Scope
Reference
715714455
Description
Procurement of a Primary Dental Care (PDC) IT System to support the Defence Medical Services (DMS) dentistry service who employ approximately 800 trained dentists, therapists, hygienists, technicians, dental nurses, locums, and administrative support staff. The PDC will need to support dental facilities on fixed and deployed operations (including training exercises and on ships) which will have limited or no connectivity for possibly long periods of time.
Total value (estimated)
- £3,760,000 excluding VAT
- £4,700,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034
- 8 years
Main procurement category
Goods
CPV classifications
- 48180000 - Medical software package
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Engagement
Engagement deadline
3 December 2025
Engagement process description
Procurement Title: Primary Dental Care (PDC) system to replace the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP)
Procurement Reference Number: 715714455
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Programme CORTISONE aims to effectively record, manage and exploit all UK Armed Forces patient healthcare information generated by Defence Medical Services (DMS). It is critical that medical information is available to patients and healthcare professionals alike, both in the appropriate format and in deployed and disconnected environments.
This Preliminary Market Engagement notice (UK2) aims to inform potential suppliers and gather market intelligence by formally establishing a pre-tender engagement between suppliers and the Authority.
The objectives of market engagement activities pertinent to this procurement are as follows:
1.) To provide potential suppliers with insights into the programme and the procurement so that they can prepare to engage in the procurement if appropriate.
2.) To better understand current market scope and any relevant products that may comprise part or all service capabilities required.
3.) Propose an intended route to market and receive feedback from industry to understand if this route is relevant and fit-for-purpose for the authority's products and services.
If your products provide any of the capabilities described in this Preliminary Market Engagement notice and you are interested in being involved in future market engagement activities, please email UKStratComDD-IES-MIX-MISEngage@mod.gov.uk with a completed copy of the form comprising Section A: Event Registration and Section B (Optional): DHSP Registration.
What is Programme CORTISONE?
Overview
Programme CORTISONE will deliver digital healthcare products and services required by the Defence Medical Services for use in the UK Armed Forces. Delivery is being undertaken by an integrated team comprising elements from Defence Medical Services and Defence Digital and supported by Industry.
Programme CORTISONE is delivering a multi-component ecosystem of medical information services with the vision to develop 'a sustainable, integrated, cohesive and enduring information capability that will fully and effectively support the delivery of evidence-based medical and healthcare outputs, to achieve the aim of the Defence Medical Services'.
The primary role of Defence Medical Services is to Promote, Protect and Restore the health of the UK Armed Forces to ensure fitness and readiness in all locations in the UK and around the world. This will enable improved patient outcomes and contribute to resource optimisation, aiming to maximise the number of military personnel who are fit and capable within their role in Defence. It will deliver access to, and enable exploitation of, clinical records across the Firmbase and Deployed operating environments.
Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC)
Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) is an organisational grouping made up of personnel from the UK Armed Forces (Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force) together with civilian staff. It provides primary healthcare, dentistry, rehabilitation, mental healthcare and occupational health within the UK and overseas, delivering medical services to military personnel and, where appropriate, their dependants.
For dental healthcare services, Defence Primary Healthcare employs over 800 trained dentists, therapists, hygienists, technicians, dental nurses, locums, and administrative staff. It operates 93 dental facilities across six regions within the United Kingdom and 10 overseas, providing dental care to approximately 170,000 patients. The single Services also deliver dental care in Fixed and Deployed operating environments (including training exercises and on ships) where there may at times be limited or no connectivity, for possibly long periods of time.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is seeking input from industry to contribute to primary dental care services, aiming to establish a comprehensive suite of software specialising in the delivery of digital dental services. These services must meet the use-cases and patient-journey-defined functional requirements as defined in this Preliminary Market Engagement notice.
Preliminary Market Engagement Activities
Programme CORTISONE has already undertaken previous Preliminary Market Engagement activities relating to primary dental care, including:
- Supplier demonstration event in July 2018;
- Request for Information in March 2023, requesting responses on capabilities regarding primary dental care;
- Supplier demonstration event in October 2023.
The programme now plans to host a new Industry Day on Wednesday 10 December 2025, inviting suppliers to learn more about Programme CORTISONE, dental care services in MOD and the breadth of required digital capabilities.
The Authority intends to address the larger supplier community during the Industry Day and offer opportunities for one-to-one conversations with suppliers who could offer the capabilities described. There will be a focus on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products and services, but this market engagement activity may potentially open the possibility of developing custom applications to meet specific requirements.
Overview of Primary Dental Care Information Service Capabilities
The CORTISONE programme aims to integrate many COTS products to comprise an ecosystem of interconnected parts to provide the range of capabilities, including support for primary dental care. Primary Dental Care Information Services will consider the procurement of products and services which can deliver in both connected environments and in environments which may be disconnected for a prolonged period of time. We currently expect these capabilities to include functionality including but not limited to:
- Ecosystem integration and enterprise level system configuration
- Patient dental record management
- Population health management, call / recall
- Searching and reporting from patient-level detail to enterprise-wide insight
- Dental consultation, charting and clinical record workflow management
- Dental radiography and digital imaging
- Dental referral management, internal and external
- Configurable data entry forms and templates
- Appointment and diary management
- Prescribing
- Document management
- Communication and task management
- Printing / scanning
Industry Day Registration
If you would like to register your interest in attending this Industry Day on Wednesday 10 December 2025, please complete the information in Section A and email it to: UKStratComDD-IES-MIX-MISEngage@mod.gov.uk.
Please note that submitting this form does not guarantee an invitation to participate in additional activities related to the subject of this Preliminary Market Engagement notice.
The deadline for registering your interest is Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 12:00 midday GMT to be invited to the industry day event. Please note: A maximum of two people from each company can attend the Industry Day.
Section A: Industry Day Registration Form
- Company and Product Information:
- Company Name:
- Company Registration Number:
- Website:
- Product Name(s):
- Company Email Address:
Digital Healthcare Supplier Portal (DHSP)
The DHSP is an online workspace enabling MedIS programmes, including Programme CORTISONE, to share information with potential suppliers regarding relevant products and services in Preliminary Market Engagement. This may include Requests for Information (RFI), draft Statements of Requirements (SoR) and draft design artefacts that can provide useful technical details to suppliers. The portal also provides background information regarding the context and status of Programme CORTISONE, accessible via the Medical Information Services Overview pages.
Significant additions to the market engagement or procurement content published on the DHSP will be announced via Contract Finder and the Defence Sourcing Portal in the first instance.
Up to two representatives from each company may be granted membership.
Any queries regarding access to the DHSP should be directed to UKStratComDD-IES-MIX-MISEngage@mod.gov.uk.
To note: registration to the DHSP is not mandatory to register your interest for this procurement as Tender notices will be shared on the Find a Tender website and the Defence Sourcing Portal.
By completing the form in Section B (Optional), you may also be invited to register on the Digital Healthcare Supplier Portal (DHSP) (unless already registered), as described in the following section.
Section B: DHSP Registration Form
Representative names and contact information for DHSP registration (Optional):
Representative 1
- Name:
- Role:
- Company Email Address:
Representative 2
- Name:
- Role:
- Company Email Address:
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Publication date of tender notice (estimated)
10 March 2026
Contracting authority
Ministry of Defence
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ
Ministry of Defence Corsham, Westwells Rd
Corsham
SN139NR
United Kingdom
Contact name: Medical Information Services Commercial Team (Med-IS)
Email: UKStratComDD-IES-MIX-MISEngage@mod.gov.uk
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
Region: UKK15 - Wiltshire CC
Organisation type: Public authority - central government