Dental tenders are commissioned by NHS England, whose ambition is to bring efficiency and excellence to the provision of care and treatment.
They are rigorous and exacting in their requirements and have the needs of the patient at their heart. Dental practices must therefore demonstrate not only that they meet the service levels and compliance requirements, but also deliver outstanding quality, improved patient outcomes and value for money.
Showing understanding of intentions of the NHS commissions and why your practice should win the award should be the core of your tender. As most dental tenders have set prices per UDA or per UOA for orthodontic tenders, there is little room for gaining a competitive edge on price. The evaluation and award of a dental contract therefore comes down to the quality of the written tender submission.
Topics and themes in dental tenders
Although the requirements of the dental tender may change, the topics and themes of the written responses don’t. Understanding what they are and how they are assessed will help you to prepare for submission. Below is a list of some of the topics that you may be asked to talk about and what they mean for you:
- Service delivery – how does your dental practice deliver the best quality services and what procedures do you have in place to ensure that you and your team can execute this.
- Patient journeys – what is a typical patient journey? Describe the pre- and post-appointment process, and how your practice tailors a patient journey to suit your community’s needs.
- Anaesthetic – what is your process of gaining consent for conscious sedation? What is the patient journey for IV sedation? How do you comply with Conscious Sedation Legislation?
- Referrals – what is your referral process, how is it different to the average practice and how do you manage inappropriate referrals?
- “Making Every Contact Count” – how do you adhere to this government standard? What training/procedures do you and your staff follow to ensure that you make every contact with a patent matter?
- TUPE – How familiar are you and your staff with TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) regulations and how do you welcome/manage TUPE transfers?
- Training qualifications and experience – what training qualifications do you and your team have? What experience does your practice have that makes you stand out?
- Information training/management – how do you train your staff to manage sensitive information? How do you manage your patient information?
- Promoting equal opportunities – what policies and procedures do you implement that demonstrate how you promote equal opportunities within your business?
- Net Zero Strategy – How do you abide by the government Net Zero Strategy? What practices do you already adopt to fit into the strategy’s objectives?
Brainstorming these topics with some of our expert tender writers will enable you to streamline your answers and to develop the right practices and policies that you will need to tender, in advance. They will help you understand the exact requirements and the ways in which your business can maximise the opportunity to win a tender.
For more details on how we can support you with your dental tender submission call us on 01707 244713 or read more top tips here.
