services Provider Selection Regime Regulations 2023.

This procurement offers substantial opportunities for businesses within the health services sector, particularly those specializing in ophthalmology and diabetic care. Organisations with expertise in preventative health services, patient engagement, and service quality improvement are encouraged to participate. The DESP aims to improve patient outcomes by screening for diabetic retinopathy in individuals aged 12 and above and involves a potential contract value of £27 million. As NHS England seeks to foster innovation and collaboration, businesses capable of enhancing stakeholder relationships and offering cost-effective solutions will find this opportunity particularly advantageous. Interested parties should engage in the early market assessment to align their capabilities with the Commissioner's objectives and prepare for the upcoming tender process.

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Notice Title

Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands)

Notice Description

*This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN)*<br/><br/>NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU) on behalf of NHS England - Midlands (West) (referred to as the Commissioner) wish to inform the market of a future procurement opportunity for a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP). The DESP service is expected to cover the following ICB areas in the West Midlands region: - <br/><br/>1. NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STW ICB) and<br/>2. NHS Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB). <br/><br/>The Commissioner would like to invite all interested providers to participate in an early market assessment questionnaire which will be used as a conduit to ascertain market capability and interest in the opportunity, prior to publication of the formal procurement opportunity in January 2026. The questionnaire will help Commissioners to: <br/><br/>* Gain market views on the viability of procuring the DESP service,<br/>* Determine a structure / lotting strategy of the future procurement and<br/>* Determine length of future contracts<br/>* Gain feedback on the draft published spec (this can be found in the attachments area of Atamis).<br/><br/>The new contract/s is due to commence on 1st January 2027. <br/><br/>If your organisation is interested in this opportunity, then please respond to the early market assessment questions on Atamis and register your interest by following the instructions given below in section II.2.14.1 Additional information.<br/><br/>Please note the deadline for interested providers to complete the early market assessment is 5:00pm on Friday 18th July 2025.

Lot Information

Lot 1

NHS England is responsible for commissioning Section 7A Public Health services which include the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP).

The DESP programme/service is designed to detect diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions in people with diabetes. The programme offers eye screenings to diabetic patients aged 12 and above. Screening appointments are typically offered at local venues linked to the patient's GP practice and HM Prison detained settings.

The goal is to identify any eye problems early on, allowing for timely treatment and reducing the risk of sight loss. If a positive screening result is found, patients are referred to a hospital eye service for further evaluation and management.

NHS England - West Midlands, has reviewed the existing DESP services delivered in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STW ICB) and the Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB). These services cater to an eligible population of 119,737 individuals.

With the current contract nearing its end, the new procurement aims to achieve the following benefits:
* Improve patient engagement and outcomes
* Enhance stakeholder relationships to foster collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement in the delivery of the service.
* Quality assurance
* More cost-effective use of NHS resources.

It is anticipated that TUPE will apply to this service going forwards and if applicable, details will be shared as part of any selected process.

The Commissioners intentions are to hold a Market Engagement Event (in advance of launching the formal tender), a further PIN will be published in Autumn 2025 with details of a market engagement event for Providers to register their attendance. Additional information: This is purely an early engagement exercise; any subsequent procurement will be advertised separately and all organisations wanting to participate will need to respond to the procurement advertisement as and when published.

This is a market testing exercise and does not commit the Commissioners to carry out a procurement process. Current services will remain in place during this period in line with existing contracts and service level agreements.

The procurement will be advertised in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime(PSR) Notice. The awarding of this contract will be subject to the HealthCare Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 will not apply to this award.

The Contracting Authority will be using an eTendering system for this market engagement exercise. To express an interest and access the questionnaire go to the 'Live Opportunities' list on the e-tendering portal at the following
link: https://health-family-contract-search.secure.force.com/?searchtype=Projects and register your interest.

You can search for the opportunity by entering the following contract reference: C364032 - EOI: Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) - NHS England (West Midlands).

Please note the deadline to complete the early market assessment questionnaire is 5:00pm on Friday 18th July.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0528c8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028441-2025
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

85121281 - Ophthalmologist services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£27,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 May 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Dec 2025Expired
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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS ENGLAND
Contact Name
Neelam Saroe
Contact Email
neelamsaroe@nhs.net
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LEEDS
Postcode
LS1 4AP
Post Town
Leeds
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE42 Leeds
Delivery Location
TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire

Local Authority
Leeds
Electoral Ward
Hunslet & Riverside
Westminster Constituency
Leeds South

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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