Virtual Market Engagement Event for Sight testing and dispensing of spectacles to CYP with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Special Educational Settings in the West Midlands

Description

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU) on behalf of Six (6) Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across the West Midlands region as listed in section <br/>II.2.4.1 (who are referred to as the Commissioner(s)) would like to invite potential providers to attend a Virtual Market Engagement Event via Microsoft Teams, which will take place at 1pm and finish no later than 3pm on Tuesday 5th May 2026.<br/><br/>Access to a revised DRAFT service specification will also be available once you have registered your interest on the Atamis e-tendering portal.<br/><br/>The purpose of this event is to brief the market on this potential opportunity, hear from the programme team and key stakeholders as to the importance of this service for this cohort of patients, and encourage potential collaborative working amongst providers.<br/><br/>Please note the deadline for registering attendance is 12:00pm (Mid-day) on Thursday 30th April 2026.<br/><br/>**PLEASE NOTE** This is a second PIN Notice following the publication of a previous PIN published on 11th September 2025 (2025/S 000-055724). Lot 1: NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGCSU) on behalf of the following 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 attend a virtual market engagement event which will take place at 1pm on Tuesday 5th May 2026.<br/><br/>The Six (6) Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across the West Midlands region are listed below (respective NUTS codes in brackets for your information):<br/><br/>West Midlands<br/>• NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (UKG31 & UKG32)<br/>• NHS Black Country ICB (UKG36, UKG37, UKG38, UKG39)<br/>• NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB (UKG33 & UKG13)<br/>• NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin ICB (UKG21 & UKG22)<br/>• NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB (UKG23 & UKG24)<br/>• NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB (UKG11, UKG12)<br/><br/>At the time of publication of this notice, it is envisaged that there will be 6 lots, 1 per ICB. A separate contract will be awarded to each lot. The Commissioners reserve the right to amend the lotting strategy prior to publication.<br/><br/>The 6 West Midlands ICB Commissioners would like to invite interested providers to register to attend this virtual event by completing the questionnaire via the Atamis e-tendering portal. Once registered each Provider will have access to the latest West Midlands DRAFT Service Specification.<br/><br/>We would like to encourage all Providers to review the DRAFT Service Specification prior to attending the event.<br/><br/>If your organisation is interested in this opportunity, then please respond to the questionnaire on Atamis to register your attendance by following the instructions given below in section VI.3.0.1 Additional information. <br/><br/>Please note the deadline for interested Providers to complete the early market engagement questionnaire is 12 noon (Mid-day) on Thursday 30th April 2026.<br/><br/>PLEASE NOTE: each organisation can register up to a maximum of 3 representatives. <br/><br/>We recommend the 3 attendees to be: <br/>1) your organisation's/department's optometry clinical lead, <br/>2) your optometry operational lead and <br/>3) your finance/commercial lead. Additional information: Please note the Contract Notice Publish date is only indicative at this time and is subject to change.