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| Source: | Find a Tender Service (FTS) |
| Notice Type: | Award notice |
| Buyer: | NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board |
| Main Category: | Services |
| Procurement Method: | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Method Rationale: |
| This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this 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 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by midnight on 9th February 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. |
| Tender Status: | Closed |
| Estimated Value (ex. VAT): | Not specified |
| Release Date: | 27 January 2026 |
| Application Deadline: | — |
| Procurement ID (OCID): | ocds-h6vhtk-06006d |
| Notice Reference: | 007340-2026 |
View Original Notice
Access the full notice on the official portal
Awarded to
| Award status: | Active |
NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (the Authority) intends to award an Integrator contract to deliver the Special Educational Setting (SES) Sight Test Service for children and young people through local accredited optometry practices, following a Most Suitable Provider (MSP) process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Children under 16 (or up to 19 in full-time education) are entitled to free NHS eye tests, but pupils in special education schools face barriers to access. A successful NHS England pilot demonstrated benefits of delivering sight tests and advice in school settings. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to this service for residential settings, extended in 2023 to day schools. Funding is now recurrently allocated to ICBs from 2025/26. The ICB considered an integrator model most suitable, where a lead organisation coordinates and performance-manages local optometrists rather than the ICB holding multiple contracts. This approach supports Essex-specific partnerships, supply chain accountability, integration, measurable value, and social impact. In applying the Process, the Authority has assessed the five Key Criteria and reviewed NHSE pre-market engagement data to confirm provider capability and local connections. Based on this, the Authority believed it can identify the MSP without a competitive process. The scope of the service is to deliver sight tests for pupils attending special education schools across Essex (including activity associated with the Authority's successor Essex ICB's geographical footprint which covers North East Essex and West Essex also). There are an estimated 4,400 pupils in total across Essex within these schools and the service is based on an assumed uptake of 80%, equating to approximately 3520 sight tests per year. Further details are available in sections II.2.4), II.2.14), and VI.3).
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