Ophthalmology equipment

Tender description

Low Vision Service Wales (LVSW) is a Welsh Government funded initiative provided by approximately 180 service accredited practitioners from over 200 community based Optometry practices across the whole of Wales. The scheme is managed and administered centrally through Hywel Dda Health Board offices in Carmarthenshire. NWSSP Procurement Services is issuing this PIN notice as a Request for Information (RFI) to engage with the marketplace to gain a better understanding of the capacity of suppliers at the present time. Please note: The PIN/RFI is not a call for competition; you will need to express your interest in any future tender once the Contract Notice is published on Sell2Wales. This PIN/RFI is intended as an awareness, communication and information gathering exercise. As part of the service, LVSW accredited practitioners may prescribe a number of Low Vision Aids (LVAs) to patients of the service where appropriate. Examples of LVAs provided by LVSW include: illuminated hand magnifiers, stand magnifiers, spectacle binoculars, regular (non-illuminated) hand magnifiers and other LVAs. Full details of the required products will be specified as part of the tender documents. LVSW work with a supplier who holds stock of LVAs and fulfils orders for stock and non-stock items. LVSW operate a recycling scheme where the supplier is also expected to hold stocks of recycled products, giving the opportunity for patients to return any unwanted or unused low vision aids to the supplier, who will clean and refurbish them, and then give priority to this recycled stock when fulfilling LVSW orders while charging the service a nominal fee. The supplier also provides additional services such as catalogue creation and printing services, assistance with stock demonstrations, and product guidance where required. As such specialist knowledge and existing business operation within this market is essential.