Scope
Reference
GDC-2025-014
Description
The GDC's core function is to protect the public. This project represents a key task in our strategic commitment to embed user voice, empathy and compassion across all aspects of our work. The panels will play a vital role in enabling the GDC to better hear, understand, and respond to the needs, experiences, perceptions, and expectations of our registrants and students. The voices of registrants and students and the insights they provide will be vital in our work to enhance our effectiveness as a regulator and ensure our approach remains transparent, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of those we regulate.
The GDC's registrant and student panels will ensure we sustain a robust, responsive and independently facilitated approach to involving user voice to inform a wide range of GDC activity. This includes using the panels to develop our understanding of the impacts of factors that are external to the GDC on the dental sector, dental education, the dental workforce, and the public's access to and experience of dental services.
The General Dental Council (GDC) invites responses to our invitation to tender, 'Registrant and student panels and associated services'. This invitation breaks our requirements into two LOTs, each with a fixed price element for setting up and management of each of the panels, and a call-off element to allow for undertaking activities with the panels. Bidders are invited to bid for one or both Panels (LOTs).
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:
To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
Total value (estimated)
- £720,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 24 November 2025 to 23 November 2027
- Possible extension to 23 November 2029
- 4 years
Description of possible extension:
The contract will run for an initial two years with the option to renew annually for a further two years.
Main procurement category
Services
Not the same for all lots
CPV classifications and contract locations are shown in Lot sections, because they are not the same for all lots.
Lot 1. Registrant Panel Requirements
Description
There are two distinct elements to the registrant panel requirements, element 1 and element 2.
Element 1: Recruiting and Maintaining a GDC Registrant Panel involves the recruitment, development and maintenance of a GDC registrant panel that can be called upon to participate in a range of activities.
Element 2: Undertaking Registrant Panel Activities involves the management of the end-to-end activity which needs to include, but not limited to:
- Selection of the participants for the panel activity.
- Data protection impact assessment, including consideration of consent, disclosure, data handling, analyses, reporting and retention.
- Provide a robust and detailed work plan for each panel activity.
- Invitations and management of the cohort for the panel activity to ensure that the activity is undertaken to the agreed timelines.
- Design and gain approval for the approach to delivering panel activities.
- Undertake the activity.
- Provide the outputs from the panel activity as specified and agreed.
Lot value (estimated)
- £360,000 including VAT
CPV classifications
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Same for all lots
Contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Student Panel Requirements
Description
There are two distinct elements to the student panel requirement:
Element 1: Recruiting and Maintaining a GDC Student Panel. The successful bidder/s must be able to recruit, develop and maintain a GDC student panel that can be called upon to participate in a range of activities.
Element 2: Undertaking Student Panel Activities . As well as providing participants for each activity, if delivering the activity, the successful bidder/s will need to manage the end-to-end activity, which needs to include but not limited to:
- Selection of the participants for the panel activity.
- Data protection impact assessment, including consideration of consent, disclosure, data handling, analyses, reporting and retention.
- Provide a robust and detailed work plan for each panel activity.
- Invitations and management of the cohort for the panel activity to ensure that the activity is undertaken to the agreed timelines.
- Design and gain approval for the approach to delivering panel activities.
- Undertake the activity.
- Provide the outputs from the panel activity as specified and agreed.
Lot value (estimated)
- £360,000 including VAT
CPV classifications
- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
- 73210000 - Research consultancy services
- 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development
- 79315000 - Social research services
Same for all lots
Contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Participation
Particular suitability
Lot 1. Registrant Panel Requirements
Lot 2. Student Panel Requirements
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
5 September 2025, 5:00pm
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
26 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
To access the Invitation to Tender document and submit your tender please follow the link below, the Access Code is 222AD35555:
https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/buyers/select/viewListStatus.html?id=975552681
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
21 November 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion 2 | Quality Criteria |
Quality | 70% |
| Criterion 1 | Commercial Criteria |
Price | 30% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
The Bidder's proposal will be evaluated using a two-stage process where if the bidders fail to meet the requirements of stage 1 will be discounted and their proposal will not be evaluated against the stage 2 evaluation criteria
Contracting authority
General Dental Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PNVG-6917-QHLP
37 Wimpole St
London
W1G 8DQ
United Kingdom
Region: UKI32 - Westminster
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government