Tender

Witness Service (2023 - 2027)

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

07 Feb 2022 at 13:11

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Justice is currently seeking providers for the "Witness Service (2023 - 2027)", which aims to support witnesses in all Criminal Courts across England and Wales. This procurement process is classified as an open procedure under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and is currently in the tender stage, with a deadline for submissions set for 18 March 2022. The estimated total value of the contract is £47,800,000, spanning a contract period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly those specialising in justice services, social support, and trauma-informed care. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged to participate as the contract may seek innovative solutions to enhance service delivery. Companies that can offer digital support mechanisms, adapt to flexible service delivery models, and demonstrate experience in providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable individuals will likely be well-suited to compete for this contract.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Witness Service (2023 - 2027)

Notice Description

The Witness Service is an existing service which will be recommissioned. The Witness Service has operated in all Criminal Courts in England and Wales since 2003, with a combination of volunteers and paid staff providing emotional and practical support to prosecution and defence witnesses to enable them to give their best evidence. The future service will be materially similar to the current model. However, we will also examine options for future improvement through effective engagement with the market. The Ministry of Justice is seeking a provider to provide support guided by the following principles, reflecting our vision for the service: To continue to deliver a service for witnesses attending court - building on the existing model for support and the significant benefits it provides to witnesses. To provide the service flexibility to better respond to new challenges, including pandemic-like scenarios, future use of Nightingale courts, Extended Operating Hours and support witnesses in giving remote and pre-recorded evidence. To improve the service at a detailed level, learning lessons from victim policy in recent years. This will include working to create a more trauma-informed approach, improving the accessibility of the service and improving partnership working with victim advocates. To create opportunities within the service design to test ambitious options for future improvement of the service, including through digital support. The anticipated quantity or scope is an estimate of the potential value of the contract and does not in any way guarantee any level of expenditure. The estimated cost range is real in 2022, does not account for inflation. All values should be considered as indicative only. Additional information: 1.TYPE OF PROCEDURE: The services being awarded are listed within Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) and so pursuant to regulation 74 will be subject to the light regime under which the Authority is not obliged to comply with the full requirements of the PCR. The Authority will conduct an Open procedure and will comply with its obligations of equal treatment, transparency, non-discrimination and proportionality at all times during the procurement. 2. QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT: Details of the objective criteria for selecting a winning bidder will be set out in the procurement documents. 3. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT Details of the Authority's approach to Economic and Financial assessment will be set out in the procurement documents. 4 AWARD CRITERIA: The award criteria will be based on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT), evaluated on a Price per Quality Point (PQP) basis. Variant bids will not be permitted 5.REGISTRATION: The Authority will be performing events through its e-Sourcing Portal known as Jaggaer. The e-Sourcing Portal is an online application that allows all potential suppliers to create and submit their responses to any SQ and tenders via the internet. Bidders Instructions to express an interest in this tender 1). Login to the Portal with the username/password. 2) Click the ITTs Open To All Suppliers link. (These are invitations to tender open to any registered supplier). 3) Click on the relevant ITT to access the content using the following: Project Code - prj_7250 ITT Code - ITT_5936 4). Click the Express Interest button at the top of the page. This will move the ITT into your My ITTs page. This is a secure area reserved for your projects only. 5) You can now access any attachments by clicking Buyer Attachments in the ITT Details box. Instructions on how to submit a tender will be provided.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-16765ba3-8093-4a3a-8cb7-4d66f94ec5ef
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/63c66f59-20d2-48c9-a00d-0814260e232c
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

75230000 - Justice services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£47,800,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Feb 20224 years ago
Submission Deadline
18 Mar 2022Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2023 - 31 Mar 2027 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 9AJ
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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