Provision of Community Eye Care Services (CUES, Cataract Post-Operative follow up, Repeat Intraocular Pressure (IOP) Testing and Paediatric Community Ophthalmology Services) for NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB

This is an Intention to Award Notice pursuant to Regulation 9 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 for the provision of Community Eye Care Services for NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB). A Direct Award C Process is being followed.

The incumbent provider, Primary Eyecare Services (PES), is performing satisfactorily under the existing contract and has been assessed as likely to satisfy the requirements of the proposed new contract, which is not significantly changed.

(The service is VAT exempt.)

Primary Eyecare Services (PES) provides a single point of access for community eye care and coordinates delivery through accredited community optometry practices.

Services include:

• Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) - Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• Post-Surgery Cataract Follow-Up - Worcestershire
• Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) Service - Worcestershire
• Paediatric Community Ophthalmology Service (PCOS) - Worcestershire

The current contract commenced on 1 April 2024 and expires on 31 March 2026.

The proposed new contract term is 1 year from 1 April 2026 with the option to extend for one further year subject to mutual agreement. There are no material changes to scope or service model.

The ICB has undertaken a proportionate reassessment of the incumbent provider against the PSR Basic Selection Criteria and the five mandatory PSR Key Criteria.

The assessment confirmed that PES:

• Continues to meet statutory and regulatory requirements
• Has appropriate governance, safeguarding, prescribing and subcontractor accreditation arrangements in place
• Demonstrates safe and effective service delivery
• Remains financially stable
• Is compliant with UK GDPR, DSPT and insurance requirements

The total lifetime value of the original contract (at commencement) was £3,442,547.00.

The lifetime value of the proposed contract is £3,622,898.00 (£1,811,449.00 per annum) plus any applicable future inflationary uplifts.

This represents an increase of approximately 5.24% in value, which is below the 25% threshold specified under Regulation 9 (Direct Award C).

No considerable change threshold is met.

The decision to award was made by the NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB Strategic Commissioning Committee on 4 March 2026. Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Intention to Award Notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health and Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or Procurement Act (PA2023) 2023 do not apply 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 midnight 17th March 2026. This contract has not been formally awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under PSR.

Written representations should be sent to NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB at the following email address: [email protected]

The decision to award the contract was made by the members of the NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Strategic Commissioning Committee on 4 March 2026. There were no declared conflicts of interest for the individuals making the decision.

NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB assessed the incumbent provider on Quality and Innovation, Value, Integration, Collaboration and Service Delivery, Improving access, and Social Value. The assessment determined that the incumbent provider has delivered this contract to a high standard and will deliver the new contract at the same cost, plus inflation.