Planning

Heathrow IRC Operator Services

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Planning

07 Jan 2026 at 16:12

Planning

22 Sep 2025 at 15:47

Planning

01 May 2025 at 13:06

Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office is planning a procurement process titled "Heathrow IRC Operator Services," concerning the operation of Europe's largest immigration detention facility at Heathrow, comprising Harmondsworth and Colnbrook sites, with a total capacity of 1,093 beds. The procurement, which is currently at the planning stage as of 7th January 2026, falls under the "services" industry category and is slated to commence on 1st April 2028, running until 31st March 2038 if extensions are utilised. The competitive flexible procedure will focus on securing a prime supplier responsible for a wide range of services, including security, catering, transport, and facility management, with a potential contract value of £901.5m for a 10-year period. Businesses are invited to express their interest by 3rd March 2026.

This procurement opportunity opens substantial avenues for business growth, particularly for organisations that can assume the prime supplier role for such a large-scale operation. The contract's extensive scope, covering security, facilities management, and additional support services, makes it suitable for companies with expertise in comprehensive facility operations or partnerships of SMEs that can leverage specialised skill sets. Engaging as a subcontractor in this procurement could also be appealing due to the breadth of required services, providing ample opportunity for various sectors to contribute to the detention centre’s operation. Potential businesses must be prepared to meet cyber security standards and have a valid DUNS number as part of the application process. This selective procurement method encourages strong candidates to consider collaborating or jointly bidding to strengthen their proposals.

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Notice Title

Heathrow IRC Operator Services

Notice Description

The Authority is responsible, under statutory obligations including the Immigration Act 1971, the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Immigration Act 2014, for detaining and/or enforcing the removal of certain persons. Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) is Europe's largest immigration detention facility providing a contracted capacity of 1,093 beds, and is made up of two sites, Harmondsworth (754 beds) and Colnbrook (339 beds). Heathrow IRC accepts around 12,000 detained individuals every year and provides crucial strategic and operational benefits to the Home Office. The Authority is seeking a commercial partner to operate the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre, with the required services including but not limited to: a) security services; b) canteen and catering services; c) special-purpose road passenger-transport services; d) guard services; e) building and facilities management services; f) grounds maintenance services; g) education and training services; h) accommodation cleaning services; i) recreational, cultural and sporting services; j) religious services; k) accommodation services; l) housekeeping services; and m) administration, defence and social security services. The potential length of contract will be 10 years from service commencement, with a core term of 6 years and options to extend for up to a further 4 years. This contract covers the operation of the site at the stated capacity of 1,093, with a total estimated contract value of PS901.5m excluding VAT for the full 10 years. The content of this PPN, including the nature of services and estimated value, may be subject to change. How to apply: The Home Office eSourcing is used for sourcing activities. Please follow the steps below to register your interest: 1. To express an interest, participants must first be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Suite. If you have not yet registered, this can be done online at https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html by following the Register Here Link . Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. 2. Email: HeathrowIRCreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk Title of email: Heathrow IRC Procurement - Expression of Interest Email to include: Organisation name, Contact name, E-mail address and telephone number. For the avoidance of doubt, the Home Office is inviting Expressions of Interest exclusively from organisations intending to act as the prime Supplier for the operation of the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and the full complement of associated services. While the appointed prime Supplier may engage subcontractors across elements of the service delivery, submissions will only be considered from entities assuming full responsibility as the prime Supplier. Once the above steps are completed, documents will be made available via the portal, subject to parties signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Contract length of an initial 6 years with the option to extend 1 or more times for a total maximum extension period of up to 4-years

Planning Information

• To express interest and obtain the documentation please contact the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk • We kindly request your completed response be returned by 12 noon, 3rd of October 2025 to the Heathrow IRC Procurement mailbox: heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk • When submitting, please include “RFI Response – Heathrow IRC Operator Services” in the subject line. Please note: • This RFI is for information-gathering purposes only. • Any information provided will be treated in confidence and used solely to inform the Home Office’s procurement strategy. • Suppliers are advised that this exercise does not form part of a formal procurement process, and no commercial advantage will be given to those who respond to this notice. • This is one of a series of potential market engagement activities. • The Home Office will contact suppliers who express an interest in this RFI, as well as those who participated in previous Heathrow IRC market engagement activities, to inform them of any subsequent market engagement opportunities. • Any Suppliers who have not engaged in earlier market engagement activities for this procurement will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to receiving the RFI questionnaire. • If you are not able to respond within the timelines stated please let us know.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050b69
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001203-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80 - Education and training services

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services


CPV Codes

55500000 - Canteen and catering services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

77314000 - Grounds maintenance services

79710000 - Security services

79713000 - Guard services

79993000 - Building and facilities management services

80000000 - Education and training services

90911100 - Accommodation cleaning services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98131000 - Religious services

98341000 - Accommodation services

98341110 - Housekeeping services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£901,500,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£901,500,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Mar 20261 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2028 - 31 Mar 2034 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
IRC Procurement Team
Contact Email
heathrowircreprocurementproject@homeoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
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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