Provision of Public and Patient Panel and Associated Services

The General Dental Council (GDC) invites responses to invitation to tender, for 'Public and Patient Panel and Associated Services'. This invitation breaks our requirements into two elements, a fixed price element for setting up and management of the panels, and a call-off element to allow for undertaking activities with the panel. The estimated value of this contract is expected to be annually up to £72,000 inclusive of VAT (if chargeable) per year, with the contract being for an initial two years with the option to renew annually for a further two years.

The GDC's core functions are to protect the public and maintain confidence in dental services. This project is the fourth iteration of our public and patient panel and will continue to lie at the heart of the GDC being able to understand and hear about the publics' experiences of, perceptions towards and views about the dental sector across the UK. The voices of the public 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 public and patient panel will ensure we sustain a robust, responsive and independently facilitated approach to involving public voice to inform a wide range of GDC activity. This includes using the panel to develop our understanding of the impacts of factors that are external to the GDC on the dental sector and the public's views about access to and experience of dental care.