Low Vision Aid Service

Location

Stoke-on-Trent

Description

Low vision services: The aim of the service is to enable people with loss of vision to regain or maintain as much independence and autonomy as possible. The overall objective is to enable people with sight loss to make maximum and best use of their remaining eyesight and visual function.

Total Quantity or Scope

The service offers additional support to patients who have accessed Ophthalmology and require some additional support with low vision aids, to patients with non-complex needs that can be assessed and supported with the necessary aids in a community setting. The ICB is intending to award a contract to an existing provider following direct award process C, where the existing provider is satisfying the existing contract and will likely satisfy the proposed new contract, and the contract is not changing considerably. Anticipated spend is activity based. The contract for 2024/25 was capped at a contract value of £6,600 for 15 months. Actual expenditure for full year 2024/25 (04/24 - 03/25) was £2,038. Based on this, this award is for the period 01/01/26 - 31/03/27 (15 months) bringing the anticipated lifetime, maximum value of the contract to c.£6,600

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 85160000 - Optician services

Indicators

• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

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 the relevant authority by the 24th of December 2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

Other Information

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 standstill period begins on the day after the publication of this notice. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by 24th December 2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR. Written representations should be sent to : governance@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk Details of the award decision-makers: NHS SSOT ICB Finance and Performance Committee 2nd of December 2025. Any declared conflicts or potential conflicts of interest of individuals making the decision and how these were managed: Finance and Performance Committee agreement and approval processes seek to identify any Conflicts of Interest and, if declared, these are documented and managed according to SSOT ICB policy. Persons with known or declared Conflicts of Interest would be excluded from the decision-making process. In this case, no conflicts were declared by any members of the ICB's Finance and Performance Committee. Relative importance and rationale for the relative importance of the key criteria, and the rationale for choosing the provider with reference to the key criteria: The continuation of existing services will maintain existing capacity and reduced demand on primary and secondary care. The proposed contracting arrangements are not changing considerably from the existing contract. The ICB Quality & Finance teams undertook diligence and details checks recorded on the DMR Tracker held by the ICB.