Planning

Obesity Surgery for Children and Young People - Market Engagement Exercise

NHS ENGLAND

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Mar 2026 at 10:44

Summary of the contracting process

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU), on behalf of NHS England Specialised Commissioning, is conducting a market engagement exercise for Obesity Surgery for Children and Young People. As part of the planning stage of this tender, interested parties are invited to provide feedback on the current and future capacity for these health services, classified under the CPV code 85100000. This exercise, identified by the project reference C426286, takes place across the UK and aims to inform the Commissioner's future commissioning strategy. The deadline for interested parties to submit completed market engagement questionnaires is set for 12pm on Wednesday, 15th April 2026. The outcome will guide the commissioning process, potentially shaping new service specifications.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in providing healthcare services, particularly those specialising in paediatric and bariatric surgery. It is an excellent opportunity for organisations to contribute to a vital health service area and to expand their business within the NHS. Both established providers and new entrants in the field of obesity surgery are encouraged to participate, either individually or in partnership with other organisations. The market engagement process evaluates provider capability in areas such as Quality & Innovation, Access & Health Inequalities, and Social Value, which can be a strategic growth area for eligible businesses aiming to make meaningful contributions to the public health sector.

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Notice Title

Obesity Surgery for Children and Young People - Market Engagement Exercise

Notice Description

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU), on behalf of<br/>NHS England Specialised Commissioning (referred to as the Commissioner), is undertaking<br/>a market engagement exercise to understand the current and future capacity, interest and<br/>capability of potential providers in relation to delivering Obesity Surgery for Children and Young People.<br/>This notice is to advise prospective providers in the market of the Commissioner's intention<br/>to commission this service and to provide an opportunity to engage with and participate in a<br/>market engagement exercise.<br/>The outcome of this market engagement exercise will provide Commissioners with the detail<br/>required to help inform the commissioning strategy.<br/>The deadline for completed market engagement questionnaires is 12pm (noon), Wednesday 15th April 2026.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The key objective of the Market Engagement Exercise is to seek feedback from the market regarding levels of interest, capability and capacity in relation to delivering Obesity Surgery for Children and Young People.

Surgery for children and young people with obesity is not recommended (NICE Clinical Guideline 245, 2025) however, there are a small cohort of patients for whom metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is routinely commissioned in line with criteria set out in NHS England Clinical Commissioning policy 16053 Obesity surgery for children with severe complex obesity (https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/clinical-commissioning-policy-obesity-surgery-for-young-people-with-severe-complex-obesity.pdf)

In 2017, NHS England, as the responsible commissioner of Tier 4 weight management services, published a service specification for Specialised and complex obesity surgery for children which outlines the standards required of a Tier 4 service. The specification specified that patients will only be referred into Tier 4 services by Tier 3 specialist multidisciplinary weight management teams, except for where individuals have established Type 2 diabetes, where there were significant safeguarding concerns or where syndromic forms of obesity were felt likely. Variable commissioning arrangements for Tier 3 services (via Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)) at that time meant that availability of Tier 3 services was highly limited and no referral pathways existed for children and young people to access surgery.

It is acknowledged that future access to CEW clinics is likely to be dependent upon local priorities at ICB level. NHS England has revised the service specification to reflect the potential for differences in commissioning arrangements for those services responsible for referral into obesity surgery services and ensure that referral into surgical service can be made equitably for all eligible patients.

Although commissioning responsibility for obesity surgery services for children and young people has been delegated to ICBs, the low volume of surgical activity anticipated annually means that NHS England are leading this market engagement exercise to determine next steps. The service specification, originally published in 2017, has been revised to reflect current service arrangements and the revised draft is included in the market engagement documents for any feedback from providers undertaking obesity surgery at present or any providers who wish to express an interest in providing this service in the future.
Following market engagement and review of capable providers, the Commissioner will consider the most appropriate PSR process to formally commission this service.

Interested parties may respond to this Market Engagement Exercise in partnership with other organisations as part of a consortium, subject to them appointing a consortium lead to act on their behalf as the lead contracting party would take overall responsibility for delivery of the service(s) in accordance with the requirements of any future contract(s) if successful.

The questionnaire explores provider capability across five key domains:
* Quality & Innovation
* Value
* Integration & Sustainability
* Access & Health Inequalities
* Social Value

Documentation relating to this exercise including a questionnaire for completion is available through the Atamis (Health Family) portal.

To register your interest and access the questionnaire, please follow this link: https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome

The project reference is C426286 and the closing date for submission of the completed questionnaire is 12pm (noon) on 12pm, noon, on Wednesday 15th April 2026

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066ab9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023371-2026
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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Mar 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
29 Jun 20263 months 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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS ENGLAND
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8UG
Post Town
South East London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI45 Lambeth
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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