Early Engagement - Mandatory Dental Services (MDS) for NHS England and NHS Improvement, South East (Wessex)

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice in order to facilitate early engagement with potential providers, and relates only to a pre-procurement market sounding questionnaire. NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE & NHSI), South East (Wessex) are seeking to commission Mandatory Dental services in the Portsmouth, Alton and Tadley area, and will be holding a procurement process to award new contracts for service commencement from September 2020.

At this time, the Commissioner(s) would like to gather information from providers from all sectors using a market sounding questionnaire to inform the procurement process. A market engagement workshop event is being proposed for December 2019 but a subsequent notice for this will be issued.

The key aims for Mandatory Dental Service provision are to: • provide access to NHS dental services to ensure equity and consistency of provision • deliver appropriate, efficient and cost effective services within the service provision framework of the NHS (General Dental Services/Personal Dental Services) Regulations 2005 and any subsequent revisions • provide high quality dental services that meet the needs of people wishing to attend an NHS Dental practice in Portsmouth, Alton and Tadley which may include flexible appointment times and accessible services • provide access to patients identified as having an urgent dental need via NHS 111 • refer patients to other NHS services as appropriate in line with the relevant local protocols and guidance • establish a positive working relationship between the Commissioner and Provider to facilitate and maximise high quality service delivery • develop services in line with the evolving strategic approach to primary care dental provision • address the needs of vulnerable groups by incorporating elements of the Starting Well Programme to reduce oral health inequalities and improve oral health of children under 5 years old, residents of care homes and other vulnerable groups The route to market for the various service elements and geographies is still being determined but, as a guide, the procurement is anticipated to commence from January 2020, inviting tenders to deliver services for specific lotted areas, with contract commencement anticipated in September 2020. The market sounding questionnaire will be used to obtain feedback from the market to help inform the re-commissioning and procurement of these services.

The procurement will be undertaken by South Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) Procurement Team on behalf of the Commissioner. Additional information: The market sounding questionnaire is open to all providers who may want to deliver NHS mandatory dental services in the future.

This notice is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition in its own right, and therefore publication or response does not commit the Commissioner or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. Commissioners are looking to establish what interest there might be in providing such a service from suitably qualified, capable and competent organisations.