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Community Justice Learning (Professional Qualification in Probation)

Ministry of Justice

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

Award

02 Sep 2026 at 13:04

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

15 Jun 2026 at 18:03

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

20 Oct 2025 at 15:23

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

04 Aug 2025 at 17:47

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

01 Aug 2025 at 11:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

23 May 2025 at 12:23

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

17 Apr 2025 at 13:03

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Justice procured Community Justice Learning, the academic component of the Professional Qualification in Probation for probation officers in England and Wales. The service covers a Level 6 degree or graduate diploma in Community Justice, with Level 4 and Level 5 study providing advanced standing where appropriate, alongside the in-house Level 5 vocational qualification in Probation Practice. Suppliers must design and deliver accredited academic content for four learner routes: probation services officer progression, full-time and part-time postgraduate entry, and a full-time non-graduate route. Delivery is primarily live, synchronous online teaching, with optional face-to-face sessions at the supplier’s discretion and cost. Four regional lots cover London; the Midlands and North East; the North West and Wales; and southern and eastern England.

The open procedure is complete and the contract has been awarded in four lots. Awards were made on 15 June 2026: Sheffield Hallam University won Lot 1 for £18,702,954 gross; De Montfort University won Lot 2 for £17,757,517.20 gross; Liverpool John Moores University won Lot 3 for £15,497,602.80 gross; and the University of Portsmouth won Lot 4 for £20,367,336 gross. Contracts were signed on 6 August 2026 and run until 28 February 2037. Evaluation was quality-led: course delivery and curriculum carried 55%, mobilisation 15%, learner support 10%, governance and performance management 10%, and social value 10%, with lot-specific pass/fail requirements and minimum technical scores. Selection required financial capacity, insurance, GDPR capability, technical experience, degree-awarding powers and Cyber Essentials.

This procurement demonstrates sustained demand from the Ministry of Justice for higher-education providers able to deliver criminal justice qualifications at scale across multiple UK regions. A credible future supplier would need experience developing and delivering a criminal justice degree covering Recognised Qualifications Framework levels 4, 5 and 6, with evidence of student numbers, delivery duration, accreditation and learner outcomes. It would also need evidence-based curriculum development that responds to policy, legislation, research and changing practice, alongside effective teaching, assessment, quality assurance and learner support. Degree-awarding powers, or a suitable associated organisation, are important. Suppliers must be able to manage large virtual cohorts, performance data and contractual KPIs, hold or obtain Cyber Essentials, meet GDPR obligations, and provide substantial liability and professional indemnity insurance.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Community Justice Learning (Professional Qualification in Probation)

Notice Description

These contracts will deliver Community Justice Learning (CJL), which forms the academic component of the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) programme - the mandatory training route for all Probation Officers employed by the Probation Service. CJL comprises a BA (Hons) Degree or Graduate Diploma in Community Justice, alongside a Level 5 Vocational Qualification in Probation Practice, which is delivered in-house by His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) staff. Under Section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007, the Secretary of State for Justice may determine the qualifications, experience and training required to practise as a Probation Officer. Since 1 April 2016, the PQiP has been the sole statutory route to qualification. HMPPS is the only employer of Probation Officers in England and Wales, and the PQiP programme is the only route to train and qualify for this profession. The Authority holds a CJL Course Design Framework, which defines the academic structure, outcomes and learning standards that all suppliers will be required to adopt and implement during the Mobilisation Phase. Suppliers will be required to design their academic course content in accordance with this framework and secure appropriate accreditation through the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) or Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). The academic elements of the PQiP to be delivered under this contract include: * A Level 6 academic qualification forming the core programme which all learners must complete; and * Level 4 and Level 5 components providing advanced standing onto the core programme where required, depending on each learner's prior learning and experience. Learning will be delivered through biannual cohorts across four standard entry routes: 1. Probation Services Officer Progression (PSOP); 2. Standard PQiP (post-graduate) - full-time; 3. Standard PQiP (post-graduate) - part-time; and 4. PQiP non-graduate route - full-time. Course duration will vary from between 15-30 months, depending on learners' prior learning and the appropriate entry route identified. From time to time, the Authority may commission 'optional services' from the suppliers, which would be related and complementary to the contracted Services but incidental and discrete in nature and could, for example, include (without limitation) specific short term academic research projects and mapping of qualifications. The estimated annual volume is approximately 1,200 learners (not guaranteed), divided across the below-stated four regional Lots: * Lot 1: London - estimated 22% market share * Lot 2: North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands- estimated 28% market share * Lot 3: North West, Greater Manchester, Wales- estimated 22% market share * Lot 4: East of England, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, South Central, South West- estimated 27% market share The delivery model is 100% virtual, with all learning conducted through live, synchronous online teaching (e.g. Microsoft Teams). Suppliers may offer face-to-face sessions at their own discretion and cost where they deem beneficial to learners. The contract term is 10.5 years, anticipated to commence in September 2026, structured as follows: * Mobilisation Phase (6 months): Development and finalisation of curriculum, securing accreditation, and readiness for delivery; * Service Delivery Phase (6.5 years): Delivery of up to 13 learner cohorts, beginning in March 2027; and * Teach-Out Phase (3.5 years): To allow all learners, including those who take a break in learning, enough time to complete the course before contract expiry.

Lot Information

Lot 1 - London Lot 2 - North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands Lot 3 - North West, Greater Manchester Wales Lot 4 - East of England, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, South Central, South West

Planning Information

The Authority will be hosting a market engagement session to support suppliers’ understanding of the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQIP). This session will take place virtually via Microsoft Teams on 25th September 2025 from 10.30 -12.00. The Authority will be joined by a number of speakers who have taken part in the PQIP programme, each of whom will share their personal journeys and reflections. The focus of this event will therefore be on the lived experiences of these speakers to provide suppliers with an insight of PQiP and the National Probation Service. Suppliers are invited to submit any questions they would like the speakers to consider in advance of the session. Where appropriate and feasible, we will invite speakers to address these as part of their presentations. During the session, suppliers will also have the opportunity to submit questions via the Microsoft Teams chat function. These questions will be reviewed and, where appropriate, responses will be provided during the Q&A section at the end of the session. Following the event, suppliers may submit any additional questions via the Jaggaer portal by 1st October 2025. These will be addressed offline and responses will be published through the Jaggaer Messaging function in due course. Please note that the event will be strictly limited to discussion of the speakers’ personal experiences and the content of their presentations. The Authority will not revisit previously shared procurement information or enter discussions on details of the procurement itself. All relevant information of the procurement will be provided in the Invitation to Tender once published. If you plan to attend, please confirm the following details via the messaging function to PQQ 491 Community Justice Learning (Professional Qualification in Probation): Name(s) of attendee(s) (Maximum of 2 people per company) Company/organisation name Contact details (E-mail and phone number) Any questions you would like the speakers to consider and address within their presentations. Please confirm your attendance with the above details and questions, before 14:00, 1 September 2025 within the PQQ491. To ensure maximum value from this event, attendees are expected to have reviewed all prior market engagement documentation, including the previous Preliminary Market engagement Notice “ocds-h6vhtk-0504cd" and the supporting materials shared at PQQ 491 – Community Justice Learning (Professional Qualification in Probation). This content will not be presented again during the session. If you do not already have a Jaggaer account please register to create an account via the following link - https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk/ If you have any issues registering, please contact 0845 0100 132 or e-mail esourcing@justice.gov.uk. This notice is for Information only and the Authority reserves the right to not proceed to tender. Additionally the Authority (MoJ) reserves the right to discontinue the tendering process and not to award the contract. The information contained in this notice, including information relating to the nature and scope of the requirements, the estimated value, the service classification of this requirement or the list of CPV codes, is only indicative of current thinking and is neither exhaustive nor binding and the Authority reserves the right at it's absolute discretion to amend it at the time of issue of any further notices or at any other time. The publication of this notice in no way obliges the Authority to commence any competitive tender process. The Authority is not / shall not be liable for any costs incurred by those expressing an interest in participating in this market engagement exercise. Any contracts are subject to the relevant legal and Cabinet Office controls and policies. The Authority reserves the right to source items included through other means (e.g. an existing contract or framework).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0504cd
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083043-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£80,520,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£80,520,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£60,271,175 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
£60,271,175 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
19 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
20 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
15 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
6 Aug 2026 - 28 Feb 2037 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2036-10-17

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

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
Postcode Area
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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLD3 Greater Manchester, TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex, TLJ4 Kent, TLK South West (England), TLL Wales
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
4
Supplier Names

Sheffield Hallam University

De Montfort University

Liverpool John Moores

University of Portsmouth

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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