This contract is for the provision of a service to supply Viscoelastic products for use in participating Trusts.

Sodium Hyaluronate / Hyaluronates are gel like substances (viscoelastics) which are used as a surgical aid in ophthalmology. This project will review the use of viscoelastics with EMPC member Trusts within the East and West Midlands and look to provide a cost/service improvement through an OJEU tender process.

EMPC, acting on behalf of participating Trusts, reserves the right to award to more than one supplier to achieve the aims of this tender.

This tender is to establish a framework agreement for the supply of Viscoelastic to participating trusts, in line with the agreed specification. Estimated usage is 15420 syringes per year by our member Trusts.

East Midlands Pharmacy Collaboration (EMPC) is a procurement collaborative hosted by Royal Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, acting as an agent on behalf of its Member Organisations. The member organisations currently working with EMPC and who may purchase under any contract awarded through this process are found at http://www.derbyhospitals.nhs.uk/primary/pharmacy/empc/.

The following bodies with consent from EMPC may also have access to this Framework Agreement:

The public and voluntary sector bodies to whom the use of this framework agreement will be open include all contracting authorities in the United Kingdom as defined in Regulation 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as well as all contracting authorities and entities in the European Union as defined in the Annexes to Commission Decision 2008/963/EC as may be updated from time to time. In particular, it is envisaged that this framework agreement will be used by the following entities in the United Kingdom as described below.

(particularly where such entities are of a health and/or social care nature):

All National Health Service (NHS) bodies in England, including but not limited to:

— acute trusts (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/pages/acutetrustlisting.aspx;

— health and care trusts (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/CareTrustListing.aspx

— mental health trusts (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/MentalHealthTrustListing.aspx;

— clinical commissioning groups (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/CCGListing.aspx;

— ambulance trusts (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/AmbulanceTrustListing.aspx;

— area teams (a list of which can be found at.

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/AreaTeamListing.aspx; Special health authorities

http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/SpecialHealthAuthorityListing.aspx;

NHS England (formerly the NHS Commissioning Board); and clinical senates and strategic clinical networks.

Her Majesty's Prison Service (as detailed at www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmps).

The above list includes each organisation's successors and assigns, any equivalent organisations and any associated organisations created as a result of any organisational changes.

In addition, the use of this framework agreement will be open to any bodies or organisations operating in the United Kingdom and/or any country in the European Union which are of a health and/or social care nature or which have a similar procurement need in respect of any goods or services to any of the above listed organisations.

Furthermore, and if provided for in the contract documents, EMPC may extend the scope and benefit of the framework agreement to any private sector (i.e. all non-public sector) organisations operating in the United Kingdom and/or any country in the European Union which are of a health and/or social care nature who may also use this framework agreement.