---
title: "Patient and public views on refraction"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL"
published: "2022-10-10"
---

# Patient and public views on refraction

Buyer: GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b

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## Summary

The General Optical Council is looking to commission a research project titled "Patient and public views on refraction" in the Research and development services and related consultancy services category. The procurement stage is currently active, with a contract period starting from November 8, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The tender has a minimum value of £30,000 and a tender period ending on November 1, 2022, at 17:00 UTC. The project requires understanding public and patient perspectives on allowing dispensing opticians to conduct refraction for sight tests.

This tender from the General Optical Council presents an opportunity for businesses in the research and consultancy services sector. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are suited to compete for this research opportunity. The research aims to inform policy development through understanding public and patient perceptions on opticians conducting refraction and the necessary regulatory safeguards. Businesses focusing on research and development in the healthcare industry could find this tender a valuable growth opportunity.

## Notice

We are looking to commission deliberative research to understand the views of patients and the general public on whether dispensing opticians should be permitted to carry out refraction for the purposes of the sight test, and, if so, under what circumstances and regulatory controls. This will involve designing and conducting the research, then analysing and reporting on the findings. The research, alongside other evidence on this topic, will inform our policy development as part of its call for evidence on legislative reform project. The aim of the research is to help us better understand: views and perceptions of both patients and the public on these issues, including on the core question of whether dispensing opticians should be allowed to refract for the purposes of the sight test; if dispensing opticians were permitted to refract, should this be limited in some way, e.g. only under the supervision of an optometrist or registered medical practitioner; and what additional regulatory safeguards would give patients and the public confidence in the system and mitigate any risks.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/67942be4-a9ae-46d2-ba19-db9d07119f05 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Oct 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Nov 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 8 Nov 2022 - 31 Mar 2023 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £40,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | GENERAL OPTICAL COUNCIL |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | Central London |
| Postcode | EC4M 7NG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | City of London |
| Electoral ward | Farringdon Within |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 10 Oct 2022 at 12:49 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/67942be4-a9ae-46d2-ba19-db9d07119f05

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/67942be4-a9ae-46d2-ba19-db9d07119f05
  10th October 2022 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://optical.org/en/publications/invitation-to-tender-patient-and-public-views-on-refraction/

## Notice URLs

- https://optical.org/en/about-us/get-involved/tenders/

## 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-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-620afdff-67d5-4c6d-a02e-f9374f3a055b.json.