---
title: "Unscheduled Dental Care (UDC) to NHS Kent and Medway ICB"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06098c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06098c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06098c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06098c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS KENT AND MEDWAY INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB) ON BEHALF OF NHS ENGLAND"
published: "2026-01-20"
---

# Unscheduled Dental Care (UDC) to NHS Kent and Medway ICB

Buyer: NHS KENT AND MEDWAY INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB) ON BEHALF OF NHS ENGLAND  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06098c

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## Summary

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) is in the process of awarding a contract for Unscheduled Dental Care (UDC) services in the Kent and Medway area. This includes out-of-hours emergency dental services operating during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. The procurement falls under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, adhering to Direct Award Process C. The intention-to-award notice, published on 20th January 2026, marks the beginning of a standstill period set to conclude on 2nd February 2026. The total contract, worth £3,821,338.52, is projected to commence on 1st April 2026 and extend until 31st March 2029, with Medway Community Health (MCH) identified as the potential service provider.

This tender presents substantial prospects for business growth in the healthcare services industry, particularly for entities specialising in dental-practice services. Businesses with capabilities in delivering high-quality emergency dental services and fulfilling NHS standards on care accessibility and social value will find this opportunity highly suitable. The contract not only ensures service continuity but also provides a stable three-year period for businesses to leverage innovations in dental care. By focusing on the integration and sustainability of services, companies can build upon their existing frameworks to gain a competitive advantage in future tenders within this sector.

## Notice

This is an intention to award notice. Kent and Medway Unscheduled Dental Care (UDC) is an NHS out-of-hours emergency dental service providing urgent care during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. It offers temporary pain relief and treatment for severe dental issues such as acute pain, trauma, bleeding, or swelling when regular dental practices are closed. Patients must follow up with their own dentist for ongoing care. Access is via telephone triage for advice and appointment booking. NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) intends to award a contract to an existing provider, Medway Community Health (MCH), following Direct Award Process C of the UK Health Care Services (PSR) Regulations 2023 for UDC services in the Kent and Medway area. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. The publication of this notice marks the start of the standstill period. The term of the existing UDC contract is due to expire on 31st March 2026 and NHS Kent and Medway ICB have proposed that new a UDC 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 that the considerable change threshold has not been met, and therefore Direct Award Process C has been determined as the appropriate provider selection process. After conducting assessments of the existing provider, taking into account the key criteria and applying the basic selection criteria, NHS Kent and Medway ICB is content that the existing provider is satisfying the original contract and will likely satisfy the proposed contract to a sufficient standard. The awarded contract will be for a term of 36 months and is due to commence from 1st April 2026, terminating 31st March 2029. The total maximum contract value of the contract is PS3,821,338.52.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This transparency notice serves as an intention to award the contract to the existing provider, using Direct Award Process C under PSR. Kent and Medway Unscheduled Dental Care (UDC) is an NHS out-of-hours emergency dental service providing urgent care during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. It offers temporary pain relief and treatment for severe dental issues such as acute pain, trauma, bleeding, or swelling when regular dental practices are closed. Patients must follow up with their own dentist for ongoing care. Access is via telephone triage for advice and appointment booking. The awarded contract will be for a term of 36 months and is due to commence from 1st April 2026, terminating 31st March 2029. The total maximum contract value of the contract is PS3,821,338.52. A 36-month award is proposed - this will allow other providers the opportunity to express an interest to deliver services in the medium term. The existing service will not change, and the new contract will be based on current clinical standards.

### Procurement Information

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 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 2nd February 2026. This contract has not yet formally been awarded; this notice serves as an intention to award under the PSR.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004647-2026 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 7 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £3,821,338 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS KENT AND MEDWAY INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB) ON BEHALF OF NHS ENGLAND |
| Locality | MAIDSTONE |
| Post town | Rochester |
| Postcode | ME15 6NB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ45 Mid Kent |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Electoral ward | High Street |
| Westminster constituency | Maidstone and Malling |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MEDWAY COMMUNITY HEALTH (MCH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85130000 - Dental practice and related services
- 85131000 - Dental-practice services

## Release History

- 20 Jan 2026 at 10:12 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004647-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.kentandmedway.icb.nhs.uk/

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06098c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06098c.json.