Prior Information Notice (PIN) and invitation to Market Engagement Events for the procurement of Dental Services across Leicestershire and Lincolnshire

Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (Arden & GEM CSU), acting on behalf of NHS England Midlands and East (Central Midlands), will be inviting suitably qualified providers to offer high quality and safe General Dental Services across Leicestershire and Lincolnshire and Special Care Dental Service for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. NHS England Midlands and East (Central Midlands) will be the contracting and commissioning authority for the contracts resulting from this procurement. Contracts will be Personal Dental Services Plus (PDS+) agreements for General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreement for Special Care Dentistry Service.

This procurement will consist of 11 Lots - each Lot covering one practice/service and each Lot being a separate contract. Providers will be able to bid for more than one Lot.

The contracts being offered are for a period of seven years with the option to extend for up to a further three years (maximum contract term ten years).

This opportunity will be open to the entire market. It should be noted that whilst current providers are able to bid, the contracts being offered will remain separate from each other and any contracts a bidder may currently hold or be bidding for.

Lots are expected to cover the following areas for General Dental Services:

• Leicester x 3 • Loughborough • Melton Mowbray • Oakham • Lincoln • Boston • Spalding • Sleaford

Lot for Special Care Dentistry Service to cover the following areas:

• Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

Further details of Lots will be given when the Invitation to Tender (ITT) is published. The ITT is intended to be published in late January 2017.

Service commencement dates for the contracts are 1st December 2017.

The procurement processes will be run in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 under the Light Touch Regime. The most economically advantageous tenders derived using the criteria stated in the relevant ITTs will be successful.

Market Engagement Events

Potential bidders are invited to attend a market engagement event either in Lincoln or Leicester and it is planned that the events will be held on 17 January 2017. Further details will be provided to registered attendees (see below). At each event, the Commissioner and Arden & GEM will present background information about the procurement and information regarding the process, including timescales and advice on preparing a bid.

Potential bidders wishing to attend will need to register on the e-tendering portal, BravoSolution: https://ardengemcsu.bravosolution.co.uk, express an interest in the opportunity and complete a short electronic form to register for the event. Instructions for this are given below.

Additional information: The procurement relating to this PIN notice will be advertised within OJEU and on Contracts Finder and administered/conducted via Arden & GEM CSU's e-Tendering portal (BravoSolution).

How to Express Interest in this opportunity: 1. Register your company on the portal - Browse to: https://ardengemcsu.bravosolution.co.uk; click the link to register - Accept terms and conditions and click 'Continue' - Enter your details then click 'Save' - You will receive an e-mail with your unique password 2. Express an Interest - Login to the portal with your user-name/password - Click the 'PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link - Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT - Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page - This will move the PQQ /ITT into your 'My PQQs/ My ITTs' page (a secure area reserved for your projects only) - You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ ITT Details' box. 3. Responding to the tender - Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ ITT Details' - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer - Follow the onscreen instructions - Submit your reply using the 'Submit Response' button at the top of the page.