North Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Community Opthalmology Service

North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs commission health services for around 503,000 residents and are inviting expressions of interest from providers to deliver a consultant led Tier 3 Ophthalmology Service which will incorporate triage, see and treat, diagnose and manage eye conditions. This will serve as an alternative to hospital based treatment for the majority of patients being referred by GPs for Ophthalmology services. The service will offer local, accessible, high quality care that would allow for appropriate signposting. The service will integrate with local GPs, Optometrists and Acute Specialist Services and should also have full responsibility for all operational management, administrative, staffing and training requirements and all associated costs.

In summary, the CCGs wish to procure the following:

High quality, confidential 'one-stop-shop' Ophthalmology services which are clinically appropriate to be managed in a primary care setting.

Candidates wishing to be considered must register their expression of interest as stated below.

Organisations wishing to express an interest and provide additional procurement-specific information should provide the following details by email to olena.florek@nhs.net and Elizabeth.johnson1@nhs.net by Friday 6th October 2017. The following information must be stated in the email: organisation name and address, contact name, telephone number, email address, website address, organisation type.

Organisations should also confirm their registration on the Midlands and Lancashire CSU Bravo Portal https://mlcsu.bravosolution.co.uk. If not registered, organisations should follow the link and register on the portal.

Additional information: This procurement is for services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ("Regulations"). Accordingly, the contracting authorities are only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular

Procurement Regimes Section 7. The contracting authorities are not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations. The procedure which the contracting authorities are following is set out in the MOI and PQQ. As the CCG is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and

Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement. Right to Cancel: The contracting authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or

any tender received, and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary. The contracting authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this

Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed. All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the contracting authority reserves the right to change these. Transparency: The

contracting authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR. In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on

transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any

resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the contracting authority. Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act. If and when this requirement is offered to tender, this will be done via electronic means using the internet. Midlands and Lancashire CSU are conducting this procurement exercise for another NHS body with whom the successful bidder(s) will enter into contracts for the supply of the services. The contract conditions will be set out in the Invitation to Tender. Further details will be made available

via documentation and information released during the course of the tender process.