Market Warming Notice - Mandatory Dental Services (MDS) in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire and Sussex

This notice is placed in order to facilitate early engagement with potential providers, and relates only to a pre-procurement market warming notice.

NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB and NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, on behalf of NHS England, are seeking to commission Mandatory Dental services (MDS) on the Isle of Wight, in Hampshire and in Oxfordshire, and anticipate undertaking a number of procurement processes to award new contracts to provide these services from October 2024 to May 2025.

NHS Sussex ICB, on behalf of NHS England is also considering the future commissioning of Mandatory Dental services in Lewes and may undertake one or more procurement processes in this respect from January to May 2025. The ICB has published a related notice in order to facilitate early engagement with potential providers, which can be found at https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031686-2024 The route to market for the various anticipated contracts and geographies is still being determined but, as a guide, the procurement(s) are anticipated to commence from mid-October 2024 onwards in a phased fashion, inviting tenders to deliver services for specific lotted areas, with phased commencement of contracts anticipated in the period from April to November 2025.

The commissioners anticipate contracting for services under PDS agreements for a period of up to 10 years. This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central & West (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners.

Timing of any procurement(s) are yet to be finalised, but currently the commissioners anticipate proceeding in four phases, following the outline dates below:-

Phase 5C1 - Isle of Wight

Prior Information Notice (PIN) / Market engagement Oct-Nov 2024

Call for competition Nov - Dec 2024

Contract award and mobilisation Apr - Sept 2025

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Phase 5C2 - Oxfordshire

Call for competition Oct - Dec 2024

Contract award and mobilisation Apr - Sept 2025

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Phase 5C3 - Hampshire

Prior Information Notice (PIN) / Market engagement Oct - Dec 2024

Call for competition Jan - Feb 2025

Contract award and mobilisation May - Oct 2025

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Phase 5C4 - Hampshire

Prior Information Notice (PIN) / Market engagement Jan 2025

Call for competition Feb - Mar 2025

Contract award and mobilisation Jun - Nov 2025

NB. Sussex ICB is currently considering the future commissioning of Mandatory Dental services in Lewes and may potentially choose to undertake one or more procurement processes in this respect from January to May 2025, as part of phases 5C3 or 5C4.

Market Engagement

Where pre-procurement market engagement is undertaken, we anticipate sharing the commissioner's objectives, the proposed specification for the service, lotting intentions and pricing strategy. We will also provide details of the e-Procurement system (being used to procure these services) and how the procurement and selection process will operate.

Any pre-procurement market engagement events will be open to all providers who may want to deliver NHS mandatory dental services in the future. Details on how to register your interest to attend any of the events will be shared in the respective Prior Information Notice for each phase, when published.

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 commissioners or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.

The commissioners will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party in participating in this exercise. Interested parties should note that a response to this notice or it's associated Atamis project does not guarantee an automatic invitation to any subsequent formal procurement, which the commissioners will consider in due course.