Coming up· published 11 Sept 2025
Sight testing and dispensing of spectacles to Children and Young People (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Special Educational Settings (SES) within the West Midlands
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board · Birmingham, West Midlands
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board is planning this contract. It is a contract for children's services and Ofsted in Birmingham.
Source: Find a Tender, published 11 Sep 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.
Key dates
2025
Pipeline notice published
Planning Notice · 10:15
View notice2025
Tender notice expected
Date given in the buyer's earlier notice
About this tender
In brief
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board is planning this contract. It is a contract for children's services and Ofsted in Birmingham. The buyer has published an early notice. It gives providers time to prepare before the tender opens.
Find a Tender published it on 11 September 2025. The notice number is 055724-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-059865. Bids are made through the buyer's Atamis portal.
Summary of the contracting process
NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU), on behalf of six West Midlands NHS Integrated Care Boards, is in the planning stage of a procurement process for sight testing and spectacle dispensing services for special educational settings in the West Midlands. Categorised under optician services (CPV: 85160000), this market engagement exercise is intended to explore the viability and structure of the future procurement opportunity.
The exercise involves an early market assessment questionnaire to assist in shaping the upcoming tender process, with responses required by 5pm on Tuesday, 7th October 2025. The procurement method involves the use of an e-tendering system, with further formal procurement expected to be published in November 2025.
The scope includes delivering eye checks to approximately 24,784 students across the region, addressing barriers such as mobility, sensory or behavioural challenges, and ensuring integrated care within familiar school environments.
The notice in full
NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU) on behalf of the 6 West Midlands NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICB) (referred to as the Commissioner) wish to inform the market of a future procurement opportunity for Sight Testing and Spectacle Dispensing Services for all Special Education Settings across the West Midlands Region and 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.
The Six (6) ICBs across the West Midlands region are listed below (respective NUTS codes in brackets for your information):
West Midlands
* NHS Birmingham and Solihull (UKG31 & UKG32)
* NHS Black Country (UKG36, UKG37, UKG38, UKG39)
* NHS Coventry and Warwickshire (UKG33 & UKG13)
* NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin (UKG21 & UKG22)
* NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (UKG23 & UKG24)
* NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire (UKG11, UKG12)
The Commissioner would like to invite interested providers to participate in an early market assessment questionnaire, prior to the formal procurement opportunity with an estimated publication date of November 2025. The market assessment questionnaire will help Commissioners to:
* Gain market views on the viability of procuring the services
* Determine length of future contracts,
* Determine a suitable mobilisation period for the services,
* Feedback on the proposed payment model,
* Feedback on the draft Service Specification,
* Determine the lotting strategy across the West Midlands region.
The Commissioners would like to invite interested providers to register their interest via the Atamis e-tendering portal. Once registered providers will have access to the following documents to aid completion of the market assessment questions:
1. Market Assessment Video and the accompanying Microsoft PowerPoint presentation,
2. Draft Service Specification.
We would like to encourage providers to review the draft Service Specification, watch the video and read the accompanying PowerPoint presentation, provided in order to inform their responses to the market assessment questionnaire.
If your organisation is interested in this opportunity, then please respond to the market assessment questionnaire on Atamis and register your interest by following the instructions given below in section VI.3.0.1 Additional information. Please note the deadline for interested providers to complete the early market assessment questionnaire is 5pm on Tuesday 7th October 2025.
Lots (1)
- 01
Lot 1Planned
This notice is purely for providers to express an interest in the opportunity to provide Sight Testing and Spectacle Dispensing Service for all Special Education Settings.
The Office of West Midlands (OWM) will be working on behalf of the following 6 West Midlands NHS Integrated care boards (ICBs):
1. NHS Birmingham and Solihull (indicative number of patients 6663)
2. NHS Black Country (indicative number of patients 4781)
3. NHS Coventry and Warwickshire (indicative number of patients 3450)
4. NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire (indicative number of patients 2844)
5. NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin (indicative number of patients 1983)
6. NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (indicative number of patients 5063)
to commission annual eye checks for all 5-25-year-olds, within a Special Educational Setting (SES) "Special Schools", across the West Midlands. The Commissioners are reaching out to the market for providers assistance in shaping this service for the circa 24,784 students across the West Midlands with special educational needs.
Many children in special school's face barriers to accessing high street opticians due to mobility, sensory, or behavioural challenges. Research has shown that children with a learning disability and/or autism are 28 times more likely to experience challenges with sight and eye health.
Half of the children assessed as part of the Proof of Concept (POC) had a problem with their eyes or vision, and at least a third needed glasses. Despite this greater need, most children and young people must attend a hospital eye department for routine services and over 40% have no history of eye care provision.
The benefits of providing eye checks in a special school setting are:
1. Accessibility
2. Familiar Environment and people
3. Early Detection & Intervention
4. Educational Impact
5. Family Support
6. Integrated Care within the school.
Please note the deadline for expressing an interest is 5pm on Tuesday 7th October 2025. Additional information: Please note the Contract Notice Publish date is only indicative at this time and is subject to change.
The lotting strategy has not been decided as yet. The lotting strategy will be informed by a number of factors outlined in market engagement questionnaire and wider stakeholder's feedback.
Key facts
Contract
- Service
- Children and Young People's 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
Not stated in the notice: tender value, lots value, awards value, contracts value.
Status
- Tender
- Planned
- Lots
- Planned
Not stated in the notice: awards, contracts.
References
- Find a Tender notice
- 055724-2025
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-059865
- CPV code
- 85160000 - Optician services
- CPV division
- 85 - Health and social work services
Location
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Town
- Birmingham
- Postcode
- B1 1TT
- Electoral ward
- Ladywood
- Constituency
- Birmingham Ladywood
- Delivery area
- West Midlands (England)
- Region
- West Midlands
- Sub-region
- Birmingham
- Area
- West Midlands
- Country
- England
Buyer
Contracting authority
- Organisation
- NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board
- Category
- Services
- Contact
- Neelam Saroe
- Address
- Birmingham, B1 1TT · West Midlands · England
Not stated in the notice: phone.
Documents and links
Questions about this tender
When will the Sight testing and dispensing of spectacles to Children and Young People (CYP)… tender open?
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board 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.
Who is the buyer for Sight testing and dispensing of spectacles to Children and Young People (CYP)…?
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, based in Birmingham, West Midlands. The named contact is Neelam Saroe.
How do I bid for Sight testing and dispensing of spectacles to Children and Young People (CYP)…?
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.
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What to do next
- Read the early notice in full.
- Answer any market engagement questions.
- Gather your evidence and case studies now.
- Check your policies are up to date.
- Watch for the tender notice.
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