Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB
Part 2S Chy Trevail, Beacon Technology Park, Dunmere Road
Bodmin
PL31 2FR
Contact
Hannah Morley
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKK3 - Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Reference number
WA17376
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85130000 - Dental practice and related services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (CIOS ICB) are looking to award a new contract for the provision of Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to the existing provider.
The existing contract for the provision of Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is due to expire on the 31st March 2026 and CIOS ICB have proposed that a new contract should replace the existing contract at the end of its term. All requirements outlined in Regulation 6(5) of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 have been met, including not breaching the considerable change threshold, and therefore direct award process C has been deemed the appropriate provider selection process.
After conducting an assessment, taking into account the key criteria and applying the basic selection criteria, CIOS ICB is content that the existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.
The service is anticipated to commence on the 1st April 2026 for a contract duration of 2 years until the 31st March 2028. The estimated lifetime value of the contract is £17,857,164.72 based on 24/25 prices.
This notice serves as an intention to award the contract to the existing provider under Direct Award Process C of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR).
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £17,857,164.72
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 85130000 - Dental practice and related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKK3 - Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (CIOS ICB) are looking to award a new contract for the provision of Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to the existing provider, Smile Together Dental Community Interest Company.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Community Dental Service (CDS) is committed with improving oral health care and reducing health care inequalities through the provision of primary care dental services within community settings.
The service includes the provision of Special Care and Paediatric Dentistry (SCPD) which is the treatment of:
• Adult patients who cannot be treated in a high street dental practice due to the nature of their physical or mental disabilities, or because they have a need for enhanced support to receive treatment and
• Paediatric patients who may have needs as described above, or who have more complex or significant treatment needs.
Patients who meet the eligibility criteria for SCPD are eligible to receive Mandatory Dental Services (MDS) from the Community Dental Service provider. This includes urgent treatment, and referral to other dental services where this is appropriate.
The service also includes the provision of:
• Urgent Care - both 'In-hours' and 'Out of Hours'
• An in-hours Dental Telephone Helpline
• Treatment under Sedation
• Treatment under General Anaesthesia (GA)
• Domiciliary care
• Orthodontics
• Minor Oral Surgery
• Treatment of temporary patients - that is, patients who would not normally be eligible for SCPD services, but who may become eligible for a period of time. This could be due to, for example, fluctuations in their physical or mental health or a temporary need for care.
The service is for patients who:
• require urgent dental care and do not have access to a NHS dentist
• are judged to meet referral criteria and are therefore referred to the service as they require advanced mandatory services, general anaesthetic, sedation services, oral surgery, orthodontics or other relevant services
• have special care dental needs or are medically complex and require dental care
• require urgent treatment Out of Hours
• are confined within hospital and require domiciliary oral healthcare
The service is available to all residents and temporary residents / visitors of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
The existing contract for the provision of Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is due to expire on the 31st March 2026 and CIOS ICB have proposed that a new contract should replace the existing contract at the end of its term. All requirements outlined in Regulation 6(5) of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 have been met, including not breaching the considerable change threshold, and therefore direct award process C has been deemed the appropriate provider selection process.
After conducting an assessment, taking into account the key criteria and applying the basic selection criteria, CIOS ICB is content that the existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard.
The service is anticipated to commence on the 1st April 2026 for a contract duration of 2 years until the 31st March 2028. The estimated lifetime value of the contract is £17,857,164.72 based on 24/25 prices.
The contract value will be subject to the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) annual percentage uplift from 2025/26 onwards, when applied.
The Commissioner will be contracting for the services using the Standard clauses for a Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreement, with an NHS Standard Contract included as an appendix for the provision of treatment under General Anaesthesia.
This notice serves as an intention to award the contract to the existing provider under Direct Award Process C of the PSR.
During the life of the proposed new contract, CIOS ICB intend to conduct a review of the CDS and where appropriate, redesign and commission services for the future, under new longer term contractual arrangements.
This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: The existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard / Weighting: 80%
Cost criterion - Name: The existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard / Weighting: 20%
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and The Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to the relevant authority by 23:59 on Friday 5th December 2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Community Dental Services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 November 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Smile Together Dental Community Interest Company
Truro Health Park, Infirmary Hill
Truro
TR1 2JA
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKK3 - Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Companies House
08313960
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £17,857,164.72
Total value of the contract/lot: £17,857,164.72
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The decision to award this contract in line with Direct Award Process C was based on assessment against the basic selection criteria, which were assessed on a "Pass" / "Fail" basis, and the 5 key criteria, which were assessed on an "Assured" / "Not Assured" basis. Multiple assessment areas were included under each of the key criteria and the provider's performance against the current contract, as well as their likely performance against the new contract was assessed.
Due to the nature of the assessment and the assessment methodology applied, each key criteria was deemed of equal importance and individual weightings were not applied.
Evidence was gathered against the basic selection criteria and each of the key criteria using information available through the existing contract/contract management, published sources and information requests sent to the provider.
An assessment panel was then convened to review the evidence gathered for each element of the assessment and agree an assessment score for each criteria, using the relevant assessment matrix.
The provider scored a "pass" on all elements of the BSC and 'assured' on all elements of the key criteria assessment, therefore meeting requirements of the assessment.
Award decisions have been recommended by the Direct Award Process C Assessment Panel, of which NHS CIOS ICB's Relationship Director for Primary Care and Primary Care Development Manager were members.
Award decisions are compliant with the ICB's procurement procedure and have been made by the ICB Executive Team.
Two declarations of potential/perceived conflict of interest were made via the conflict of interest process for this procurement and recorded accordingly. The non-conflicted members of the procurement have assessed the nature and risk of each declared conflict and decided which steps to take to avoid or mitigate them. Both declarations were deemed as not being actual conflicts of interest but were still managed with appropriate mitigations into place to facilitate the individuals' involvement in the process while removing the potential for any undue influence. One declarant provided subject matter expertise during the pre-procurement phase of the procurement and was not involved in the Direct Award Process C assessment process. The other declarant was a member of the Direct Award Process C Assessment Panel but was not involved in the process prior to this nor the decision making relating to provider selection process. The Assessment Panel consisted of a number of individuals ensuring that decision making was not made by a singular individual, reducing any undue influence.
This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) intention to award notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and The Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. Representations by providers must be made to decision makers by 23:59 on Friday 5th December 2025. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.
Written representations for this award should be sent to scwcsu.procurement@nhs.net
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB
Bodmin
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
NHS England
London
Country
United Kingdom