Sight Testing and Dispensing of Spectacles to Children and Young People in Special Educational Settings across the South East - Market Briefing Event

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice and relates to a virtual pre-procurement market briefing event on 1st October 2025 at 16:30-17:30.

The ICBs in the South East invites expressions of interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and experienced providers to provide Sight Testing and Dispensing of Spectacles to Children and Young People in Special Educational Settings across the South East. The ICB areas involved are: 1. Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West 2. Frimley 3. Hampshire and Isle of Wight 4. Kent and Medway 5. Surrey Heartlands 6. Sussex

Children and young people with autism and/or learning disabilities face significant barriers to accessing routine eye care. Evidence from the 2021 NHS England Proof of Concept (POC) programme showed that delivering sight tests and dispensing services directly within Special Educational Settings (SES) is both effective and impactful. This service aims to ensure that every eligible child in SES across the South East is offered an annual sight test, unless clinically inappropriate. The goal is to reduce health inequalities, improve educational outcomes, and support better quality of life through timely identification and management of vision needs. For further information please see the service specification and the engagement report published on the NHS England website.

Service specification link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cyp-send-oral-and-sight-testing-service-specifications/

Engagement report link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/engagement-report-for-sight-testing-and-dispensing-of-spectacles-to-send-children-and-young-people-in-a-special-educational-setting-across-england/

If you wish to secure your place at the market briefing event, please click on the link and complete the questionnaire before 12:00 noon on 23rd September 2025: https://forms.office.com/e/Vz0N3Bm7B0

Please note, it is anticipated that this procurement will be split into lots, however, the contracting and commissioning strategy is yet to be finalised. This market briefing event is an opportunity for potential providers to help inform the contracting and commissioning strategy for Sight Testing and Dispensing of Spectacles to Children and Young People in Special Educational Settings across the South East.

This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.

Additional information: This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the Authority or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. The Authority will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise.

The intention is to award the contracts using the competitive process.

This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) prior information notice. The contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and The Procurement Act 2023 do not apply.