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Coming up· published 29 May 2025

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

NHS England · Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber

NHS England is planning Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands). It is a contract for other health and social care in Leeds.

Source: Find a Tender, published 29 May 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.

Key dates

  1. 2025

    Pipeline notice published

    Planning Notice · 11:40

    View notice
  2. 2025

    Tender notice expected

    Date given in the buyer's earlier notice

01

About this tender

In brief

NHS England is planning Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands). It is a contract for other health and social care in Leeds. The buyer has published an early notice. It gives providers time to prepare before the tender opens. The estimated value is £27,000,000.

Find a Tender published it on 29 May 2025. The notice number is 028441-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-0528c8. Bids are made through the buyer's Atamis portal.

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.

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. 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.

The notice in full

*This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN)*

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: -

1. NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STW ICB) and

2. NHS Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (SSOT ICB).

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:

* Gain market views on the viability of procuring the DESP service,

* Determine a structure / lotting strategy of the future procurement and

* Determine length of future contracts

* Gain feedback on the draft published spec (this can be found in the attachments area of Atamis).

The new contract/s is due to commence on 1st January 2027.

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.

Please note the deadline for interested providers to complete the early market assessment is 5:00pm on Friday 18th July 2025.

Lots (1)

  1. 01

    Lot 1Planned

    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.

02

Key facts

Every field the notice carries. Anything it leaves blank is listed under its table.

Contract

Service
Other health and social care
Procurement type
Standard
Category
Services
Contract period
Not specified - Not specified
Lots
1

Procedure

Notice type
Planning Notice
Current stage
Planning
Stages so far
Planning
Published on
Find a Tender Service
Buyer's portal
Atamis

Not stated in the notice: procurement method, awardee scale.

Values

Tender value
£27,000,000

Not stated in the notice: lots value, awards value, contracts value.

Status

Tender
Planned
Lots
Planned

Not stated in the notice: awards, contracts.

References

Find a Tender notice
028441-2025
Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0528c8
CPV code
85100000 - Health services; 85121281 - Ophthalmologist services
CPV division
85 - Health and social work services
03

Location

NHS England is based in Leeds. The area the service covers can be wider, so check the notice and the lots.
Local authority
Leeds
Town
Leeds
Postcode
LS1 4AP
Electoral ward
Hunslet & Riverside
Constituency
Leeds South
Delivery area
Shropshire and Staffordshire
Region
Yorkshire and The Humber
Sub-region
Leeds
Area
West Yorkshire
Country
England
04

Buyer

Contracting authority

Organisation
NHS England
Category
Services
Contact
Neelam Saroe
Address
Leeds, LS1 4AP · Yorkshire and The Humber · England

Not stated in the notice: phone.

05

Documents and links

Official sources for this notice. The tender pack itself sits on the buyer's portal.
06

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

When will the Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands) tender open?

NHS England has not yet given a date for the tender notice. An early notice is the time to answer any market engagement questions and gather the evidence a bid will need.

How much is the Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands) contract worth?

The estimated value is £27,000,000.

Who is the buyer for Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands)?

NHS England, based in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber. The named contact is Neelam Saroe.

How do I bid for Expressions of Interest - Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (West Midlands)?

Register on the buyer's Atamis portal, download the tender pack and check every condition of participation before you start writing. Care Sync Experts writes and reviews care tender bids from £1,500 + VAT.

Want help winning this tender?

We write and review care tender bids: quality answers, case studies and social value, checked against how the buyer scores before you submit.

What to do next

  1. Read the early notice in full.
  2. Answer any market engagement questions.
  3. Gather your evidence and case studies now.
  4. Check your policies are up to date.
  5. Watch for the tender notice.