Expression of Interest for the provision of General Dental Services under a PDS Agreement in Hereford

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGEM CSU) on behalf of NHS England - Midlands (referred to as the commissioner) is seeking expressions of interest to deliver general dental services for patients in Hereford, this will include accepting patients across the Herefordshire County for which there are two lots; Lot 1 South Hereford and Lot 2 North Hereford, with an expectation to deliver 18,500 UDAs per lot, paid at a value of £30. The providers premises must be within the boundary map stated for each lot. Bidders may express an interest in one or both Lots by responding to a short questionnaire, please see details below.

The new contract is required to start on 10th April 2023 and the contract is expected to run for a period of 7 years with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years (maximum total contract duration 9 years). The contract to be entered into will be in accordance with the NHS Personal Dental Services Agreement (2018).

Given the patient care requirements, whereby some patients may not have been treated in a substantial time period, the Commissioner can be open to a phased/staggered delivery during the mobilisation or consolidation stages of the service delivery. Commissioner will also be looking to use opportunities under flexible commissioning to address health inequalities. This would be for addressing specific need(s) without compromising the provider's ability to deliver mandatory dental services. By mutual agreement, this may take the form of sessional clinics, outreach clinics, dedicated clinics and enhanced Oral Health sessions.

Providers are to note the Commissioner will not be providing any premises for the delivery of the service, therefore interested providers will be responsible for sourcing appropriate dental premises within for each of the Lots as per the boundary map. Premises should have access to a car park and be near public transport, and premises requirement will need to meet HTM 01-05.

Please note, TUPE or Assets will not be applicable.

Interested providers are to note the Commissioners will be providing additional funding up to £100,000.00 for costs associated to sourcing or fitting out suitable premises, and associated recruitment costs. Providers will also have access to a Golden Hello Regional scheme of up to £15,000 aimed at supporting recruitment of dental performers into the area.

Potential service providers wishing to register their interest and who are capable of meeting the terms and conditions set out above and in the Draft Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreement for the proposed service, are asked to complete a short market assessment questionnaire by registering their interest on the EU Supply website https://uk.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=UK .

Additional information: Please register your interest against: "Quote/tender 58361 - AG20032 - Expression of Interest for provision of General Dental Services under a PDS Agreement in Hereford". If interested providers have any questions regarding this opportunity, then they may raise questions via the portals messaging facility. Please note, the deadline for responses is 10am on Friday 14th October 2022.

This market assessment questionnaire may influence the procurement process that the Commissioner follows in order to source a suitable service provider. If more than one compliant provider registers an interest for this opportunity, meets the requirements set out in this Notice, the questionnaire, and Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreement, then the Commissioner may set out details for a competitive process in November/December 2022. Should only one provider meet the requirements for each of the Lots, the Commissioner reserves the right to award to that provider following due diligence checks.

An expression of interest in this PIN will not automatically entitle involvement in any future procurement exercise. The subsequent procurement will be advertised separately and all providers wanting to participate will need to respond to the procurement advertisement when published.