You place your orders directly with suppliers in the normal way, quoting your Buying Group account number, and goods are delivered directly to your practice; but invoiced to Sight Care. At the end of each calendar month, your total purchases with each supplier are reconciled; the invoices are mailed to you with a covering statement on the 17th of the following month; your account is debited on the 29th with the single total amount due; Sight Care pays the suppliers on your behalf.
What paperwork do I receive?
A monthly statement showing the total amounts spent with each supplier and batched copies of the supporting purchase invoices which have been reconciled with the suppliers’ month-end statements.
What does it cost?
Participants of the Buying Group are charged a monthly service fee which covers the cost of accounting and administration. This is a flat-rate fee and does not depend on your level of expenditure. The current service fee is £43 +VAT per month for each practice account maintained. If you have 2 or more practices but have all transactions charged to one account you will pay £51.60 per month; however if you require each practice to be self-accounting, the fee will apply per practice.
Who are preferred suppliers?
A list of established companies supplying contact lenses, spectacle frames, accessories and consumables, and prescription houses is enclosed. This list is kept under review and applications from other organisations for supplier status are considered (by your board of directors) as they arise. You may of course purchase from other, non-listed suppliers, but such transactions cannot be processed through the buying group.
What discounts are offered?
Discounts and incentives vary from supplier to supplier and across product ranges. A summary outline of terms is available online. More comprehensive information and applicable price lists are provided to participating practices. Additionally a number of companies pay a retrospective overrider based on overall annual group spend; this is rebated pro-rata to practices the following March.
How do I join?
Membership of the buying group is optional. A formal agreement and direct debit mandate is available to download online; please complete and return this to us if you wish to join. We will provide you with a portfolio for contact information, terms and catalogues, and will notify suppliers on your behalf of your buying group account number and start date.
What Our Members Say
Davina Dosanjh – Richard Petrie Optometrist
When I took over from the previous owner who had been a SightCare member it was easy to see why he had thought it so important. Having support with peers and another organisation which is there as a point of contact to support you is invaluable. I really value the Buying Group which makes products more affordable and saves a lot of time on administration. We always find SightCare events really useful – particularly to attend as a team where we can reflect on ideas back at the practice in team meetings.